Digital Finance chair

Télécom Paris, Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, Institut Louis Bachelier, Groupement des Cartes Bancaires (CB) and La Banque Postale are joining forces to create the Digital Finance Chair. The chair is led by David Bounie, professor and researcher at Télécom Paris and Marianne Verdier at Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas.

 

The objective of the Digital Finance Chair is to carry out research in all the innovations, services, products and organizations in digital computing that may impact the work of financial intermediaries.

As services have become digital, the banking and insurance sector has seen many innovations emerge. They apply to both retail banking and the structuring of interactions among intermediaries. Innovations are introduced by players in the sector and also by new companies, known as fintechs. The economic and social impact of these new technologies is significant and should be monitored closely.

3 research axis

  • Picto CB sans contact
Data, digital payment and predictive analysis
The bank card has become a preferred means of payment. In terms of value, card spending at the point of sale accounts for more than half of total consumer spending, generating a wealth of data on consumers and businesses, economic activity by department, type of business, etc. This data can be used for several purposes. For example, to predict the evolution of final consumer spending and GDP in France, to build more localized models of economic growth (region, sector of activity, etc.), to help the economic growth of geographical areas through the development of bank cards in certain sectors and regions, or to help the financial inclusion of certain populations or SMEs.
Artificial intelligence in banking and insurance
Advances in « artificial intelligence » research have led to the development of advanced methods for analyzing large amounts of data and new methods for statistical learning. These technologies are transforming the demand for financial services by customers, the production and distribution of services by banks (supply), competition (lower market entry costs for new entrants) and the regulation of competing players (better knowledge of the players, meeting the regulator’s requirements). The research of the Digital Finance Chair focuses on AI technologies in banking, with questions centered on algorithms such as interpretability and explicability, bias and liability, and research on employment, productivity and competitiveness, pricing of financial services and regulation of artificial intelligence.
  • Picto blockchain
Blockchain, cryptocurrencies and central bank digital currency
Distributed registry technology has the potential to profoundly transform the financial system. Blockchain, a particular distributed registry technology, allows transactions to be validated and recorded digitally in a decentralized and secure network. There are many applications for this technology in banking and insurance, such as payments, crypto-asset exchanges, fund raising and intelligent contracts. The possible impacts of these technologies are difficult to apprehend and the Chair proposes to focus on four themes: the economics of these technologies, financial disintermediation (Initial Coin Offerings and cryptomoney), digital currencies for central banks, and the regulation of these technologies.

Industrial Partners

This partnership with the academic world will produce new skills sets. It is also a mark of Groupement des Cartes Bancaires CB’s approach to corporate citizenship, as it serves the public interest and seeks to promote social inclusion.
Philippe Laulanie, Chief Executive Officer, Groupement des Cartes Bancaires CB

 

La Banque Postale is delighted to partner with the brightest minds in education and research as part of its commitment to technology transfer and the development of the French ecosystem in the field of digital computing and artificial intelligence. It forms an integral part of promoting digital and banking accessibility, which lie at the heart of our work as a corporate citizen.
Philippe Cuvelier, Chief Information Officer, La Banque Postale.

 

Academic Partners

With the support of