Social & Sustainable Finance Chair – Home

Created in October 2020, the Social & Sustainable Finance Chair of Montpellier Business School is the extension of the Microfinance in Developed Countries Chair, created in 2018 in partnership with the Microfinance Institution Créa-Sol. The chairholders Dr. Anastasia Cozarenco and Dr. Thi Hong Van Hoang, have the objective to promote social finance, in particular microfinance and social banking, and sustainable finance, which aims to direct the flow of financial capital toward projects focused on the achievement of the 17 sustainable development goals defined by the United Nations in 2015. With this objective, the activities of the chair are structured around three axes: teaching, research, and events.

 

Teaching: The objective of the chair is to train students and professionals in social and sustainable finance in order to become actors of environmental and social transition. With the existing specialization Master of Science Responsible Finance and courses in microfinance, ESG and SRI, in various teaching programs at Montpellier Business School, the chair will continue to develop new training programs via face-to-face and online sessions. 

From the 2021-2022 academic year, the Social & Sustainable Finance Chair collaborates with the Master Program to coordinate and lead a new specialization in Sustainable Finance. This “Sustainable Finance” certificate will be open to students in the 3rd year of the Master Program and will allow students to prepare themselves, in an operational manner, for different professions in Sustainable Finance.

 

Research: The objective of the chair is to produce and disseminate knowledge in social and sustainable finance with academic and professional articles, regulatory reviews, and white papers. Drawing on its experience and its academic and professional networks, the chair contributes and participates in debates around social and sustainable finance, and around regulatory and big data issues.

 

Events: The chair organizes thematic conferences and seminars to create places for collaborations and debates between academics, professionals, and regulators in social and sustainable finance. The chairholders also participate in various academic and professional events to bring their vision to these debates.