Research summary
Decentralized finance (DeFi) is transforming how people access and use financial services by replacing banks and brokers with open, automated platforms. As Canada Research Chair in Financial Technology, Dr. Marius Zoican is examining how DeFi is reshaping markets and what this means for investors, regulators and the future of finance.
Using tools from economics, computer science and data analytics, he and his research team are exploring questions like: Can DeFi improve financial inclusion? How does competition between platforms affect market quality? What are the risks to financial stability? And how can governments regulate a global, decentralized system? They are blending game theory, machine learning and behavioural experiments to study the rapidly evolving DeFi ecosystem. Ultimately, they aim to inform smart, forward-looking public policy, improve investor education, and bridge the gap between finance and technology research—ensuring that as finance evolves, it becomes more efficient, inclusive and resilient.