Subject profile of the junior professorship
The research and teaching of the junior professorship concern the field of digital finance. The focus of the issues addressed lies at the intersection of finance and innovative technologies.
Latest news
Latest news
19.02.2026
Mohammad Saiful Islam presented the research paper "Monetary easing, liquidity, and profitability: Banks at the zero lower bound during COVID-19" (co-authors: Jascha-Alexander Koch and Sharmin Akter Eva) in the "Monetary Policy" session at the "19th RGS Doctoral Conference in Economics 2026" (February 18 - 19, 2026, Bochum). We are pleased about the positive feedback.
29.12.2025
New publication: The article "The impact of eliminating reserve requirements on USbanks' lending, liquidity, and profitability during COVID-19" by Jascha-Alexander Koch and Mohammad Saiful Islam was finally accepted for publication by the "Review of Financial Economics". The article can be found here (Review of Financial Economics, Vol. 44, Iss. 1, Article e70033).
News Archive
Teaching
General information
The Master's module "Fundamentals of Digital Financial Markets (MA CRM 2019-1)" consists of the following courses
- Lecture (Master) "Digital Financial Markets" [3KOCHJ100V]
- Lecture (Master) "Financial Data Science" [3KOCHJ101V]
- Exercise (Master) "Fundamentals of Digital Financial Markets" [3KOCHJ102V]
In the new Master's program, this module will (now) be called "Digital Financial Markets". It has the same content:
- Lecture (Master) "Digital Financial Trading" [new name for 3KOCHJ100V]
- Lecture (Master) "Financial Data Science" [3KOCHJ101V]
- Note: the previous exercise will be integrated into the lectures and a self-study phase).
Note: The examination consists of a 90-minute written exam and covers all parts of the module.
Courses
Summer semester 2026
- Lecture (Master) "Digital Financial Markets" [3KOCHJ100V] in the module: "Fundamentals of Digital Financial Markets"
- Exercise (Master) "Fundamentals of Digital Financial Markets" [3KOCHJ102V] in the module: "Fundamentals of Digital Financial Markets"
- Project (Bachelor) "Digital Methods and Technologies in Finance (Phase 1)" (can be selected in the new Business Administration Bachelor, must be taken with Phase 2 in the following semester)
Winter semester 2026/27
- Module "Digital Methods and Technologies in Finance (Phase 2)" (can be selected in the new Bachelor of Business Administration, requires Phase 1)
- Bachelor's seminar "Digital Finance"
- Master's seminar "Digital Finance"
Past courses (from winter semester 2022/23)
Final theses
The junior professorship offers Bachelor's and Master's theses on topics related to digital finance.
Are you interested in writing a thesis in this area? Then get in touch with us.
Suggested topics
- Challenges of ESG investing (Bachelor thesis)
- Centralized versus Decentralized Finance (Bachelor thesis)
- Transparency of Robo Advisor Investment Decisions (Master thesis)
- Importance and influence of ESG ratings (Master's thesis)
Research and publications
Description of the research focus areas and list of focus areas
The research of the junior professorship covers all topics in the field of finance. This includes traditional finance topics, but also issues at the intersection of finance and innovative technologies. In particular, the focus is on issues relating to the development, functioning, benefits and regulation of technology-based approaches in the financial industry. These include digital services in the areas of digital investing (e.g. crowdfunding), digital financing, digital money (e.g. cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin), digital payments, digital insurance and digital financial advice (e.g. robo advisors). Both digital business models and digital services as well as related aspects of user behavior are addressed.
Focus areas
- Digital Finance
- FinTechs
- Banks/Banking
Publications
Publications by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Jascha-Alexander Koch
Publications by Mohammad Saiful Islam, M.Sc.
Publications (selection)
- Koch, Jascha-Alexander; Islam, Mohammad Saiful; Khan, Muhammad Sabir:
Wildfires and financial stability of U.S. regional banks in California.
In: Finance Research Letters, Vol. 101, July 2026, Article 110001.
➔ Link to Publication - Koch, Jascha-Alexander; Islam, Mohammad Saiful:
The impact of eliminating reserve requirements on US banks' lending, liquidity, and profitability during COVID-19.
In: Review of Financial Economics , Vol. 44, Iss. 1, 2026, Article e70033.
➔ Link to Publication - Heitmann, Dennis; Koch, Jascha-Alexander; Islam, Mohammad Saiful; Eva, Sharmin Akter:
The impact of central bank digital currencies on the financial stability of banks: Dynamic panel estimation.
In: Finance Research Letters, Vol. 84, November 2025, Article 107791.
➔ Link to Publication - Islam, Mohammad Saiful; Koch, Jascha-Alexander:
Can higher federal funds rates control mortgage lending during periods of high inflation and high house prices?
In: Finance Research Letters, Vol. 67, Part A, September 2024, Article 105849.
➔ Link to Publication - Koch, Jascha-Alexander; Islam, Mohammad Saiful:
Impact of Higher Federal Funds Rates on Bank Risk during Higher Inflation in the U.S.
In: Finance Research Letters, Vol. 60, February 2024, Article 104866.
➔ Link to Publication
Research Colloquium Business Administration
Since the summer semester 2023, the Junior Professorship of Finance in Business Administration, in particular Digitalization, has been organizing the Business Administration research colloquium. This research colloquium is intended to provide researchers in our Business Administration department with professional feedback and, in particular, to enable our junior researchers to practice their presentations (e.g. before a conference).
Format of the Business Administration research colloquium
Each semester, various colloquium dates are scheduled throughout the semester. All speakers have 15-20 minutes to present their project idea or their ongoing/completed research project. This is followed by a discussion and Q&A session lasting 10 to 20 minutes. One to a maximum of three speakers are possible per session. Presentations with pure project ideas combined with the search for cooperation partners are also possible. Potential speakers are always wanted! Please get in touch with us. Requests for dates are also possible.
Dates in the summer semester 2026 (online via Webex)
[to be announced]
