IBSS Hosts 2026 XJTLU Derivatives and FinTech Workshop

International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) hosted the 2026 XJTLU Derivatives and FinTech Workshop on 13 June 2026 at the University's South Campus in Suzhou.

Organised by IBSS and supported by the IBSS Research Cluster of Excellence in Emerging Technologies and Innovation (RCE-ETI) and the Jiangsu Provincial Distinguished Professor Talent Programme, the workshop brought together leading scholars, researchers and doctoral students from universities across China and abroad to discuss the latest developments in derivatives, asset pricing, financial econometrics, machine learning and financial technology.

The event was jointly organised by Dr Jia Zhai and Dr Xinfeng (Edwin) Ruan from the Department of Finance at IBSS. Continuing the success of previous editions, the workshop offered a valuable platform for academic exchange and collaboration among researchers working at the frontier of quantitative finance and FinTech.

The workshop commenced with opening remarks from Professor Hefei Wang, Deputy Dean of IBSS. In her speech, Professor Wang welcomed participants and noted that 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of XJTLU. She highlighted the remarkable growth of the University over the past two decades and emphasised its commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research and international collaboration. Professor Wang also introduced IBSS as one of the University's flagship schools. Founded in 2013, IBSS has grown into the largest English-language business school in China and is among an elite  group of business schools worldwide to hold the prestigious ‘Triple Crown’ accreditation – representing the highest international standards in business education. She noted that the integration of finance, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies is creating new opportunities for both academic research and industry innovation.

The keynote programme featured distinguished scholars from leading institutions. Professor Wenjin Kang from the University of Macau presented his latest research on short-term momentum and reversal effects in commodity markets. Dr Chen Tong from Xiamen University introduced a novel Convolution-t GARCH framework for identifying latent factor structures in financial markets. Dr Qi Zhang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University discussed how retail derivatives sentiment can predict stock returns, while Dr Guanglian Hu from the University of Sydney examined the pricing of stock market volatility risk. Dr Che Zhang from Tsinghua University concluded the keynote sessions with an innovative study on tokenised stocks and their implications for market efficiency and price discovery.

Following the keynote sessions, participants joined four parallel sessions covering Derivatives I, Derivatives II, Asset Pricing, and FinTech. More than a dozen research papers were presented by scholars from institutions including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, the University of Glasgow, Shanghai University, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, and XJTLU.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in lively discussions on emerging research questions, methodological innovations, and future directions in quantitative finance. The workshop also provided valuable networking opportunities for faculty members, early-career researchers, and doctoral students.

The event concluded with closing remarks from Professor Stephen Gong, Head of the Department of Finance at IBSS. Professor Gong reflected on the rapid development of the Department since its establishment six years ago. Despite its young age, the Department of Finance has achieved significant milestones in research and academic development, publishing extensively in leading international journals and securing numerous competitive research grants. He thanked the keynote speakers, presenters, discussants, organisers, and participants for their contributions and emphasised the importance of strengthening international research collaboration in the rapidly evolving fields of derivatives and financial technology.

As digital innovation and artificial intelligence continue to transform financial markets, the 2026 XJTLU Derivatives and FinTech Workshop further strengthened IBSS's role as a platform for cutting-edge research and global academic engagement. The workshop also reinforced XJTLU's commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research that bridges finance, technology, and data science.