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Conference on Financial Market Regulation

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14th Annual CFMR Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2027)

📢CALL FOR PAPERS

📅Conference Dates:

  • Thursday, May 6, 2027 (Afternoon)
  • Friday, May 7, 2027 (Full Day)

📍 Location: SEC Headquarters, 100 F St NE, Washington, DC 20002

⏰Paper Submission Deadline: November 18, 2026 

📄Conference Details: The Securities and Exchange Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA), the Lehigh University Center for Financial Services (CFS), and the University of Virginia Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management (Mayo Center) will jointly host the 14th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2027). The goal of the conference is to bring together participants to exchange views on issues relevant to the Commission. 

Two papers will be selected in each of four topic areas: asset management, corporate finance, financial intermediation, and market microstructure and trading. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

  • Asset Management: investment advisers, ETPs and liquidity, investment companies, hedge funds, and other institutional investors, retail access to private markets, accredited investor definition, and custody.

  • Corporate Finance: corporate disclosures, initial public offerings, seasoned equity offerings, corporate mergers and acquisitions, fintech, corporate governance and voting, corporate and municipal debt offerings, and disclosures related to asset-backed securities. 

  • Financial Intermediaries: broker-dealers, financial institutions, investor behavior, analysts affiliated with broker-dealers or financial institutions, clearing agencies, central counterparties, credit ranges, and Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs). 

  • Market Microstructure and Trading: the structure, transparency, fairness, efficiency, and liquidity of secondary market trading in the equity, ETP, bond, option, security-based swap, digital assets, prediction markets, and securities lending markets. 

The deadline for paper submissions is November 18, 2026, with a submission fee of $50. Papers can be submitted through ConfTool (www.conftool.org/cfmr2027). 

The selection committee will prioritize high-quality paper submissions that align with the SEC's mission. Authors of accepted papers will be notified by early February. While travel expenses are the responsibility of the presenter, the conference fee will be waived. 

2026 Conference Program: View Sessions

Registration: Open from March 1 – May 1, 2027

👥Conference Organizers:

  • Kathleen Weiss Hanley (Lehigh University)
  • Amy Edwards (SEC)
  • Vlad Ivanov (SEC)
  • Ian Appel (University of Virginia)

2027 CFMR Hosts

 

The Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR) began accepting paper submissions in 2013, with its inaugural conference held in spring 2014. The two-day event is co-hosted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Economic and Risk Analysis, the Lehigh University Center for Financial Services, and the University of Virginia Richard A. Mayo Center for Asset Management.

Now in its fourteenth year, the conference has grown in prominence and selectivity. Held each May, it has become a premier forum for research in financial economics, capital markets, and financial regulation, with an acceptance rate of approximately 3 percent. The program consistently features opening, keynote, and closing remarks from SEC leadership, fostering direct, meaningful dialogue between leading researchers and policymakers.

The conference's long-term impact is reflected in its scholarly influence: approximately 40 percent of presented papers are subsequently published in top-tier journals such as the Journal of Finance, the American Economic Review, and the Review of Financial Studies, and are cited in influential outlets, including The Economist.

PAST CFMRs

13th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2026)

On May 6-7, 2026, SEC, Lehigh University, and the Mayo Center hosted the 13th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2025) at the SEC Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The conference featured remarks from several SEC leaders:

  • Chair Paul Atkins
  • Commissioner Mark Uyeda
  • Commissioner Hester Peirce
  • Chief Economist Josh White

Conference Program: View Sessions

Papers presented and discussed at the CFMR 2025:

12th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2025)

On May 15-16, 2025, DERA, the CFS, and the Mayo Center hosted the 12th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2024) at the SEC Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The conference featured remarks from several SEC leaders:

  • Chair Paul Atkins
  • Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw
  • Commissioner Hester Peirce
  • Commissioner Mark Uyeda

Papers presented and discussed at the CFMR 2025:

11th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2024):

On May 9-10, 2024, DERA, the CFS, and the CFP hosted the 11th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2024) at the SEC Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The conference featured remarks from several SEC leaders:

  • Chair Gary Gensler
  • Commissioner Jaime Lizárraga
  • Commissioner Mark Uyeda
  • Chief Economist Jessica Wachter 

Papers presented and discussed at the CFMR 2024:

10th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2023)

On May 4-5, 2023, DERA, the CFS, and the CFP hosted the 10th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2023) at the SEC Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The conference featured remarks from SEC leaders:

  • Chair Gary Gensler
  • Chief Economist Jessica Wachter

Papers presented and discussed at the CFMR 2023:

9th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2022)

On May 6, 2022, DERA, the CFS, and the CFP hosted the 9th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2022) virtually.

The conference featured remarks from SEC leaders:

  • Chair Gary Gensler
  • Commissioner Allison Herren Lee
  • Chief Economist Jessica Wachter

Papers presented and discussed at the CFMR 2022:

8th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2021)

On May 13-14, 2021, DERA, the CFS, and the CFP hosted the 8th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2021) virtually.

The conference featured remarks from several SEC leaders:

  • Chair Gary Gensler
  • Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw
  • Chief Economist Jessica Wachter

Papers presented and discussed at the CFMR 2021:

7th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2020)

On May 13-14, 2020, DERA, the CFS, and the CFP hosted the 7th Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation (CFMR 2020) at the SEC Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The CFMR 2020 program included a fireside chat with Commissioner Elad Roisman, and a session featuring the SEC division directors who discussed hot topics in their respective areas - Moderator: S.P. Kothari (SEC, Division of Economic and Risk Analysis) Panelists: Dalia Blass (SEC, Division of Investment Management) William Hinman (SEC, Division of Corporation Finance) and Brett Redfearn (SEC, Division of Trading and Markets).

Papers presented and discussed at the CFMR 2020: