The Finance and Accounting 2026 Annual Symposium is a two-day meeting, organised by the School of Finance and Accounting at Westminster Business School, University of Westminster.
In our rapidly evolving digital landscape, sustainability has become a critical imperative intersecting with virtually every aspect of finance and accounting. Digital transformation is reshaping how organisations approach environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations, sustainable finance, and responsible business practices. From blockchain-enabled carbon credit trading to AI-powered ESG analytics, digital technologies are creating unprecedented opportunities — and challenges — for sustainable finance and accounting.
The symposium will examine the intersection of sustainability and digital innovation across finance, data analytics, and accounting. We invite research on topics including sustainable finance, digital assets and their environmental impact, ESG reporting and analytics, fintech solutions for sustainability, green finance technologies, sustainable investment strategies, corporate governance in the digital age, climate risk management, and the role of artificial intelligence in sustainable decision-making.
The symposium will explore a broad range of key finance, data analytics, and accounting themes, including sustainability metrics, digital transformation, ESG integration, climate finance, sustainable investment, green accounting standards, carbon accounting, sustainable supply chain finance, impact measurement, and responsible innovation. Submissions in all areas of finance, data analytics, and accounting are encouraged, with particular interest in research exploring sustainability in the digital era.
Call for papers
We invite you to submit extended abstracts, papers-in-progress, or full papers by the deadline of 31 January 2026 by emailing these to [email protected].
Extended abstracts, papers-in-progress or full papers will be considered for the symposium program with the understanding that they will be finished by the time of the symposium.
All entrant submissions will be informed of the outcome in due course after the deadline.
Special features
The 2026 symposium will introduce Doctoral Panel Sessions to provide opportunities for doctoral students to present their research and engage with the academic community.
Please forward this call to anyone you think may wish to participate in and/or attend this Symposium.
Further information
If you have any other questions or queries, please email [email protected].
About the speaker
Professor Martin Dallimer - Academic Keynote Speaker
Professor of Environmental Sustainability, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London
Professor Martin Dallimer is a leading scholar in environmental sustainability at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. His research addresses the complex challenges that arise at the intersection of technological, environmental, and societal change.
Urbanisation and agricultural intensification have driven unsustainable resource use and widespread ecosystem degradation. Meanwhile, technological innovation is transforming economies, reshaping human interactions with the environment, and offering the potential to deliver a more sustainable, equitable, and just future. Professor Dallimer’s work explores how such innovations might contribute to achieving multiple sustainability goals across landscapes that face growing pressures from competing demands.
His research spans diverse regions and integrates quantitative and qualitative methods from both the natural and social sciences. Through this interdisciplinary approach, he seeks to develop sustainable, viable, and equitable solutions to the pressing environmental and developmental challenges facing the world today.
Mr. Tim Smolcic - Industry Keynote Speaker
Director, Tech Sustainability, HSBC, London
Tim Smolcic is a global technology executive and recognised leader in sustainable IT, with over 15 years of experience driving innovation at the intersection of enterprise technology, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and environmental impact.
As Director of Tech Sustainability at HSBC, Tim leads global transformation and strategic initiatives that embed sustainability as a core design principle of modern enterprise infrastructure. A passionate advocate for responsible technology, he is an active partner of the ITU Green Digital Action initiative, working to integrate environmental accountability into digital systems.
Tim’s work focuses on embedding sustainability across the digital ecosystem—most notably through the development of open-source tools that enable real-time measurement of software-related carbon emissions. His patented carbon tracking framework is listed on the United Nations Digital Public Goods Register.
Drawing on extensive industry research, Tim explores the measurement and reporting of AI energy consumption, identifying critical gaps in existing methodologies and proposing evidence-based recommendations to align AI development with global sustainability goals. Through cross-sector collaboration, he continues to shape the emerging definition of “green AI” and drive the evolution of technology towards a more sustainable digital future.
