2024 IMF-WIFPR Conference

On June 18, 2024, the Wharton Initiative on Financial Policy and Regulation and the International Monetary Fund co-hosted the Conference on Financial and Real Implications of Technologies, AI, and Cyber Risks at the IMF Headquarters in Washington D.C.

This conference is dedicated to dissecting the influence of technological advancements, AI integration, and cyber vulnerabilities on the broader financial system. Discussions and presentations critically evaluated the financial and real implications of these technological interventions and explore policy measures apt for mitigating associated risks, thereby fostering a resilient financial and economic infrastructure. Scroll below to view photos from the conference featuring Wharton’s finance faculty.

Winston Wei Dou, assistant professor of finance at Wharton, kicked off the conference’s first session with a presentation of his paper, “AI-Powered Trading, Algorithmic Collusion, and Price Efficiency,” co-authored with Professor Itay Goldstein.

Winston Wei Dou presents behind a podium as a slide displays behind him.

Professor Dou’s presentation was followed by an in-depth discussion by Albert “Pete” Kyle, the Charles E. Smith Chair Professor of Finance at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Albert "Pete" Kyle in discussion at the IMF-WIFPR Conference.

A headline panel on research, “New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence: Landscape, Challenges, and Outlook,” featured top academics discussing their work at the intersection of finance, technology, and AI. WIFPR director Itay Goldstein presented along with Anton Korinek (Professor of Economics, University of Virginia), Josh Lerner (Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking, Harvard Business School), and Sabrina Howell (Professor of Finance, NYU Stern), in a conversation moderated by Felix Suntheim.

View the “New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence: Landscape, Challenges, and Outlook,” panel recap here.

Headline panel on research, “New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence: Landscape, Challenges, and Outlook,” sits on a stage.

The second session of the conference dove into money and banking, cyber-risk, and security. Yao Zeng, assistant professor of finance at Wharton, offered a thorough discussion of the paper, “Strategic Money and Credit Ledgers” by Markus Brunnermeier and Jonathan Payne, of Princeton University.

Yao Zeng, assistant professor of finance at Wharton, gives a discussion during the 2024 IMF-WIFPR Conference

Going forward, the IMF and WIFPR plan to continue this collaborative effort with annual conferences tackling critical topics at the forefront of financial stability, macroeconomic effects, and policy strategies.

View the 2024 IMF-WIFPR Conference program.

Learn more about the International Monetary Fund.