We are pleased to announce that the 2026 MRS International Risk Conference was successfully held from July 17 to 19, 2026, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Hosted by the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the conference was co-organized by China Finance Review International (CFRI) , Modern Risk Society (MRS), and the Dishui Lake Advanced Institute of Finance at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. As one of the co-organizers, CFRI was deeply involved in this academic event, joining more than 300 scholars and students from around the world in exploring the theme "AI in an Uncertain World." The conference featured 64 parallel sessions, with 199 papers presented, attracting researchers, industry experts, and young scholars from across the globe for in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics in modern risk society.
Conference Website:
https://www.globalmrs.org/mrs2026/index.php
The conference officially opened on July 17 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa with hard-hitting topics right from the start. Two special panel discussions addressed the practical challenges of applying AI in financial research and practice. At the "Data, AI and Applications" roundtable, scholars Rui Dai (WRDS), Jian Chen (Fudan University), Mehmet Saglam (University of Cincinnati), and Yuehua Tang (University of Florida) debated the boundaries of AI-enabled finance with moderator Xuanjuan Chen (Dishui Lake Advanced Institute of Finance, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics). From intelligent customer service to text mining, the panelists agreed that in core risk control areas, algorithms must still respect professional judgment. The subsequent "Let's Talk AI" session featured young scholars Jiakai Chen (University of Hawaii), Eileen Zhang (Rutgers University), Bochen Li (Monmouth University), and Zhao Wang (Capital University of Economics and Business), who showcased the diverse possibilities of AI tools in cutting-edge financial research through topics such as Federal Reserve policy interpretation, news narrative analysis, and generative information extraction. The evening welcome reception at the Shidler College of Business brought attendees closer together in the relaxed Aloha atmosphere.
Following the welcome luncheon, the conference reached its climax with a keynote speech. Hosted by Professor Qianqiu Liu, Chair of the Finance Department at the University of Hawaii, Professor Torben G. Andersen of Northwestern University delivered a keynote titled "Inference for Option-Implied Risk Measures." Addressing measurement errors in option-implied risk measures, he proposed a new nonparametric estimation method that effectively improves the handling of correlations across option pricing errors, providing a more reliable theoretical tool for risk management practice.
The awards ceremony, hosted by Professor Wei Huang of the University of Hawaii, honored scholars and achievements that have made outstanding contributions to risk research. Awards presented at this year's conference included:
As Editor-in-Chief of CFRI, Professor Wenfeng Wu of Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, attended the ceremony and presented awards to the winners of the MRS Lifetime Achievement Award and the CFRI Research Excellence Award, demonstrating CFRI's academic influence in promoting interdisciplinary research on risk and finance.
That evening, the conference moved to the Imin International Conference Center for the Presidents' Reception. As one of the conference sponsors, CFRI specially designed and produced exclusive tickets for the surprise lucky draw. Attendees enjoyed dinner amid the beautiful garden scenery of the University of Hawaii, deepening their exchanges in a relaxed and congenial atmosphere, while lucky winners received delightful surprises in the CFRI-sponsored drawing.
From July 18 to 19, 64 parallel sessions unfolded intensively. Among them, up to 15 sessions focused on AI-related topics and 14 on climate finance and climate risk, clearly outlining the two major directions of current concern in the international financial academic community. Over three days, 199 papers were presented one after another, featuring both subversive challenges to old assumptions and brave explorations of new research paradigms. Many attendees remarked that the conference not only refreshed their thinking but also helped them find like-minded research partners.
Throughout the conference, the CFRI journal team actively participated in the organizational work and set up a CFRI booth at the venue, systematically introducing the journal's features, submission process, and recent key topics to participating scholars, distributing journal promotional materials, and extensively inviting high-quality manuscripts. Through face-to-face promotion, the team effectively enhanced CFRI's visibility among overseas scholars and expanded its international author network. During the event, the CFRI team also visited the Shidler College of Business and held a special meeting with Professor Qianqiu Liu. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on frontier research in finance, international academic cooperation, and journal co-development, further consolidating the foundation for collaboration.
The successful hosting of the 2026 MRS International Risk Conference would not have been possible without the dedicated support of all attendees, speakers, session chairs, the keynote speaker, sponsors, the University of Hawaii, and volunteers from all locations, as well as the meticulous preparation of the organizing team. As the organizing committee said in its closing message: "Until next time, stay curious." CFRI remains committed to building a high-level international academic exchange platform, and co-hosting MRS 2026 represents yet another practice of this mission. We look forward to continuing to work hand in hand with colleagues in the global academic community to advance knowledge innovation in the field of risk and finance, and we warmly invite scholars to submit their work to China Finance Review International, responding to the questions of our time with rigorous academic research in an uncertain world.
China Finance Review International (CFRI) is an English-language academic journal, hosted by Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and published by Emerald Publishing Group, that reflects the most cutting-edge research achievements in economics and finance. Since its founding in 2011, CFRI has developed steadily and is now indexed in more than twenty internationally renowned databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest, and is recognized by authoritative rating agencies such as ABDC, ABS Journal List, FMS, and AMI Journal List. The latest 2025 Impact Factor is 10.8 (#2/243) ; the 2025 CiteScore in Scopus is 19.9 (#4/342) ; and it is rated as a Category A journal by ABDC . In 2023, CFRI was included in the Journal Ranking of the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, earning the Q1 TOP journal designation in the "Economics" category, and again retained this outstanding achievement in 2025, fully confirming CFRI's widely recognized influence in the international academic community.
CFRI serves the global academic community with multiple commitments. It charges no fees to authors (no APC) and provides support throughout the entire publication process. Our team also offers authors diversified promotion strategies to ensure that scholars' research findings gain broad recognition and attention worldwide. CFRI brings together the essence of financial research from both Chinese and global perspectives, providing a high-level academic exchange platform for the field of finance. Our goal is to promote the development of the financial discipline, cultivate more outstanding talents, and drive the sustainable development of the industry, becoming a globally leading academic journal with significant influence. We warmly welcome submissions from all authors!
Journal Homepage:
www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/cfri
Online Submission:
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cfri
Editorial and Submission Inquiries: cfr@sjtu.edu.cn