MONTRÉAL, October 22, 2019 / The École des sciences de la gestion of Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG UQAM), the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) and Finance Montréal are announcing the creation of the AMF‐Finance Montréal Research Chair, an interuniversity research unit aimed at developing foundational and practical knowledge about the issues and impacts of financial technological innovation (fintech).
The Chair will be dedicated to building knowledge for the benefit of stakeholders in Québec’s fintech ecosystem (clients, organizations, employees), training highly qualified personnel, and informing and educating the general public about key fintech issues. Its creation is made possible through the support of the AMF and Finance Montréal, each contributing $1 million over five years, for a total of $2 million.
“The AMF is an active member of the fintech community, and this support, in addition to strengthening our existing ties, confirms our intention to participate in the development of knowledge in a rapidly changing sector. The impacts of fintech on the financial services industry and on the regulatory environment are considerable and affect us directly. It is even more important that all active researchers in the field are able to contribute, regardless of the university with which they are affiliated,” says Louis Morisset, President and CEO of the AMF.
“The creation of the Chair aligns perfectly with the launch of the Montréal FinTech Station, a catalyst for fintech start‐ups. Our members and the Station’s start‐ups will benefit from continuing education opportunities and greater Québec appeal among international talent, allowing them to optimize their financial and technological practices. The advancement of scientific knowledge will allow us to support the development of our financial sector and educate consumers,” says Matthieu Cardinal, Vice‐President, FinTech Development and Corporate Affairs, Finance Montréal.
The holder of the Chair, Professor Richard Guay of ESG UQAM, will head the Chair’s scientific and executive committees. This governance structure is aimed at ensuring that funding is distributed fairly among Québec universities and research centres, encouraging the adoption of an inter‐university approach and promoting the participation of all researchers in the field.
“The creation of the AMF‐Finance Montréal Chair will allow for major advances in the constantly evolving fintech sector. We are proud to have the support and confidence of the AMF and Finance Montréal, two key players in Québec’s financial ecosystem, and to
play an active role, in cooperation with experts from other university institutions, in strengthening Montréal’s international positioning in the fintech sector. This university/business partnership corresponds to our vision of the role that higher education plays in society, promoting knowledge sharing and effective knowledge transfer, and allowing the next generation of academics to participate in powerful and innovative research projects—our strength at ESG,” says Komlan Sedzro, Dean, ESG UQAM.
The Chair’s activities will focus on various research areas, targeting current issues such as the impact of the fintech ecosystem on the financial sector; the impact of technological innovations on client and employee experiences; the regulatory approaches and legal questions raised by fintech with regard to protecting investors and the integrity of markets regulated by the AMF; and innovations likely to influence financial operations processes in a context of an exponential increase in computational power and big data.
