In a world where financial systems are increasingly weaponised, global markets are being reshaped by power rivalries, strategic interdependence, and mounting economic security concerns. Geoeconomic forces are driving fragmentation and regulatory divergence, pushing states towards regional and strategic partnerships at the expense of multilateral cooperation - a shift felt acutely amid changing transatlantic security dynamics. Understanding the geoeconomics and geopolitics of finance has rarely been more urgent. 

It is against this backdrop that the European University Institute launches the GeoFinance Lab, a joint initiative of the Florence School of Banking and Finance (Robert Schuman Centre) and the Florence School of Transnational Governance, conceived as a multidisciplinary hub for research, learning, and engagement. 

With initial support from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the Lab will run a multi-year programme analysing how finance interacts with geopolitical and geoeconomic dynamics and translating that analysis into actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners. 

This launch webinar marks the starting point of that agenda: an opportunity to set out the Lab's purpose, introduce its foundational research, and open a conversation among academia, institutions, and industry.  

Agenda:

12:00 - 12:10 Welcome remarks

• George Papaconstantinou (STG/EUI)  
• Nicola Giammarioli (ESM) 

12:10 - 12:25 Interactive Presentation of the foundational paper 

• Thorsten Beck (FBF/EUI) 

12:25 - 13:15 Roundtable and Q&A

• Matjaž Sušec (ESM)
• Maria Demertzis (STG/EUI)
• Tommy De Temmerman (DG FISMA - European Commission)