Conference AFD Development Banking Research

The Global Research Network on Public Development Banks (GRN), together with Finance in Common (FiCS) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), are pleased to organize the 2026 Development Banking Research Conference. This event, will take place on May 20th- 22nd, 2026 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Held in partnership with the FERDI and the CERDI, the conference will bring together researchers, academics, think tanks, and practitioners to debate the role of public development banks. Throughout its various sessions, the conference will contribute in shaping concrete policy recommendations that will inform the priorities of the French Presidency of the G7. The conference will be mainly structured around academic sessions dedicated to the presentation of research work of international level. Each article will be the subject of a moderate discussion in order to promote in-depth exchanges. The program will also include sessions with a political dimension, aimed at translating research results into concrete recommendations for public policies. The policy sessions will explicitly link to G7 priorities, and one of them will be specifically dedicated to building on T7 findings.