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The European Association for Banking and Financial History (eabh) e.V.

Conversation

Finance & Geopolitics

Great Reversals in History

11 Feb 2026

10178 Berlin, Germany

eabh, in cooperation with Humboldt University Berlin, hosts a conversation on

Finance & Geopolitics: Great Reversals in History

with Christoph Trebesch (Kiel Institute) and Jörg Rocholl (ESMT), introduction by Nikolaus Wolf (Humboldt University), moderated by Carmen Hofmann (eabh)

There will be drinks and networking opportunities after the event

The discussion examines how geopolitical structures shape global finance over the long run, echoing research showing that financial globalization thrives in stable, unipolar systems but fragments during periods of tension and war—when private capital flows often freeze and states step in as dominant financiers, as seen during the world wars and the Bretton Woods era. These patterns resonate with insights from Rajan & Zingales, Langfield & Pagano, and Goodhart, whose reminder that “banks are international in life but national in death” feels especially relevant in today’s environment of fragmentation, diverging regulatory regimes, and renewed strategic competition. As debates over the future of national banking champions—from past speculation about Deutsche Bank’s attractiveness to U.S. acquirers to more recent discussions around Commerzbank and UniCredit—increasingly carry geopolitical weight, the central question emerges: Is the state reclaiming power in global finance?

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Conference

Public debt & financial stability

From the Spanish War of Succession to the present day

13 Jun 2025

Levallois-Perret (Paris), France

eabh financial history conference in cooperation with BNP Paribas & Monnaie de Paris

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Archival Workshop

Archives, artefacts and professional practices

How to contextualize corporate heritage collections?

12 Jun 2025

Paris , France

eabh archival workshop  in cooperation with BNP Paribas & Monnaie de Paris

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eabh Annual Meeting

2025 Annual Meeting

eabh in cooperation with BNP Paribas & Monnaie de Paris

11 Jun 2025

Paris, France

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Museum visit

Visit to the Monnaie Museum

on the kind invitation of the Monnaie de Paris

11 Jun 2025

Paris, France

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Conference

Hyperinflation

Financial history conference

14 Jun 2024

Budapest, Hungary

eabh in cooperation with the Central Bank of Hungary

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Archival Workshop

AI & Archives

Financial archives workshop

13 Jun 2024

Budapest, Hungary

eabh in cooperation with the Central Bank of Hungary

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eabh Annual Meeting

2024 eabh Annual Meeting

12 Jun 2024

Budapest , Hungary

eabh in cooperation with the Central Bank of Hungary

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Other

Visit to the Hungarian Money Museum and Visitors Center

12 Jun 2024

Budapest, Hungary

eabh in cooperation with the Central Bank of Hungary

Archival Workshop

Banks. Memory

Financial archives workshop

16 Nov 2023

Barcelona , Spain

eabh in cooperation with Banco de España

The role of digital archives for our cultural heritage. Preservation and conservation: Challenges and opportunities for the management and use of digital archives in the financial sector. How to ensure long term access to corporate information and records?

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