October 22, 2019 Fintech

Montréal - 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 This link will open in a new window, 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.

About ESG UQAM

Recognized for the quality of its applied and practical education, as well as its excellence in research, the École des sciences de la gestion of the Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG UQAM) has trained, to date, over 100,000 talented managers occupying various management positions around the world. Decidedly international, ESG UQAM has partnered with several universities and management schools abroad to expand its activities, increase its impact and help students build experience. esg.uqam.ca This link will open in a new window

About the AMF

The Autorité des marchés financiers is the regulatory and oversight body for Québec’s financial sector. As part of its Programme de partenariats stratégiques en éducation financière, sensibilisation et recherche, the AMF supports major projects that promote the development of cutting-edge knowledge about current or emerging issues that are of particular interest, given its mission, role and strategic objectives. For more information: https://lautorite.qc.ca

About Finance Montréal

Created in 2010, Finance Montréal, Québec’s financial cluster, has a mission to make Montréal a world-class financial hub and foster cooperation among its member institutions to accelerate the industry’s growth. The organization engages in international business development activities to attract foreign financial companies to Montréal by promoting various tax incentives including the IFC tax credit. It also administers the Montréal FinTech Station, a development centre for businesses in the financial technology sector. For more information: https://www.finance-montreal.com This link will open in a new window

For more detailed information, contact:

Annie Gendreau
Director, Communications and Marketing
Finance Montréal
438-993-3783 or [email protected]

Sylvain Théberge
Director, Media Relations
Autorité des marchés financiers
514-940-2176 or [email protected]

Maud Pidou
Advisor, Media Relations
École des sciences de la gestion (ESG UQAM)
514 987-3000 # 3733 or [email protected]