faculty
Xavier Freixas awarded 2018 Rei Jaume I Prize in Economics
The prestigious award is given annually by the Government of Valencia and the Valencian Foundation for Advanced Studies to recognize significant contributions by top Spanish scientists.
BSE Research Professor Xavier Freixas (UPF and BSE) has been selected to receive the 2018 Rei Jaume I Prize in Economics for his work in financial economics. Among his contributions to the field, the jury highlighted his book Microeconomics of Banking (with Jean-Charles Rochet), a reference work on the topic, and his influence in the context of the financial crisis.
The winners were announced on June 5 at the Palau de la Generalitat in Valencia, at a ceremony attend by the President of Valencia, Ximo Puig.
Established in 1989, the Jaume I awards are funded by the Government of Valencia and the Valencian Foundation for Advanced Studies (FVEA). The award is given annually to six researchers for their contributions in the areas of General Research, Medical Research, Environmental Protection, New Technologies, Urban Studies, and Economics. Recipients are chosen by a distinguished committee of academics and researchers, which included 18 Nobel Laureates this year.
Professor Freixas is the fifth BSE Research Professor to receive the Jaume I Economics award. The four previous recipients in the BSE community are: Albert Marcet (ICREA-IAE and BSE) in 2016, Salvador Barberà (UAB and BSE) in 2008, Joan-María Esteban (IAE-CSIC and BSE) in 2007, and Jordi Galí (CREI, UPF and BSE) in 2004.
Prize recipients receive 100,000€ and a medal from the Valencian Government and FVEA. The award ceremony will take place next fall, with the participation of a member of the Spanish royal family.
Watch the award ceremony (in Spanish)
Watch the interview about Prof. Freixas' work (in Spanish)
Rei Jaume I Prize Foundation page about Prof. Freixas' award
About Xavier Freixas
Xavier Freixas is a Professor of Economics at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and a Research Professor at the Barcelona School of Economics. He is a Research Fellow of CEPR and Director of the Financial Intermediation Research Society (FIRS).
He has been president of the European Finance Association and chairman of the Risk-Based Regulation program of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). He has also been Deutsche Bank Professor of European Financial Integration at Oxford University; Houblon Norman Senior Fellow of the Bank of England, Bertil Danielsson invited scholar at the Stockholm School of Economics, Joint Executive Director Fundación de Estudios de Economía Aplicada (FEDEA) and Professor at Montpellier and Toulouse Universities. As an expert in the area of banking, he has been a consultant for the European Investment Bank, the New York Fed, the European Central Bank, the World Bank, the IMF, the Interamerican Development Bank, the MEFF, and the European Investment Bank.
His main research contributions concern the analysis of banking in an asymmetric information framework, and more specifically the issues of relationship banking, systemic risk, contagion and the lender of last resort. He is well known for his MIT press book, jointly with Jean-Charles Rochet, Microeconomics of Banking.
Professor Freixas was the first Director of the BSE Master's Program in Finance. He now serves on the program's steering committee. He also directs the BSE Banking Summer School. He is a faculty member of the Graduate Program in Economics, Finance, and Management (GPEFM) organized by UPF and BSE, and is the current chair of the UPF Department of Economics and Business.