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IV Regional Conference on Payments and
Financial Market Infrastructures
Call for Papers
CEMLA Mexico City, Mexico, December 7-8, 2026 (face-to-face)
Payment systems and financial market infrastructures (FMIs) are undergoing a profound transformation, creating unprecedented opportunities as well as significant challenges, particularly for emerging market economies. Rapid technological innovation is reshaping the financial landscape and reinforcing the need to strengthen and modernize FMIs so that they continue to serve as a safe, efficient, and resilient backbone of the financial system. While these developments can promote efficiency, competition, and financial inclusion, they also raise important public policy questions related to governance, risk management, oversight, and the evolving roles of public and private actors. Against this backdrop, the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA) and the Banco de la República-Colombia invite researchers and practitioners to contribute to a rigorous exchange of ideas and present cutting edge research on recent developments in payments and FMIs.
Topics
We encourage submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Developments in retail payments and policy implications: Fintech, fast payments, central bank digital currencies (CBDC), and public versus private provision of retail payment services.
- Developments in wholesale FMIs: custody, trading, liquidity, settlement, and risk management.
- Developments in cross-border payments: Fintech, integration of fast payments, multi central bank digital currencies (m-CBDC), and other emerging business models.
- Payment regulation: cybersecurity, interchange fees, accessibility and interoperability, regulatory sandboxes, and new payment service providers.
- Cash and cashless payments: trends and factors driving the use of alternative payment methods.
- FMI, financial stability, and monetary policy.
- New technologies in FMIs: use of distributed ledger technology (DLT), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
- Novel applications of FMI datasets: use of new datasets, big data or data science in financial stability, monetary policy, financial supervision, oversight, and regulation.
Submission and relevant dates
For submission, preference will be given to completed papers, but summaries and extended abstracts will also be considered. However, only completed papers will be accepted for presentation at the conference. Papers should be submitted to: dimf@cemla.org
- July 3, 2026: Submission deadline
- September 14, 2026: Decision results
- October 9, 2026: Submission of final version of accepted papers
The event is designed as a fully onsite experience to enhance dialogue, engagement, and collaborative exchange during the conference. Exceptionally, a limited number of hybrid presentations may be accommodated through a prioritized selection process that considers both the significance of the submitted work and the timeliness of the author’s request. Presenting authors are expected to secure funding for their travel and accommodation through their respective institutions.
Scientific Committee
- Anneke Kosse, Bank for International Settlements
- Carlos Arango-Arango, Banco de la República-Colombia
- Carlos León, FNA
- Cyril Monnet, University of Berna
- Gerardo Hernández-del-Valle, Center for Latin American Monetary Studies
- Gabriela Alves Werb, Deutsche Bundesbank
- James Chapman, Bank of Canada
- Jorge Cruz Lopez, University of Western Ontario
- Jorge Ponce, Banco Central del Uruguay
- Marianne Verdier, Universitè Paris II Panthèon-Assas
- Matti Hellqvist, Bank of Finland
- Michel Alexandre da Silva, Banco Central do Brasil
- José Aurazo, Bank of International Settlements
- Santiago Carbó-Valverde, Universidad de Valencia
- Wilko Bolt, De Nederlandsche Bank
Organizing Committee
- Gerardo Hernández-del-Valle, Center for Latin American Monetary Studies
- Carlos Arango-Arango, Banco de la República-Colombia
Publication
Authors of selected papers for the conference will be invited to submit their work to the Latin American Journal of Central Banking (https://www.cemla.org/lajcb/index.html).
IV Regional Conference on Payments and
Financial Market Infrastructures
Call for Papers
CEMLA Mexico City, Mexico, December 7-8, 2026 (face-to-face)
Venue Information
CEMLA is located in Durango 54, Col. Roma, Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06700 Ciudad de México, México; near downtown Mexico City.
Mexico City is located near the center of the country, at an average altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level, bordering the State of Mexico and the state of Morelos. The capital is connected by land to multiple destinations.
Time Zone
Mexico has a time difference with Greenwich Mean Time of -6 hours throughout its territory.
Weather
In Mexico City, the wet season is warm and overcast and the dry season is comfortable and partly cloudy. Throughout the year, the temperature usually ranges from 6°C to 26°C and is rarely below 3°C or above 30°C.
The warm season lasts for 2.5 months, from March 22 to June 8, with an average daily temperature above 20°C. The hottest month of the year in Mexico City is May, with an average high of 27°C and low of 13°C.
The cool season lasts for 2.5 months, from November 19 to February 3, with an average daily high temperature below 22°C. The coldest month of the year in Mexico City is January, with an average low of 6°C and high of 22°C.
Visa Information
All participants are responsible for all Passport and visa formalities, and if needed, to comply with health regulations.
Citizens of certain countries require a visa to enter Mexico. In the following link you will find a list of citizenships which require visas: Countries that require visas.
Exceptions apply if you have a visa or if you are a permanent resident of the United States, Canada or Europe. If you are a citizen of a country requiring a visa, please contact the closest Mexican consulate at: Mexican consulates.
Currency and Exchange Rate
Official currency: Mexican peso (MXN).
For the updated exchange rate click here.
You will be able to make currency exchanges at exchange houses and in some bank offices. It is recommended to exchange money at the airport since exchange houses and banks near CEMLA and the suggested hotels are closed on weekends, and close early during the week (around 16:00 hrs). Usually, ATMs are available 24 hours. You may draw cash using international debit and credit cards with worldwide brands, like Visa, Mastercard, Visa Electron and Dinners. For more information, please visit (Banco de México) here.
Electricity Service
Energy: 127 volts AC at 60 cycles (127V AC, 60 Hz). Two flat-pin plugs and some with grounding.
Transportation
The Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City is located 13 kilometers from the Downtown. It has two terminals which are identified by Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and both are connected by aerotrain and free bus transportation. For more information, you may find the airport website here.
When arriving to Mexico City, transportation from the airport to hotels can be done by transportation apps (such as Uber, Cabify, Didi and Lyft, among others), or taxi. For taxi transportation it is important to select a taxi company inside the airport (there are different options to select from once you exit customs and immigration), pay the cashier inside the airport and ask for the cab in the corresponding exit. The Mexico City International Airport (AICM) offers spaces or boarding areas for the use of authorized cabs accredited by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) and regulated by the Airport, for more information on authorized cabs click here.
For transportation in Mexico City, we recommend participants to use transportation apps or taxi service taken from “SITIO” stands. We recommend that participants avoid taking taxis from the street. SITIO stands can be found in several locations and phone numbers to call for taxis can be obtained in the hotels.
CEMLA will not provide transportation services.
Accommodation
The following table shows CEMLA’s recommended hotels, the rates available to events participants and hotel contact information. Booking hotel is the visitors’ responsibility. Consider that hotels usually request a credit card to guarantee the reservation. For any of the booking options, remember to add 3.5% ISH tax and 16% VAT.
To receive the corporate rate in the recommended hotels you must specify the name of CEMLA. Any change of rates is the responsibility of each hotel. Even though some bookings can be made online we recommend contacting the hotel directly to make sure the group rate is given.
Recommended Hotels
Hotel
Rates
Reservation information
Stanza
Av. Álvaro Obregón 13, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX
(3-minute car trip, 6-minute walk, 500m to CEMLA)
Ordinary rate per night:
$ 155 USD
CEMLA corporate rate:
$ 94.86 USD
Four Points by Sheraton
Av. Álvaro Obregón 38, C.U. Benito Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX
(4-minute car trip, 6-minute walk, 500 m to CEMLA)
Ordinary rate per night:
$ 300.15 USD
CEMLA corporate rate:
$ 128.46 USD
Includes:
wi-fi, gym
Royal Reforma
Amberes 78, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX
(12-minute car trip, 13-minute walk, 1 km to CEMLA)
Ordinary rate per night:
$ 155.56 USD
CEMLA corporate rate:
$ 86.33 USD
Includes:
breakfast buffet, wi-fi, sauna (upon request), gym, pool
BENIDORM
Frontera 217, Roma Nte. Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX
(8-minute car trip, 15-minute walk, 1.1 km to CEMLA)
Ordinary rate per night:
$ 252.78 USD
CEMLA corporate rate:
$ 91.14 USD
Includes:
wi-fi, gym
Marriot Reforma
Paseo de la Reforma 276, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX
(15-minute car trip, 17-minute walk, 1.3 km to CEMLA)
Ordinary rate per night:
$ 419.01 USD
CEMLA corporate rate:
$ 228.11 USD
Includes:
breakfast buffet, fitness center, wi-fi in business center
Map
Visit Mexico
Mexico City is a unique visitor destination offering a wide range of attractions combining historic and modern-day life in a vibrant and friendly atmosphere. Take a day to visit the pre-Hispanic ruins of Teotihuacan, or visit the Centro Histórico and marvel at its rich architecture form the Catedral and Plaza del Zócalo to Palacio de Bellas Artes, visit world-class museums, or spend the day at some of the modern-day bustling neighborhoods and enjoy a fine dining experience at some of the world’s top-rated restaurants. For more information visit: Official Mexico City Visitors' Guide | Guía oficial para turistas de la CDMX Mexico City.
Dinning
Mexico City offers a wide variety of restaurants most of them located in the tourist areas of Polanco, Roma and Condesa near the Conference Venue.
Sightseeing/Day trips
If you are planning to stay an extra day or two in Mexico City, we recommend taking a day to visit the Centro Histórico, Coyoacán, Reforma Avenue, Colonia Roma, Xochimilco, and Chapultepec.
A day trip to Teotihuacan to see the pyramids can be arranged with the hotel concierge.
Mexico City offers some world class museums including the Anthropology Museum, the Museo Soumaya, and the Interactive Museum of Economics.