
Sustainable Finance
Empirical Methods and Sustainable Finance
Home - Empirical Methods and Sustainable Finance
06/02/2025 - 07/02/2025
Location
EUI Premises in Florence
Download the programme
Registration Deadline
27/01/2025
Level
Advanced, Intermediate
Approach
Quantitative
Delivery mode
Residential
Sustainable finance has become increasingly important for regulators and supervisors, underscoring the need for technical quantitative analysis using both existing and new data sources. This course offers an overview of empirical methods that can be applied to explore issues in sustainable finance.
The sessions cover the unique role of banks in ensuring the stability and sustainability of the banking system, the transmission of monetary policy, and the impacts of banking and environmental regulations. Additionally, the course examines the role of collateral in supporting safe lending practices and sustainable banking, as well as ways to promote sustainable lending by banks to households and credit-constrained firms. The programme also features a hands-on session during which participants will have the opportunity to dive deeper into the empirical methods, using statistical software to apply quantitative techniques covered in the class.
- Provide an overview of methods for evaluating regulatory changes and investigating other sustainability-related topics.
- Introduce participants to matching and difference-in-difference methodologies, applied to critically assess the features of sustainable credit markets and the impact of local climate policies.
- Explain key aspects of panel estimation, including saturation and fixed effects methods, used to analyse the relationship between monetary policy, risk-taking behavior, and climate risks.
- Acquaint participants with instrumentation strategies and their application to topics such as climate risk, the real estate market, and new business formation.
- Strengthen participants’ practical knowledge through a series of replication exercises.
The course targets mid- and high-level professionals in international and supranational organisations, ministries of finance, prudential authorities, development banks, and central banks, who have prior experience in empirical analysis or sustainable banking and finance. It is designed for those seeking a deeper understanding of how to evaluate regulatory changes and quantitatively explore other sustainable finance topics. The course may also appeal to emerging scholars and private-sector practitioners (e.g., consultancies, banks, investment funds) interested in sustainable finance.
Core Faculty
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Andrada Bilan
Research Economist in the Monetary Policy Analysis Division
Swiss National Bank
-
Steven Ongena
Professor of banking in the Department of Finance
University of Zurich
Thursday, 6 February
9:00 – 9:30 Welcome & coffee
9:30 – 11:00 Session 1 – Introduction (Ongena)
- Empirical methods in Sustainable Finance
- Evaluation of changes in regulation, and exploration of other sustainable topics
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break
11:15 – 12:45 Session 2 – Matching, and Difference-in-Differences Part 1 (Ongena)
- Exact versus propensity score matching, difference-in-differences methodology
- Banks and sustainable loan terms for small firms; sustainable collateral
12:45 – 13:55 Lunch
13:55 – 14:00 Group picture
14:00 – 15:30 Session 3 – Saturation with Fixed Effects (Bilan)
- Panel estimation
- Monetary conditions and risk-taking
- Climate risks and monetary policy
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 17:30 Session 4 – Difference-in-Differences Part 2 (Bilan)
- Intensity of treatment, managing the control sample
- Towards a sustainable financial system: Macroprudential regulation of banks
- Effects of local climate policy
17:30 – 18:30 Guided tour of Villa Schifanoia or office hours
From 20:00 Dinner at the city center
Friday, 7 February
9:00 – 9:30 Welcome & coffee
9:30 – 11:00 Session 5 – Instrumentation Part 1 (Bilan)
- Instrumentation strategies
- Credit constraints and housing collateral
- Climate risks in real estate
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break
11:15 – 12:45 Session 6 – Instrumentation Part 2 and Modelling Dispersion (Ongena)
- Instrumentation with historical land and climate information; heteroskedastic model
- Wealth inequality and entrepreneurship; sustainable business models
12:45 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 16:00 Session 7 – Practical session on replication exercises. Closing remarks
FULL FEES*
- € 950 – Academics
- € 1900 – Public sector
- € 2100 – Private sector
*Please note that the payment must be settled one week before the start of the course.
The fee includes tuition, access to all course materials and pedagogic activities, coffee and lunch breaks and social activities, as well as a certificate of attendance after the course has been completed. The fee does not include travel and accommodation expenses or other local transportation costs (taxis, private cars).
Please submit a certificate attesting your status of Professor, PhD Student or Research Associate to fbf@eui.eu before registering. FBF secretariat will provide you with a code to register. Seats for academics are limited.
GROUP DISCOUNT (-15%) for minimum 3 participants from the same institution:
The below group discount applies to 3 or more participants who register for the same course from the same institution. Those wishing to take advantage of the group discount must write an email to fbf@eui.eu, stating the full names of the proposed participants.
- € 807.50 – Group discount academic
- € 1615 – Group discount public sector
- € 1785 – Group discount private sector
CANCELLATION POLICY
Paid registration fee is non-refundable. However, registrant substitution may be made up to 15 days before the start date of the course by contacting fbf@eui.eu.
Accommodation
Participants are responsible for their own accommodation during their stay in Florence. Below are some hotels that are conveniently located either for the city centre or for the course venue.
Fiesole (closer to the European University Institute)
- Villa La Stella, Via Iacopone da Todi 12, Firenze, ph. +39 055 5088018, info@villalastella.it
- Hotel Villa Fiesole, Via Frà Giovanni da Fiesole Detto l’Angelico, 35, Fiesole, ph. +39 055 597252, info@villafiesole.it
Florence Historic Centre – Santa Maria Novella Train Station area
- Grand Hotel Minerva, Piazza Santa Maria Novella 16, Firenze, ph. +39 055 27230, booking@grandhotelminerva.com
- Hotel Garibaldi Blu, Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, Firenze, ph.+39 055 277300, booking@wtbhotels.com
- Hotel L’Orologio, Piazza Santa Maria Novella 24, Firenze, ph. +39 055 27 73 80, booking@wtbhotels.com
- Hotel Lungarno, Borgo S. Jacopo 14, Firenze ph. +39 055 27261, bencini@lungarnocollection.com
- Hotel Rosso 23, Piazza di Santa Maria Novella 23, Firenze, ph.+39 055 277300, booking@wtbhotels.com
- Hotel Santa Maria Novella, Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, Firenze, ph.+39 055 271840, booking@wtbhotels.com
- Portrait Hotel, Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli 4 Firenze, ph. +39 055 2726 8000, bencini@lungarnocollection.com
Florence Centre – Piazza della Libertà area
- Hotel Cellai, Via 27 Aprile 14, 52/R, Firenze, ph. +39055489291, customer.service@hotelinfirenze.com
- Hotel San Gallo Palace, Via Lorenzo il Magnifico 2/4, Firenze, ph. +39055463871, infosangallo@allegroitalia.it
- Hotel il Guelfo Bianco, Via Cavour 29, Firenze, ph. +39055288330, info@ilguelfobianco.it
- Hotel de La Pace, Via Alfonso la Marmora, 28, Firenze, ph. +39055577343, info@hoteldelapace.com
- The Social Hub, Viale Spartaco Lavagnini, 70 – 72, 50129 Florence, +38055 062 1855, florence@thesocialhub.com
- Palazzo Castri, Piazza della Indipendenza, 7, 50129 Firenze, ph. +39055 472118, welcome@palazzocastri.com
Nearby airports
Pisa International Airport (Galileo Galilei Airport), is located 85 km from Florence. The shuttle Pisa Mover connects Pisa Airport to Pisa Railway Station, and it is in service every day from 6.00 a.m. to midnight with variable frequencies. The average travel time between the airport and the railway station, including the intermediate stop, is about 5 minutes. From Pisa Railway Station it is possible to take a train to Florence Railway Station (average travel time is one hour). Timetable and ticket options are available at Trainline.
Guglielmo Marconi Bologna International Airport is located 105 km from Florence. It is connected to Bologna Central Station by the shuttle train “Marconi Express” that leaves every 7 minutes. Tickets can be purchased on this website. From Bologna Central Station, Florence can be reached with a high-speed train in about 40 minutes. Timetable and ticket options are available at Trainline.
IT information
- Upon arrival, you will be provided with temporary Wi-Fi access for the duration of the event.
- If using your company laptop, please check with your company IT department regarding firewall protections before your departure. EUI uses a Captive Portal authentication to access the EUI Wi-Fi network.
On-site contact points
For any practical questions, please feel free to contact the Florence School of Banking and Finance to the attention of Noemi Epote’ (fbf@eui.eu).
Restaurants
Below you can find a few suggestions on restaurants located in Fiesole or the city centre, which might be useful for your free night(s).
- Osteria di Giovanni – Ph. 055284897
- Coquinarius Firenze – Ph. +39 055 230 2153
- Restaurant Accademia – Ph. +39 055 217343
- Il Vezzo – Ph. +39 055 281096
- Finisterrae – Ph. +39 0552638675
- Coquinarius Fiesole – Ph. +39 055 597 8356
- La Reggia degli Etruschi – Ph. +39 333 355 6126