Regulations Belgian Financial Forum prize for master's theses Financial Law 2026

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  1. The Belgian Financial Forum encourages the spread of financial research through the organisation of conferences, colloquia and workshops, at both the national and regional level.

  2. In 2026, the Belgian Financial Forum will award for the fourth time a prize for the best master’s thesis on legal aspects of a financial (banking, insurance, asset management, non-banking financial intermediation, etc.) and/or monetary topic.

  3. Only master’s theses from the 2025–2026 academic year, defended during the June or September 2026 exam period and receiving a grade of at least distinction/onderscheiding, are eligible. The thesis may be written in Dutch, French or English.

  4. Only master’s students of a faculty of law of a Belgian university can submit their master's thesis.

  5. Candidates are requested to send their thesis, along with a short CV, to geert.poisquet@febelfin.be or jc@ombudsfin.be. Entry will be confirmed by an acknowledgment of receipt.

  6. The submission deadline is Friday, 9 October 2026.

  7. The winner will receive: 
    – a cash prize of €2,000, 
    – a training course of up to two days at the Febelfin Academy.

  8. The prize will be awarded during an event organised by the Belgian Financial Forum.

  9. The jury is composed of academics and financial sector professionals. It reserves the right to consult external experts when assessing submissions.

  10. Decisions of the jury are adopted by an absolute majority of those members present at the deliberations. The jury may decide to split the prize between several master's theses or not to award a prize if, in its opinion, the required criteria are not met.

  11. The criteria used to assess theses are: 
    – originality, 
    – scientific merit, 
    – topicality, 
    – empirical approach, 
    – format and readability.

  12. More information can be obtained from Jean Cattaruzza (jc@ombudsfin.be), chairperson of the jury, or Geert Poisquet (geert.poisquet@febelfin.be ), secretary of the jury.