Banking Symposium
In an increasingly data-driven world, banks, financial institutions, and capital markets are undergoing a profound transformation. A growing share of available information is unstructured – including textual data from analyst reports, social media feeds, voice recordings from client conversations, financial disclosures, news articles, and visual content such as satellite imagery and videos.
While traditional financial analysis has relied heavily on structured numerical data, a significant portion of valuable insights now lies beyond the boundaries of conventional databases. The ability to capture, process, and extract knowledge from unstructured data is rapidly becoming a strategic advantage.
Recent advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP), machine learning, and big data analytics have opened new possibilities to systematically leverage these vast and diverse data sources. This creates exciting opportunities--from early detection of financial risks to alternative credit scoring and investor behavior analysis.
Among others, we aim to discuss the following questions at the symposium:
- How can unstructured data sources be effectively utilized for financial analysis?
- Which technological tools and models have proven useful in finance?
- What is the role of AI and machine learning in extracting insights from text, images, and audio?
- How is risk assessment and forecasting transformed by incorporating alternative data?
- What regulatory, ethical, and data protection issues arise from using unstructured data?
- How can the integration of unstructured data improve efficiency and transparency in the financial sector?
The aim of the 28th Banking Symposium is to bring together active researchers and practitioners interested in the transformation of the banking and finance industry. The program will include several academic presentations and insights from invited experts from the business community.
The aim of the 28th Banking Symposium is to bring together active researchers and practitioners interested in the transformation in banking and finance. We invite the submission of empirical, theoretical, and experimental papers from all fields of banking and finance that focus on unstructured data. Early-stage work is encouraged. The final program will include several academic presentations and insights from invited experts from the industry.
There is no submission fee. We will reimburse travel costs and accommodation for presenters.
The paper submission deadline is June 30, 2025. Please submit your papers to bankensymposium@uni-due.de. Paper selection will be finalized by the end of July 2025. Please direct further questions to bankensymposium@uni-due.de.
The symposium directly preceeds the 31th DGF Jahrestagung in Hagen (September 18-25, 2025). It is possible to reach Hagen by train within 90 minutes.
Sponsors
We would like to thank the european center for financial services (ecfs) and the Stiftung für die Wissenschaft for their financial support!
Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) will significantly impact and change the financial and banking sector. Large language models (LLMs) are at the forefront of this evolution, transforming financial services and creating substantial opportunities. With the sharp increase in commercial applications, economic, societal, and existential risks associated with the technology also receive more attention.
The aim of the 27th Banking Symposium (September 25, 2024) was to bring together active researchers and practitioners interested in the transformation in banking and finance through GAI. The final program included several academic presentations and insights from invited experts from the industry.
Program
13:30 Uhr – Einführung & Eröffnung
13:40 – 15:30 Uhr – Block 1: Whispers of code
- „Using Large Language Models for Financial Advice“
Prof. Dr. David Streich (Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) - „Unusual Financial Communication: ChatGPT, Earnings Calls, and Financial Markets“
Stefan Menze (Universität Münster) - „Textual Disclosure in Prospectuses and Investors’ Security Pricing“
Dr. Philipp Klein (Universität Münster)
15:30 – 16:00 Uhr – Kaffeepause
16:00 – 17:45 Uhr – Block 2: Blueprints of tomorrow
- Dr. Frederik Traut
Abteilungsdirektor Bereich Bankenregulierung beim Bundesverband Öffentlicher Banken Deutschlands (VÖB) - Fabian Daun und Malte Lange
Analytics & AI Strategie bei der Finanz Informatik (IT-Dienstleister der Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe)
17:45 – 18:15 Uhr – Kaffeepause
18:15 – 19:45 Uhr – Block 3: Crafting the future
- „Chancen und Risiken bei der Anwendung von künstlicher Intelligenz“
Prof. Dr. Marc Eulerich (Mercator School of Management, Universität Duisburg-Essen) - „Corporate Green Pledges“
Prof. Dr. Ole Wilms (Universität Hamburg und Tilburg University)
19:45 Uhr – Abschluss & Get-Together
