Out-of-the-box thinking for the next generation of talent

Fostering dialogue between academics, practitioners, and regulators who work in the capital markets field

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Our Research

  • Big Data

    While Big Data provides businesses with benefits such as improved operational efficiency and valuable insights, it also presents issues such as concerns around privacy, ownership, and algorithm bias.

  • Blockchain Technology

    Blockchain technology will play a pivotal role in achieving ESG goals due to its security, transparency, traceability, reduced costs, immutability, and decentralized structure.

  • Cryptocurrencies

    Although the intended purpose of cryptocurrencies is still debated, their current state is marked by a lack of trust, criminal associations, excessive energy use, and high volatility due to speculation.

  • Emerging Risk Management

    The COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder of the importance of proper monitoring and preparation. Given the potential cascading risks posed by climate change, detecting and managing emerging risks is crucial.

  • Sustainability

    Given the potential impact of emerging risks on our ecosystem, the implementation of ESG goals in businesses and organizations is a crucial first step towards mitigating these risks.

Our Book Series

The Centre has established a book series, published with Palgrave-Macmillan, that focuses on advances in the fields of big data, blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, emerging risk management, and sustainability.

The Centre invites practitioners, academics, and regulators who would like to contribute a chapter to the book series to express their interest. Please refer to the current calls for submission for contribution guidelines here.

About the Centre

The L. Jacques Ménard BMO Centre for Capital Markets has been funded through a generous donation by the Bank of Montreal (BMO). BMO is supporting teaching and learning for students at Concordia University with a $2.5-million gift towards the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen. Now.The donation honours the late L. Jacques Ménard, former President of BMO Quebec, who had strong ties to Concordia, not only as an alumnus but also as chancellor of the university from 2011 to 2014.

Through the establishment of the L. Jacques Ménard BMO Centre for Capital Markets and the BMO Fine Arts Internship Program, the centre aims to foster out-of-the-box thinking for the next generation of talent.

In support of its mission, the Centre regularly organizes workshops and conferences, offers faculty grants to support next generation research and teaching activities, provides a series of student scholarships, and invites collaboration within the stakeholder community via joint publication opportunities through a BMO Centre book series.

Jacques Ménard
Thomas Walker

The Centre's Director

Thomas Walker holds an MBA and PhD degree in Finance from Washington State University. His research interests are in banking, emerging risk management, fintech, and sustainable finance, and he has published numerous journal articles in these areas. In 2018, he founded the Emerging Risks Information Centre which conducts targeted research on environmental, technological, and societal risks that affect our world today.

He is also the lead editor of ten books on fintech, sustainable financial systems, sustainable real estate, sustainable aviation, environmental policy, emerging risk management, innovations in social finance, and water risk management.

In 2021, he became the director for the L. Jacques Ménard BMO Centre for Capital Markets at Concordia University and the Concordia University Research Chair in Emerging Risk Management.