Year in Review 2025

The year 2025 marked another important step in the evolution of the Prague Finance Institute (PFI).

What began in 2019 as an initiative focused primarily on academia and talented students has gradually grown into a professional platform connecting generations, disciplines, and perspectives across the Czech and international financial community. Today, PFI serves as a space for open exchange between emerging talent and experienced professionals, contributing to the quality of financial dialogue and economic thinking in the Czech Republic.

Over the past year, we continued to strengthen our core team, particularly in analytical work. This effort further enhanced PFI Monthly, which remains the only regularly published Czech periodical in English dedicated to economic and financial developments in our region.

Our PFI Talks podcast welcomed a number of leading figures from the global economic and financial community in 2025. Guests included Anat Admati, Kenneth Rogoff, Maurice Obstfeld, Branko Milanović, William Goetzmann, Štěpán Drábek, Edward Chancellor, John H. Cochrane, Michael Bordo, and Morgan Housel—continuing a tradition established by earlier conversations with guests such as Daniel Kahneman, Paul Krugman, Daron Acemoglu, David Petraeus, and Aswath Damodaran.

In-person events remained a key pillar of PFI’s activities. During the year, we organised M&A Market Insider with international participation, Private Equity Insider featuring representatives of CVC Capital Partners and MidEuropa, and the Global Macro Brainstorming Conference, which brought together economists and asset managers from across the Czech Republic.

For the third time, PFI also partnered with the SHIFTS25 conference organised by E15 in cooperation with J&T Banka. Speakers supported by PFI included Morgan Housel, Kyla Scanlon, Marek Mora, and Štěpán Drábek.

Education and talent development continued to play a central role. The second edition of the PFI Scholarship Programme received a strong response and enabled two talented students to pursue master’s studies at the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics. In 2026, we aim to expand the programme and support up to four students.

The autumn months were traditionally dedicated to the Business Valuation Masterclass, an eleven-week programme that provided 35 participants with hands-on expertise in business valuation. With nearly 200 graduates to date, the programme has firmly established itself within PFI’s educational activities.

From an informal initiative, Prague Finance Institute has grown into a respected professional institution. Its development has been shaped by a growing community of experts, students, and supporters, and by a long-term commitment to cultivating the Czech financial environment—without a primary commercial objective.

Thank you to everyone who follows, supports, and helps shape the Prague Finance Institute. We look forward to continuing the journey in the year ahead.