Prof. Dirk Zetzsche of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance will hold his inaugural lecture on the topic of "Digital Inclusive Finance - A Legal Perspective" on 28 September 2016 at 18.00 at the Weicker Building in Kirchberg.

Large parts of the world’s population are deprived of access to financial services, placing them at increased risk of a break to wealth creation, of social agony and starvation through age and natural disasters, which financial institutions help bear in Western societies. Digital inclusive finance could provide a solution to these issues. Inclusive finance, which aims at facilitating the poor’s access to financial services, combined with the use of technology in financial services, FinTech, has the ability to unlock the potential of financial markets for those most in need of it.

Despite its obvious importance and complexity, digital inclusive finance, as a field of legal research, is in its infancy.

The lecture will outline legal barriers for digital inclusive finance in relation to the status quo of European banking and financial law, and relate in particular to contemporary discussions associated with the European Commission’s Capital Market Union strategy. These include:

1. the proportionality principle;
2. the openness of the financial and the legal system to technical innovation;
3. the growth potential of European capital markets.

The lecture will develop the thesis that post-crisis banking and financial law requires modifications for an efficient digital inclusive finance strategy.

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More information about the speaker: Prof. Dirk Zetzsche holds the University of Luxembourg's ADA Chair in Financial Law/Inclusive Finance.
Venue, date & time: Weicker Building (Kirchberg) on 28 September 2016 at 18.00