Future of Finance

The Hidden Financial Risks of the AI Boom

A person in a suit smiles in a sunlit room Professor Joao Gomes, Wharton's Senior Vice Dean of Research, Centers, and Academic Initiatives, recently joined Knowledge at Wharton's This Week in Business podcast to discuss the accelerating investment in artificial intelligence. He argues that policymakers should look beyond inflation and pay closer attention to how the boom is being financed.…Read More

Itay Goldstein’s Reflections from the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium

Professor Itay Goldstein speaks at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium At the 2026 Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, Professor Itay Goldstein joined leading economists and policymakers for a discussion on how financial innovation is reshaping banking and payments. Professor Goldstein served as discussant for “Stablecoin Risk,” a paper by Christine Parlour, Uday Rajan, and Haoxiang Zhu examining how a shift…Read More

Itay Goldstein on the Promise and Perils of Financial Innovations

A person speaks at a podium during a conference "It is important to be open minded about new technologies even if they disrupt existing financial infrastructure." As digital payments, stablecoins, and tokenization gain traction, they raise important questions about the future of financial markets, institutions, and regulation. At the 2026 IMF-WIFPR Conference on the Evolving Global Financial Architecture, experts…Read More

David Wessel on the Federal Reserve’s Future

A panel of speakers smiles while in conversation in a sunlit room "The Federal Reserve faces a serious threat to its continued independence." – David Wessel As political pressure on the U.S. central bank mounts, questions around the independence of the Federal Reserve have taken on new urgency. At the 2026 Wharton Future of Finance Forum, a panel titled “The Path Ahead…Read More

Itay Goldstein on AI’s Opportunity and Risk in Finance

A speaker addresses an audience with one hand raised, before a blue pop up banner "Regulators need to move with the frontier, understand how markets evolve, and take actions as needed." – Itay Goldstein Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the finance sector, and posing enormous questions for professionals, regulators, and researchers about how the field will navigate the massive potential and systemic risks that come…Read More

Max Harris on Stablecoins After the GENIUS Act

A panel at the Wharton Future of Finance Forum addresses the audience between two blue Wharton pop up banners "We are only at the beginning of the stablecoin story." – Max Harris As digital assets become integrated into mainstream finance, stablecoins have moved from the periphery to the center of policy conversations. At the 2026 Wharton Future of Finance Forum, a panel titled “Stablecoins After the GENIUS Act” brought…Read More

2026 Wharton Future of Finance Forum

Two people post in front of a blue pop up banner for a group photo On January 15, 2026, the Harris Family Alternative Investments Program and the Wharton Initiative on Financial Policy and Regulation (WIFPR) hosted the third annual Wharton Future of Finance Forum at Penn Washington. Against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol, the event convened academics, policymakers, and industry leaders to discuss the…Read More

Future of Finance Season 2

"Future of Finance" in large white font before a dark blue background The financial world has gone through a seismic shift as cryptocurrency, blockchain, and digital assets reshape how we invest, transact, and regulate money. “Future of Finance: The Rise of Crypto and Digital Money” takes a deep dive into cryptocurrency, featuring insights from leading experts at the forefront of the crypto…Read More

Future of Finance Podcast: The Rise of Crypto Coming this August

A podcast host smiles toward the viewer while wearing headphones Cryptocurrency, stablecoins, digital assets – this season, the Future of Finance podcast will explore how these technologies can potentially transform global markets, regulation, and the very concept of money. Hosted by Professor Itay Goldstein, chair of Wharton's finance department each episode features candid conversations with top economists, academics, policy leaders,…Read More

The Future of Capitalism: Tariffs, Growth & Market Shifts

Two speakers in conversation onstage Joao Gomes, senior vice dean for research, centers and academic initiatives at Wharton, joined a panel at Inc. Founders House to discuss tariffs, immigration, and other risks facing businesses amid recent market shifts. View his conversation with Mike Hofman, editor-in-chief of Inc. Magazine, by watching the video above. Professor Gomes offered…Read More