Hamburg Financial Research Center

Research

The institute’s research is application-oriented and empirically focused. In addition to conducting its own studies, our research groups regularly prepare scientific assessments and analyses for policy-related institutions as well as for corporate partners from the business community.

Persons

We are both a research institute and a research network. As an independent, non-university institute based in Hamburg, we bring together professors and early-career researchers from the city’s universities. We maintain an international network and involve distinguished experts from the business community in our research projects.

Research Groups

The HFRC’s research groups operate across six research areas, covering a broad spectrum of topics in modern financial research. Within these groups, members of our network work on current issues and organize academic conferences to promote knowledge exchange.

Asset Management

Unsere Forschungsgruppe Asset Management befasst sich vorwiegend mit Fragen der quantitativen Vermögensverwaltung. Die Publikationen der Forschungsgruppe Asset Management fallen in die Themenbereiche:

35 Publications
22 Researchers

Corporate Finance

Schwerpunkte der Forschungsgruppe Corporate Finance sind das Verhalten und der Einfluss von institutionellen Investoren im Unternehmenskontext, die Unternehmensbewertung und die Kapitalstruktur.

45 Publications
29 Researchers

Corporate Governance

Unsere Forschungsgruppe Corporate Governance untersucht den Einfluss interner und externer Stakeholder auf die Steuerung und Überwachung der Unternehmensführung. Die Veröffentlichungen der Forschungsgruppe Corporate Governance fallen in die Themenbereiche:

21 Publications
22 Researchers

Entrepreneurial Finance

Der Schwerpunkt der Forschungsgruppe Entrepreneurial Finance liegt auf Fragen der Kapitalbeschaffung für Start-up-Unternehmen im Besonderen. Darüber hinaus beschäftigen sich unsere affiliierten Forscher mit dem Thema Digital Finance & Fintech im Allgemeinen.

7 Publications
12 Researchers

Maritime Financial Management

Unsere Forschungsgruppe Maritime Financial Management befasst sich den finanziellen Aspekten der kommerziellen Schifffahrtsindustrie. Die Publikationen der Forschungsgruppe Maritime Financial Management fallen in die Themenbereiche:

14 Publications
9 Researchers

Sustainable Finance

Der Schwerpunkt der Forschungsgruppe Sustainable Finance besteht in der Integration von ESG-Themen in die Unternehmensführung. Dies umfasst die Messung der ESG-Leistung sowie die Berücksichtigung von ESG-spezifischen Kennzahlen im Rahmen der Finanzberichterstattung.

5 Publications
17 Researchers

HFRC Global

Our academic exchange program HFRC Global promotes the international connectivity of Hamburg as a research hub. The program enables researchers from Hamburg to undertake multi-month visiting stays at leading international universities and supports research visits by international scholars to institutions within the metropolitan region.

Supported stays

    Invited by
    Iwan Meier
    Institution
    HEC Montréal
    Location of stay
    Montréal | Kanada
    Duration of stay
    Aug 2025 - Sep 2025

    Invited by
    Wolfgang Drobetz
    Institution
    Universität Hamburg
    Location of stay
    Hamburg | Deutschland
    Duration of stay
    May 2025

    Invited by
    Robert Suban
    Institution
    University of Malta
    Location of stay
    Msida | Malta
    Duration of stay
    Jan 2025 - Mar 2025

    Invited by
    Gishan Dissanaike
    Institution
    University of Cambridge
    Location of stay
    Cambridge | UK
    Duration of stay
    Apr 2024 - Jul 2024

    Invited by
    Sadok El Ghoul
    Institution
    University of Alberta
    Location of stay
    Edmonton | Kanada
    Duration of stay
    Nov 2022 - Dez 2022

    Invited by
    Omrane Guedhami
    Institution
    University of South Carolina
    Location of stay
    Columbia | USA
    Duration of stay
    Okt 2022 - Nov 2022

    Invited by
    Jesper Rangvid
    Institution
    Copenhagen Business School
    Location of stay
    Kopenhagen | Dänemark
    Duration of stay
    Aug 2022 - Nov 2022

    Invited by
    Renée Adams
    Institution
    University of Oxford
    Location of stay
    Oxford | UK
    Duration of stay
    Apr 2022 - Jun 2022

    Invited by
    Markus Pelger
    Institution
    Stanford University
    Location of stay
    Stanford | USA
    Duration of stay
    Apr 2022 - Jul 2022

    Invited by
    Mirea Gine
    Institution
    IESE Business School
    Location of stay
    Barcelona | Spanien
    Duration of stay
    Feb 2022 - Aug 2022

    Invited by
    Gishan Dissanaike
    Institution
    University of Cambridge
    Location of stay
    Cambridge | UK
    Duration of stay
    Feb 2022 - Jun 2022

    Invited by
    Mikhail Chernov
    Institution
    UCLA
    Location of stay
    Los Angeles | USA
    Duration of stay
    Jan 2022 - Mar 2022

    Invited by
    Yakov Amihud
    Institution
    New York University
    Location of stay
    New York | USA
    Duration of stay
    Jan 2020 - Jun 2020

    Invited by
    Henning Schröder
    Institution
    Universität Hamburg
    Location of stay
    Hamburg | Deutschland
    Duration of stay
    Apr 2019 - Sep 2019

    Invited by
    Sadok El Ghoul
    Institution
    University of Alberta
    Location of stay
    Alberta | Canada
    Duration of stay
    Aug 2018 - Sep 2018

    Invited by
    Kose John
    Institution
    New York University
    Location of stay
    New York | USA
    Duration of stay
    Oct 2014 - Apr 2015

    Invited by
    Michael Halling
    Institution
    Swedish House of Finance
    Location of stay
    Stockholm | Schweden
    Duration of stay
    Sep 2015 - Dez 2015

Doctoral Program

Through its doctoral program, the HFRC supports selected dissertation projects. The early-career researchers are integrated as full members into our research groups. All program participants receive close supervision throughout their dissertation phase from the professors and members of the research network who hold doctoral supervision rights.

Members of the doctoral program
Courses & Summer Schools

Courses & Summer Schools

We fund participation in doctoral courses and summer schools to strengthen methodological skills and individual research profiles.

Conferences & Seminars

Conferences & Seminars

We support the presentation and critical discussion of individual research findings at international conferences and research seminars.

Research Stays

Research Stays

As part of our academic exchange program HFRC Global, we enable multi-month research and visiting stays at leading international universities.

Data & Infrastructure

Data & Infrastructure

Where needed, we support the acquisition of financial databases, computing resources, and specialized software to complement the existing research infrastructure.

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge transfer is a central focus of our work. We maintain an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders from business, politics, and society. The HFRC research network contributes to the financial and economic policy debate with scientifically grounded arguments and solution-oriented insights.

  • Cooperations

    Cooperations

    Our projects with partners from business and politics provide valuable impetus for innovative and applied research.

  • Expertise

    Expertise

    Our independent expert analyses support informed decision-making on financial and economic policy issues.

  • Network

    Network

    Our professional network provides regional stakeholders with access to renowned international experts.

  • Events

    Events

    Our events provide direct access to the latest research findings in finance.