3rd AI in Finance 2026

About

The John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, in collaboration with the Desjardins Centre for Innovation and Financing, is pleased to announce the 3rd AI in Finance Conference. The conference brings together leading researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to exchange new ideas and discuss cutting-edge research at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and financial economics. The conference is organized by Denis Schweizer, Juliane Proelss (Concordia University), Christian Fieberg (Hochschule Bremen and Concordia University) and Gerrit Liedtke (Bremen University).

The event will take place in person in Montréal from October 13 to 15, 2026. A limited number of virtual presentation slots will be available for participants facing travel constraints. The conference will also offer online listener registration for participants who wish to follow the sessions remotely. The Keynote will be live-streamed and accessible to the broader public. 

The conference welcomes full papers and extended abstracts as well as PhD paper proposals. Short research idea presentations are also available. See the Call for Papers page for submission guidelines, topics, and special tracks.

For the programs of the first edition click here and for the second edition click here.

Conference Structure

Days 1–2 (Oct 13–14): Main Academic Conference
Presentations and discussions on AI applications in finance and related areas, including real estate finance.

Day 3 (Oct 15): PhD and Postdoc Workshop
A workshop designed for early-career researchers, featuring feedback from senior faculty on research design, empirical methods, and AI applications in finance.

Keynote Speaker

Mihail Velikov (Smeal College of Business at Penn State University)

Mihail Velikov’s research focuses on empirical asset pricing, financial econometrics, and machine learning applications in finance. His work explores how large-scale financial data and modern statistical methods can improve our understanding of risk premia and asset return predictability.

Important Dates and Submissions

• Submission deadline: May 31, 2026

• Notification: by June 30, 2026 

• Optional full-paper update deadline: August 30, 2026

• Conference dates: October 13–15, 2026

• Submission portal: https://www.conftool.net/ai-finance-2026

Submission Types

The conference features three presentation formats: full paper sessions with discussants, short research presentations for extended abstracts or early-stage work, and PhD proposal sessions designed to provide feedback on dissertation projects.

Authors submitting extended abstracts will have the opportunity to upload an updated full paper by August 30, 2026. If the paper has developed sufficiently by that time, it may be considered for inclusion in the full paper sessions of the conference.

Other Program Participation

Session Chairperson and Discussant - Deadline, 30 August 2026 - Click Here to Apply

PhD and Postdoc Workshop on Empirical AI in Finance

This one-day workshop is designed for early-career researchers interested in empirical finance, machine learning, and data-driven research.

Participants will gain hands-on experience using WRDS data, replicate leading finance papers applying machine learning techniques, and receive interactive feedback from senior faculty.

Participation in the workshop does not require attending the full conference, and separate workshop registration is available. For additional information, see here.

Conference Highlights

The conference will feature a Best Paper Award and Best Discussant Award, as well as several social events, including:

• a networking reception

• the conference gala dinner

• a guided city tour of Montréal

Travel 

The preferred airline partner for the event is Air Canada, offering a discount of up to 10% on eligible fares to Montréal (YUL). Please use the following booking code on the Air Canada website (aircanada.com): QB4XH2T1.

The discount is valid for travel within ±7 days of the event.

Program Committee