Dear Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to invite you to The 2nd International Online Conference on Risk and Financial Management: Revisiting AI and Machine Learning techniques in finance and economics (IOCRF2026), which will be held online from 2 to 4 November 2026.

The conference is organized by MDPI Journal of Risk and Financial Management, a peer-reviewed, open access journal that focuses on risk management and all areas of empirical finance, management, and applied financial economics.

Based on the success of the 1st edition, the primary goal of IOCRF 2026 is to bring together researchers, scholars, and professionals from around the world working in the broad fields of economics and finance and to continue the success of previous editions.

The 2026 edition will feature a series of sessions covering timely and emerging topics, including:

• Generative AI: paradigm shifts in finance and economics
• Machine learning for next-generation risk modeling
• Blockchain and digital assets: frontier analytics
• Data capitalization: reconstructing economic valuation
• Ethical AI and financial technology governance
• Emerging tech convergence: future financial infrastructure

The online format of this conference enables broad, global participation without the constraints of travel or related expenses. This conference format is especially fitting and valuable, as research on AI and big data applications in empirical finance is evolving at a rapid pace. By providing an accessible and timely platform, IOCRF 2026 aims to facilitate the exchange of innovative research, methodologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Participation and attendance are free of charge. All attendees are encouraged to engage actively with the presented research and to take part in meaningful academic discussions throughout the event.

Authors of accepted abstracts may present their work in two ways: through an oral presentation or by submitting a poster for the virtual poster gallery on the conference website. All submissions—whether oral presentations or posters—are eligible for awards. Click HERE for instructions on the poster and oral submissions.

We are sincerely grateful for your continued support and interest in IOCRF 2026. We look forward to your participation and to a successful and impactful conference.

Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Thanasis Stengos
University of Guelph, Canada
Chair of the 2nd International Online Conference on Risk and Financial Management

Sessions

IOCRF2026 will accept abstracts only. The accepted abstracts will be available online on Sciforum.net during and after the conference.

Abstract submissions should be completed online by registering with www.sciforum.net and using the "Submit Abstract" function once logged into the system. No physical template is necessary.

1. The abstract structure should include the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections of about 200–300 words in length.
2. All abstracts should be submitted and presented in clear, publication-ready English with accurate grammar and spelling.
3. You may submit multiple abstracts. However, only one abstract will be selected for oral presentation.
4. The abstracts submitted to this conference must be original and novel, without prior publication in any journals or it will not be accepted to this conference.

Detailed Requirements:
1. The submitting author must ensure that all co-authors are aware of the contents of the abstract.
2. Please select only one presenter for each submission. If you would like to change the presenter after submission, please email us accordingly.

Note: We only accept live presentations.

The slot for the oral presentation is 15 mins. We advise that your presentation lasts for a maximum of 12 mins, leaving at least 3 mins for the Q&A session.

Authors are encouraged to prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or similar software, to be displayed online along with the abstract. Slides, if available, will be displayed directly on the website using the proprietary slide viewer at Sciforum.net. Slides can be prepared in exactly the same way as for any traditional conference where research results are presented. Slides should be converted to PDF format prior to submission so that they can be converted for online display.

- Should include the title, authors, contact details and main research findings, as well as tables, figures and graphs where necessary.
- Size in pixel: 1080 width x 1536 height–portrait orientation.
- Size in cm: 38,1 width x 54,2 height–portrait orientation.
- Font size: ≥16.
- Examples of successful submissions can be viewed here at the following links: (1), (2), (3).
- You can use our free template to create your poster.

The poster template can be downloaded HERE. We will reach out to you closer to the dates of the conference with more information.

It is the author's responsibility to identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of clinical research. If there is no conflict, please state "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." This should be conveyed in a separate "Conflict of Interest" statement preceding the "Acknowledgments" and "References" sections at the end of the manuscript. Any financial support for the study must be fully disclosed in the "Acknowledgments" section.

MDPI, the publisher of the Sciforum.net platform, is an open access publisher. We believe authors should retain the copyright to their scholarly works. Hence, by submitting an abstract to this conference, you retain the copyright to the work, but you grant MDPI the non-exclusive right to publish this abstract online on the Sciforum.net platform. This means you can easily submit your full paper (with the abstract) to any scientific journal at a later stage and transfer the copyright to its publisher if required.