Ehemalige Forschungscenter

The Center for Microfinance (CMF) was established in 2009 by Dr. Annette Krauss to foster academic and applied research as well as executive education in the areas of microfinance and sustainable finance. Its aim was to improve the knowledge on the mechanisms of microfinance along the entire value chain from microfinance customers to investors, and to contribute to a maintained quality of microfinance investments. 

The original focus of the center, microfinance, grew and evolved over time into a broader field of financial inclusion and became an even more visible part of impact investments and the entire field of sustainable finance. The research and teaching portfolio diversified accordingly. To reflect these changes, the CMF decided in 2017 to join forces with a timely new initiative at the Department of Banking and Finance, and become an integral part of the newly created Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP). 

Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth

The Center of Competence Finance in Zurich (CCFZ, 2004-2016) was an interdisciplinary cooperation network of ETH Zurich and University of Zurich having as its main goal to promote, support and coordinate the activities of the University and the ETH in research and education in finance.

Objectives

• To offer a joint University and ETH graduate education programme in finance: www.msfinance.uzh.ch
• Coordination and promotion of research in the field of finance by using the complementary resources of the two institutions in Zurich
• Coordination and development of post graduate programmes for young academic professionals
• To create a communication and public relations platform for finance in Zurich

Website: www.ccfz.ch

The University Research Priority Program (URPP) “Finance and Financial Markets” started in 2004 and was integrated into the Department of Banking and Finance as Research Priority Program (RPP) at the beginning of 2008. The aim of this URPP - and later on the RPP - was, on the one hand, to analyse interactions between financial markets and macro-economy and, on the other hand, to link new areas and approaches to finance, such as behavioural sciences, ethics and law with traditional methods of financial markets theory and to conduct an interdisciplinary research. These topics were investigated within the following five projects:

• Behavioural Finance Aspects of Portfolio Management, lead: Prof. Dr. Stefan Zeisberger
• Corporate Finance, lead: Prof. Dr. Alexander F. Wagner
• Law, Regulation and Finance, lead: Prof. Dr. Rolf H. Weber
• Financial Aspects in Macroeconomics, lead: Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Zilibotti
• Quantitative Finance, lead: Prof. Dr. Ashkan Nikeghbali

By means of these projects scientifically as well as practically and politically relevant issues were explored. Head of the URPP and the RPP was Prof. Dr. Marc Chesney, Managing Director Dr. Brigitte Maranghino-Singer. The RPP was terminated in summer 2015.

Das Swiss Design Institute for Finance and Banking (SDFB) war ein hochschulnahes Design Kompetenzzentrum für angewandte und wissenschaftliche Forschung in Zusammenarbeit mit der schweizerischen Banken- und Finanzindustrie.

Die Initiative wurde getragen durch Institute und Professuren der schweizerischen Hochschulen und Universitäten Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Universität Zürich, Universität St. Gallen und Zürcher Hochschule der Künste.

Der Schwerpunkt der angewandten und wissenschaftlichen Forschung des SDFB war die Beziehung zwischen Finanzdienstleistern und deren Kunden unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Einsatzes digitaler und interaktiver Technologien.

Ein erstes Projekt wurde im Rahmen des Jubiläums 175 Jahre Universität Zürich in Zusammenarbeit mit dem IBF, dem Institut für Informatik und der Zürcher Hochschule der Künste umgesetzt. Neben der Weiterentwicklung des multiuser-fähigen Beratungstisches (Hardware) wurde eine Anwendung (Software) für die Echtzeitmodellierung eines strukturierten Produktes entwickelt. 

Swiss Financial Center Watch war ein unabhängiges, interdisziplinäres Projekt zur Erforschung des Finanzplatzes Schweiz. Es bestand aus drei Elementen:

• Durch ein Index-gestütztes Finanzplatz-Monitoring werden systematisch wertorientierte Kennzahlen zu den Schlüsselfaktoren der Finanzdienstleistungsindustrie und verwandter Branchen ermittelt und standortgenau abgebildet.
• Durch regionalökonomische Clusteranalysen werden die Wertschöpfungs- und Netzwerkprozesse an den Finanzplätzen der Schweiz ermittelt.
• Die wichtigsten für den Finanzplatz ermittelten Kernaktivitäten sollen auf der Basis des Monitorings und der Clusteranalyse einer Tiefenanalyse unterworfen werden.

Das Projekt war eine Kooperation zwischen der Universität (Institut für Banking und Finance, Prof. Hans Geiger (Leitung)) und der ETH Zürich (Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Prof. Lucas Bretschger) im Rahmen des CCFZ (www.ccfz.ch).

Website: UZH Forschungsdatenbank

With the Center for Financial Regulation (ZeFiR) the Department of Banking and Finance offered a platform for policy orientated researchers in finance, economics, law, and other disciplines.

The aim behind ZeFiR was to contribute to the debate about financial regulation by providing analysis and advice both to the public and to interested parties.

ZeFiR benefited from being embedded in a multi-disciplinary research institution (UZH), from its close ties to other leading institutions like ETHZ, as well as from the proximity of the Zurich financial center.