PhD scholar M. Joel Christopher and IIMB faculty win Best Paper Award at ICFMCF 2026
Award-winning research examines how political alignment influences corporate lending and credit allocation in India
09 July, 2026, Bengaluru: A research paper co-authored by Doctoral Programme scholar M. Joel Christopher, in collaboration with IIMB faculty members Prof. Sankarshan Basu, Prof. Nitin Vishen, and Prof. Abhinav Anand from the Finance & Accounting area, IIM Bangalore, has won the First Prize – Best Paper Award in the Financial Markets Track at the 8th PAN-IIT International Conference on Financial Markets & Corporate Finance (ICFMCF 2026). The conference was organised by the Department of Management Studies (DoMS), IIT Madras, from 3–5 July 2026.
The award-winning paper, titled 'Political Alignment and the Allocation of Credit: Evidence from Firm–Bank Lending in India', examines how political connections influence banking behaviour, corporate access to credit, and the allocation of loans across regions in India. By analysing firm-bank lending relationships, the study provides insights into the role of political alignment in shaping financial intermediation and highlights its implications for credit efficiency and resource allocation.
Expressing his gratitude on receiving the award, Joel Christopher said: “I am sincerely grateful to my faculty mentors for their constant guidance, encouragement, and invaluable feedback throughout my doctoral journey. Their insights have been instrumental in shaping this research.”
The PAN-IIT International Conference on Financial Markets & Corporate Finance (ICFMCF) is one of India's leading academic conferences in the field of finance. Organised under the PAN-IIT banner, the conference is jointly hosted by the management schools of IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, and IIT Roorkee.
