Dr Laurence Jones is a Lecturer in Finance and Data Analytics at ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥ and Head of the Institute of European Finance’s Data Analytics and Financial Innovation research group.

His research sits at the intersection of finance, data analytics, financial innovation and policy evaluation. His work uses advanced quantitative methods, including dynamic structural estimation, agent-based modelling, discrete choice modelling and predictive analytics, to examine how financial institutions, firms and individuals respond to regulation, uncertainty, technology and information.

His main research areas are:

• Bank behaviour, financial stability and responses to regulation
• Credit rating agencies and financial regulation
• Data analytics, AI and business decision-making
• ESG, fintech and retail investor behaviour
• Labour economics applications of structural modelling

Laurence has published in journals including the European Economic Review, Journal of Financial Stability and Journal of Accounting Literature. His research profile currently includes 26 citations and an H-index of 3. He has also published three public-facing articles in The Conversation, attracting over 72,000 reads.

He has secured over £180,000 across nine awarded research, innovation and commercial projects, including funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme, Welsh Government, Global Wales, the British Council and industry partners. His knowledge-exchange work focuses on helping organisations use data analytics, machine learning and AI to improve decision-making, customer insight, dynamic pricing, operational efficiency and ESG-related analysis.

Laurence is an active member of the Institute of European Finance’s Credit Risk research group and the international research society InSPiR2eS. He also collaborates internationally with researchers based in Vietnam, Israel and Australia.

His background includes previous roles as Head of Data and Analytics at a financial technology start-up, Data Scientist/KTP Associate, mathematician and statistician. His PhD in Banking and Finance examined the impact of regulation on credit rating agency and bank behaviour using dynamic structural estimation and discrete choice dynamic programming. He was also ¶º±ÆÖ±²¥â€™s Alan Turing Institute Theme Champion for Economy, Finance and Autonomous Systems.

• Professional: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  The Higher Education Academy, 2023
• Professional: AgilePM Practitioner
  2020
• Professional: Chartered Management Institute Level 5 Training
  Chartered Management Institute, 2019
• PhD: Banking and Finance - "Regulating Credit Rating Agencies"
  2015–2019
• MSc: Banking and Finance
  2012–2013
• BSc: Physics
  University of Warwick, 2009–2012

Laurence teaches across finance, data analytics and research methods. His teaching is informed by his professional background in data science, fintech and applied analytics, and he embeds real-world datasets, professional software and applied examples into his modules.

Current and recent teaching includes:

Undergraduate teaching

• Corporate Finance — ASB 2202 / ASB 2200 / ASB 3200
• Financial Techniques and Analysis — ASB-1117

Postgraduate teaching

• Research Methods — ASB/ABJ 4101
• Master’s Dissertation supervision — ASB 4902

He has also taught or contributed to teaching in Macroeconomics, Financial Econometrics, Finance, Investment and Banking, and the ACCA Data Analytics module for finance professionals.

Laurence is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and won the Student-Led Teaching Award for Digital Innovation in 2026. His teaching innovations include redesigning Research Methods around R, modernising Corporate Finance assessment and digital learning activities, and embedding Bloomberg into Financial Techniques and Analysis.

He has successfully supervised one PhD student to completion, who has since secured a Lectureship at the University of Liverpool. He currently supervises PhD students working on ESG and retail investor behaviour, open banking and systemic risk, bank-based channels and the economy, and bank flight/systemic risk. He also chairs a PhD student in FinTech.

My current research is organised around two main strands.

The first strand examines bank behaviour, financial regulation and policy transmission. This includes work on how banks and credit rating agencies respond to regulatory change, how uncertainty affects bank behaviour and monetary policy transmission, and how developments such as open banking may affect systemic risk. Much of this work uses dynamic structural estimation, agent-based modelling and related quantitative approaches to model decision-making in complex financial systems.

The second strand applies data analytics, AI, fintech and ESG methods to financial markets, retail investors and business decision-making. This includes research on technology-enabled innovation in financial markets, ESG investment and disclosure, retail investor behaviour, data analytics adoption, and the use of predictive analytics by organisations.

A further developing strand applies structural modelling approaches to labour economics, including work on menopause, employment and labour-market outcomes.

My wider research interests include:

• Banking regulation and financial stability
• Credit rating agencies
• Monetary policy transmission
• Dynamic structural estimation and agent-based modelling
• Retail investor behaviour
• ESG and sustainable finance
• Fintech and financial innovation
• Predictive data analytics in business settings
• Labour economics

2025

• Published
  Li, J., He, H., Jones, L., Gepp, A. & Lu, Y., 2025.
  Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
• E-pub ahead of print
  Li, J., He, H., Jones, L., Gepp, A. & Lu, Y., 19 Nov 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Accounting Literature.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• Published
  He, H., Jones, L., Lu, Y. & Gepp, A., 10 Jun 2025, In: Journal of Accounting Literature.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2024

• Published
  Jones, L. & He, H., 13 Mar 2024, The Conversation.
  Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article

2023

• Published
  Jones, L. & Gepp, A., 10 Aug 2023, The Conversation.
  Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
• Published
  Jones, L. & Orujov, A., 19 Apr 2023, Social Science Research Network (SSRN), p. 1, 44 p.
  Research output: Working paper
• Published
  Jones, E. & Jones, L., 27 Jun 2023, The Conversation.
  Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article

2022

• Published
  Jones, L., Alsakka, R., ap Gwilym, O. & Mantovan, N., Jun 2022, In: Journal of Financial Stability. 60, 100999.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• Published
  Jones, L., Alsakka, R., ap Gwilym, O. & Mantovan, N., Nov 2022, In: European Economic Review. 150, 104280.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2024

• Implementing machine learning models to develop an optimal strategy to mitigate customer churn with targeted interventions.

  1 Sep 2024 – 30 Sep 2025

  Activity: Consultancy (Consultant)

• Creating a machine learning algorithm to predict customer churn likilyhood.

  1 Feb 2024 – 30 Aug 2024

  Activity: Consultancy (Consultant)

2023

• Creating a data dashboard for JCB to showcase data from their production facility.

  1 Nov 2023 – 1 Apr 2024

  Activity: Consultancy (Consultant)

• 01/03/2025 – 15/09/2025 (Finished)

• 05/08/2024 – 31/07/2025 (Finished)

• 17/04/2023 – 30/06/2025 (Finished)

I has secured over £180,000 across nine awarded research, innovation and commercial projects. These include:

Ìý

His commercial and knowledge-exchange activity includes collaborations with Moneypenny, JCB, Explorage, Well Fed Foods, MEDRU, Cyd Innovation, NetWorldSports and SEAS All Afloat. These projects apply data analytics, machine learning and AI to customer churn, dynamic pricing, operational dashboards, forecasting, ESG analytics and evidence-led organisational strategy.

As Head of the Data Analytics and Financial Innovation research group, Laurence has also helped develop external relationships with more than 24 Welsh and UK companies. The group’s developing REF impact case estimates projected impact from these projects at over £6.25 million.

• Ad hoc reviewer for several international journals, including theÌýEuropean Economic Review, International Review of Financial Analysis, Journal of Accounting Literature, European Journal of Finance, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal and Applied Economics.
• He has published public-facing research articles in The Conversation on AI and fraud, alternative currencies in Welsh mining towns, and robo-advisers in investment. These articles have attracted over 72,000 reads.
• He is also active in external engagement, school outreach and student recruitment activities, including Bangor BizData Club, EESW STEM Cymru, investment challenge events with local schools, and fintech engagement through FinTech Wales.