2026 Worcester Polytechnic University (WPI), FLAME University and Future Finance and Economics Association (FFEA) Call for Papers FinTech Conference October 22-23, 2026, Worcester, MA, USA Special Issue of International Review of Financial Analysis Journal   Theme: “FinTech Frontiers: AI, Blockchain, and the Evolution of Digital Finance” Venue: Onsite at Worcester Polytechnic University, 100 Institute Rd, Worcester, MA, USA   The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Business School, the Future Finance and Economics Association (FFEA), and FLAME University are proud to host the second FFEA conference in the United States, following the inaugural 2023 event. The 2026 conference, themed “FinTech Frontiers: AI, Blockchain, and the Evolution of Digital Finance,” will take place Thursday, October 22 – Friday, October 23, 2026, at WPI in Worcester, Massachusetts https://www.ffea.eu/future-conferences/fintech-for-the-future-wpi-october-2023 This event aims to bring together an international group of academics, practitioners, and policymakers to engage in debates on the most pressing issues in FinTech and digital finance. With particular focus on payment innovation, digital asset infrastructure, and regulatory transformation, the conference will explore how technologies such as stablecoins, CBDCs, and blockchain platforms are reshaping global finance. It will provide a forum for presenting new research, policy perspectives, and industry insights, while fostering dialogue on the future direction of FinTech in an era of rapid technological and regulatory change.  The conference submission deadline is June 30th, 2026. Financial Technology (Fintech) is revolutionizing the financial industry and offers social good opportunities. The impacts of Fintech are evident across a myriad of sectors within the financial services industry ranging from payments, insurance, lending, and banking. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are major driving forces behind Fintech’s innovations. We are committed to this transformation at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the Business School of Engineers. Technology is central to our mission and a bedrock of our programs. Through the FLAME–WPI FinTech Lab, we extend this mission globally by fostering collaborative research, student engagement, and thought leadership in FinTech The conference invites papers in all areas of fintech and sustainability studies. At this point a tentative but not exhaustive set of topics could include the following;  AI-enhanced decision-making in capital markets and credit allocation Stablecoin adoption and central bank digital currency (CBDC) developments Blockchain’s influence on cross-border payments and digital identity verification The role of generative AI and machine learning in regulatory technology (RegTech) FinTech’s evolving role in promoting financial inclusion and sustainable finance The impact of Artificial Intelligence applications in the financial industry Central Bank Digital Currency and the underbanked/unbanked Blockchain and FinTech Applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence in financial decision making Fintech and financial inclusivity Ethics and Fintech   Timeline Papers, extended abstracts, and proposals for workshops and panel discussions should be submitted by June 30, 2026, with decisions by mid-July.   Submissions: Submission link will open shortly Keynote Speakers Ÿ   Andrew W. Lo, Professor, Finance at MIT Ÿ   Roger G. Ibbotson, Professor in the Practice Emeritus of Finance at Yale School of Management.  Special Issue Journal International Review of Financial Analysis - Fintech and Inclusivity in an International Context Guest Editor Kwamie Dunbar WPI Papers for these special issues must be presented at the conference. Which journal, if any, will be requested at submission. It is NOT mandatory to select a SI to attend or present. Please refer to the journal websites for details on submissions. Note that submissions are NOT open yet. Conference Registration The registration fee for the conference is USD400 for all participants. The registration fee is waivered for session chairs and discussants who do not have a paper in the program. The conference is also free for students. Presenting authors should register for the conference before August 15th, 2026.   Important DatesDeadline for Conference Submission  June 30, 2026 Notification of Conference Acceptance July 15, 2026 Conference Registration deadline August 15, 2026 Conference Dates October 22-23, 2026   

Click here to view the November 2025 Benefits Newsletter. 

  This B-Term, nearly 325 students are participating in Interactive Qualifying Projects (IQP) or Major Qualifying Projects (MQP) with WPI’s Global Projects Program. Students participate in a term-long immersive research experience that sharpens their skills and brings a new way of looking at the world. This fall, the Syros, Greece, project center is gearing up for its sophomore year with a 12-student cohort. Robert Hersh, Syros advisor and director, says the small island located 80 miles southeast of Athens supports students with an enthusiastic community, challenging projects, and a working relationship with the University of the Aegean.  Hersh, an adjunct teaching professor in The Global School, is familiar with the area, having directed the Thessaloniki, Greece, project center for many years. Opening the Syros project center was serendipity, he says, after a chance visit with a colleague from the University of the Aegean. The colleague’s son is a WPI alumnus, and the conversation turned to how students could use their skills to work with the Syros community. In 2024, the project center hosted its first students. Elizabeth Jordan ’26, who is double majoring in environmental engineering and environmental and sustainability studies, was part of the first Syros cohort and said the Greek island appealed to her because it was unfamiliar. “I was really interested to explore a place I didn’t know much about,” she says. Being part of an inaugural project center was not without hurdles. The lack of previous projects or examples to reference was daunting at first, Jordan says. “But as we settled into the work, we realized it was actually a blessing in disguise. Being the first group at the Syros project center meant we had the freedom to set our own standards and shape the foundation for future teams.” Hersh says he expects student projects to be intellectually stimulating, and he also expects the experience to hold deeper meaning where students can explore their creativity and build cross-cultural understanding. Jordan’s team project exemplified how that all comes together in a project center. Her team, which focused on the challenges of recycling on the island, realized there was much more to the project than just a municipal process. “Once we arrived on Syros, we quickly realized how difficult it was to access reliable information, and our data collection became more limited than expected,” she says. “This challenge ultimately became an important part of our project, helping us understand the underlying reasons behind residents’ hesitations toward recycling and their complex relationship with the local government.” While the projects illuminate difficult questions, the community partnerships that develop reveal why and how answers aren’t so clear-cut. As students learn about the island residents’ way of life and the government structure, they understand why a solution that worked on paper back on the WPI campus isn’t easy to implement on Syros, Hersh says.  Students may leave a project center with excellent professional skills—and, he says, they also acquire something even more important. “They realize that it’s a complicated world.”    In B-Term 2025, the Global Projects Program is hosting projects in these locations:  IQP  Cape Town, South Africa, with project advisors Gbetonmasse Somasse (Social Science & Policy Studies) and Alejandro Manga (contingent) Hangzhou, China, with project advisors Hansong Pu (adjunct) and Gu Wang (Mathematical Sciences)  Honolulu, Hawaii, with project advisors Zoë Eddy (Department of Integrative and Global Studies) and Jed Lindholm (adjunct) Kathmandu, Nepal, with project advisors Brigitte Servatius (MA) and Herman Servatius (MA) Kyoto, Japan, with project advisors Melissa Belz (DIGS) and Alex Sphar (DIGS) Melbourne, Australia, with project advisors Uma Kumar (Chemistry & Biochemistry) and Joe Sarkis (The Business School) Nantucket, Mass., with project advisors Dominic Golding (DIGS) and Seth Tuler (DIGS) Prague, Czech Republic, with project advisors Fred Looft (adjunct) and Linda Looft (adjunct) Santa Fe, N.M., with project advisors Laureen Elgert (DIGS) and Phil Hultquist (adjunct) Syros, Greece, with project advisor Robert Hersh (adjunct) Tirana, Albania, with project advisors Michele Femc-Bagwell (adjunct) and Mallory Bagwell (adjunct) Venice, Italy, with project advisors Judy Nitsch (adjunct) and Luis Vidali (Biology) Washington, D.C., with project advisors Melissa Butler (DIGS) and Tsitsi Masvawure (DIGS)   MQP  FinTech (formerly Wall Street), with center directors Adrienne Hall-Phillips (TBS) and Kwamie Dunbar (TBS) Kyoto, Japan, with center director Adam Powell (Mechanical and Materials Engineering) Silicon Valley, Calif., with center director Mark Claypool (Computer Science) Tokyo, Japan, with center director Adam Powell (ME)   

Chief Stephen Marsh is pleased to announce that a team of assessors from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission is scheduled to arrive on campus Nov. 17, 2025, to begin examining various aspects of the WPI Police Department’s policies, procedures, operations, and facilities toward reaccreditation.  WPI police first became accredited in 2017, and this will be the third reaccreditation assessment to verify that the department continues to meet the commission’s standards for accreditation.   Accreditation is a voluntary process that involves police departments meeting and maintaining over 325 operational standards and best practices.     Achieving accreditation is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence. Anyone interested in learning more about this program is invited to speak with the department’s accreditation manager, Capt. Brendan Green, or with Chief Stephen Marsh at the WPI Police Department located in Founders Hall.    

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 12 pm - 1 pm CC: Mid-Century Room In this workshop, participants will review several styles of written commentary, considering how the type, placement, and quantity of comments on student drafts can affect their revision and learning. Participants will learn and practice with a “reader-based” approach that has the potential to: 1) Reduce the time you spend marking student papers 2) Model for your students how to better anticipate and respond to a reader's needs 3) Help your students become less dependent on your editing and directive feedback This workshop is one component of our Project Advising 101 program for faculty new to IQP and MQP advising. The workshop is equally helpful to faculty teaching writing-intensive courses in any discipline, as well as faculty working with graduate students on theses and journal articles. All are welcome to attend! Please register by Tuesday, November 11th, so we can finalize the headcount for lunch.

Staff Council is hosting its annual staff social, Harvest of Thanks: A Staff Gratitude Gathering, on Monday, November 24th from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Campus Center Odeum. Join us to connect with colleagues, enjoy fall treats, and participate in festive activities before Thanksgiving break. We'll have amazing raffle prizes including: Gift cards from local retailers and restaurants Thanksgiving turkeys And more! We're also supporting holiday pie sales through Chartwells—pre-ordered pies will be available for pick-up at the event. Plus, we're collecting non-perishable food for WooFridge donation. This is a drop-in event with raffle drawings throughout (must be present to win). Stop by, stay as long as you can, and enjoy time with colleagues! Thank you for your dedication to WPI. We look forward to seeing you on November 24! Staff Council: Adrienne Boertjens, Elizabeth Chirico, Amy Curran, Jaime Dillon, Matt Foster, Tyler Gibbs, Mike Hamilton (Chair), Stacey Happy (PR Chair), Stanley Horton, Elizabeth Jacoby, Doug Leonardi, Lauren Martunas (Treasurer), Sarah Miles (Vice Chair), Shawn Needham, Caitlin Neer (Secretary), Jessica Sabourin, Theona Scola and Carrie West