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Word from the Director of the Laboratory “Monnaie et Institutions Financières dans le Maghreb Arabe (MIFMA)”

It iswithgreatpleasure, and a certain emotion, that as Director of the ResearchLaboratory “Monnaie et Institutions Financières dans le Maghreb Arabe (MIFMA)” of Abou BekrBelkaidUniversity – Tlemcen, I address the entireuniversitycommunity, ourpartnerresearchers, and ourstudents. Fromitscreation, our ambition has been to make the laboratory a scientificreferencespace for the study of monetary and financialsystems in Algeria and in the Maghreb countries, whilesupportingeconomicreforms and the requirements of sustainable and inclusive development.

Over the years, the eightresearch teams thatmake up the laboratory have developedcomplementary topics coveringmonetary and financialeconomics, banking and finance, financial and bankinggovernance, Islamic finance, as well as the gradualintegration of artificial intelligence into the fields of money, finance, and banking. This diversity has made it possible to build a solidscientificfoundation, combiningtheoreticalrigorwithempirical investigations, and has resulted in significantacademic output published in national and international journals and scientific meetings.

The laboratory has paidparticular attention to training throughresearch, by supervisingnumerousmaster’s dissertations and doctoral thesesdealingwithcurrent issues such as monetary and fiscal policies, financialstability, the development of the bankingsector, the rise of fintech, as well as the role of the financial system in financinggrowth and economic diversification. Several PhD graduatesfrom the laboratory have subsequentlyjoinedhighereducation, financial institutions, and public bodies, confirming the role of MIFMA as a high-level training actor.

At the same time, the laboratory has opened up to itsinstitutional and socio-economicenvironmentthrough the organization of studydays, national and international conferences, and methodological workshops dedicated to youngresearchers (for example on writingscientific articles, appliedeconometrics, or DSGE modelling), in cooperationwithotherlaboratories and national and foreignpartners. Theseevents have promoted the sharing of experiences, the strengthening of scientific networks, and the visibility of ouruniversity in the field of monetary and financialeconomics.

The rapid changes in the global economy – digitalization of financial services, the rise of Islamic finance, the energy transition, and the challenges of financing the real economy – are creating new challenges for research in the field of money and financial institutions. Drawing on the accumulated expertise and dynamism of its teams, the MIFMA laboratory has all the assets needed to continue itsdevelopment, strengtheninterdisciplinaritywithotherfields (law, management, data science), and help inform public and privatedecision-makersthrough analyses grounded in empiricalevidence.

I would like to express mydeep gratitude to all mycolleagues, teacher-researchers, team leaders, doctoral students, as well as to the leadership of the Faculty of Economic, Commercial and Management Sciences and of Abou BekrBelkaidUniversity, for the trust placed in us and their constant support. I alsoextendmy best wishes for success to the laboratory’s administrative team, convincedthatitwillconsolidatewhat has been achieved, develop new research areas, and furtherstrengthen the national and international positioning of MIFMA.

May thislaboratoryremain a platform for reflection, innovation, and cooperation in the service of the economic and financialdevelopment of Algeria and the Maghreb countries.

Done in Tlemcen, on: 16 February 2026
Prof. BENBOUZIANE Mohamed
Director of the Laboratory “Monnaie et Institutions Financières dans le Maghreb Arabe (MIFMA)”