Researchers and Practitioners Gather in Clermont-Ferrand to Advance Research on Development Banking

From 20 to 22 May 2026, Clermont-Ferrand welcomed more than 120 researchers, Public Development Banks (PDBs), think tanks and development finance practitioners from over 30 countries for the 2026 Development Banking Research Conference.

Organized by the Global Research Network on Public Development Banks (GRN), together with Finance in Common (FiCS) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD), in partnership with FERDI, CERDI and Université Clermont Auvergne, the conference was held under the label of the French G7 Presidency.

As the first full-fledged research conference of the GRN, the event marked an important step for the Finance in Common community, bringing together researchers and practitioners to discuss the role of Public Development Banks in a changing global financial architecture and to strengthen the dialogue between research, policy and practice.

Today, nearly 550 Public Development Banks represent around 10% of annual global investment and play a critical role in financing infrastructure, small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation, social housing and climate transitions.

Against this backdrop, participants explored how research can help strengthen the effectiveness and impact of PDBs within an evolving global financial architecture.

Over three days, discussions covered a wide range of topics, including development finance architecture, climate finance, private sector mobilization, governance and legal frameworks, macroeconomic coordination, subnational development finance, and the role of Public Development Banks in supporting sustainable development transitions.

The conference featured more than 50 original research papers presented across 8 plenary sessions and keynotes and 16 academic sessions, reflecting the growing dynamism of the global research community working on development banking. Leading researchers including Stephany Griffith-Jones (Emeritus Professorial Fellow, IDS, Sussex University and ex-deputy Governor Central Bank of Chile), Ugo Panizza (Geneva Graduate Institute) and Jiajun Xu (Peking University) intervened as keynote speakers.

A notable highlight was the launch of the first Emerging Scholar Award, jointly awarded by AFD and the Public Banking Project at McMaster University, recognizing promising early-career researchers and supporting the next generation of scholarship on Public Development Banks

FiCS Chairman, Rémy Rioux, emphasized research as an important pillar of Finance in Common and called on the research community to remain mobilized in the lead-up to the next Finance in Common Summit, to be held in Asia in 2027 and hosted by the Asian Development Bank. All FiCS members are invited to contribute to supporting quality research to inform the role of PDBs in the financial architecture.

Throughout the conference, Rémy Rioux, contributed to several key moments, highlighting FiCS’ role in connecting research, policy dialogue and the global Public Development Bank community.

On 21 May, he addressed participants during the reception hosted at Clermont-Ferrand Town Hall by Mayor Julien Bony, alongside Patrick Guillaumont, President of FERDI, emphasizing the strong links between the conference and Clermont-Ferrand’s long-standing expertise in development economics.

The following day, he joined the plenary session “G7 and beyond: when research contributes to policy dialogue”, which explored how scientific expertise and policy-oriented research can better inform international financial cooperation. In his intervention, he recalled the outcomes of the FiCS / G7 Special Event in Paris, including the launch of the FiCS / G7 Report, which presented concrete recommendations to strengthen the role of Public Development Banks, reduce the cost of capital, mobilize private investment and improve coordination across the international financial architecture.

Throughout the discussions, several recurring themes emerged regarding the role of Public Development Banks in addressing today's development challenges. In line with the priorities set by the French presidency of the G7, research presented at the conference outlined policy recommendations on the role of PDBs in reducing macroeconomic imbalances, enhancing economic security, supporting international partnerships, and fostering balanced, sustainable and financially stable growth.

In particular, recent research highlight the importance of robust governance frameworks capable of ensuring both institutional independence and long-term financial sustainability. Discussions also explored how improved access to capital markets could help Public Development Banks expand their capacity to support sustainable development investments.

Participants further examined the importance of strengthening coordination between Public Development Banks, Ministries of Finance and Central Banks, while fostering greater cooperation between national, regional and multilateral development finance institutions.

These discussions contribute to the broader reflections taking place across the Finance in Common network on how to strengthen the effectiveness and impact of Public Development Banks.

Beyond the research presentations, the conference served as an important opportunity to strengthen connections between researchers and practitioners working on development finance across regions and institutions.

The conference highlighted the growing interest in research on Public Development Banks and the importance of strengthening exchanges between academia and practitioners. As the Global Research Network continues to expand, Finance in Common and its partners look forward to building on these discussions and fostering new collaborations across the development finance community.

Could not attend the conference? All sessions in the amphitheater were recorded and live streamed on AFD YouTube channel