REGISTER for the 2025 EMI Annual Conference: November 7, 2025.
The Emerging Markets Institute will hold the 2025 EMI Conference on November 7, 2025, at Bloomberg Auditorium, Cornell Tech Campus, New York City.
The 2025 EMI Annual Conference comes at a pivotal moment for emerging markets as global trade dynamics, capital flows, and technological shifts reshape economic opportunities. New Rules, New Opportunities explores how businesses, investors, and policymakers can navigate this evolving landscape. EMI will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the EMI report. This will be the opportunity to look back and forward on Emerging Markets economies and multinationals.
This year, we focus on the intersection of finance, technology, and emerging global trends — analyzing the strategies needed to thrive amid shifting regulatory frameworks, supply chains, and global partnerships. Attendees will gain exclusive insights from world leaders, industry pioneers, and distinguished alumni shaping the future of emerging markets.
This panel will examine how shifting geopolitical alliances, tariffs, and capital flows are reshaping trade and financial markets. With insights from investment banking, portfolio management, and global economic analysis, panelists will unpack the implications for emerging markets navigating new rules of globalization.
Main Talking Points:
How tariffs are altering capital allocation strategies.
Evolving investor appetite in volatile macroeconomic conditions.
Emerging markets’ resilience and positioning amid currency pressures and supply chain shifts.
Questions for Discussion:
How are capital flows into emerging markets shifting in response to global monetary policy changes?
What role do financial institutions play in mitigating volatility caused by trade realignments?
Which asset classes are best positioned to thrive in the “rewired” capital environment?
Speakers:
Introduction/Closing: Andrew Karolyi, Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
Ivan Duque – Former President of Colombia (2018-2022) and inaugural EMI Distinguished Fellows
This fireside chat will explore Latin America’s evolving role in the global economy. Iván Duque will open with a regional overview of policies and governance challenges, followed by Alfonso Eyzaguirre’s perspective from the corporate and financial frontlines. Together, they will examine LatAm’s opportunities and challenges in a world shaped by shifting trade rules, financial flows, and technological disruption.
Main Talking Points:
Global Positioning: How is LATAM positioned globally from an economic and business perspective
Structural challenges and opportunities (policies and corporate interaction)
Recent activity and highlights: M&A, Entrepreneurship, Debt profile of LATAM regions,Risk management, pockets of opportunity
Questions for Discussion:
What policy and governance reforms are most urgent to unlock Latin America’s growth potential?
Which areas of financial activity (M&A, unicorns, equity, or debt) have the most tailwinds for the upcoming years?
What risks should corporate and political decision-makers in LATAM anticipate to?
Laluy Garduno, MBA ’19 – Director for Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard
Mark Mobius – Founding Partner, Mobius Investments
Priscilla Koo Wilkens, MPA ‘20 – Senior Economist at Bank of International Settlements
Panel Overview:
From cryptocurrencies to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), digital finance is transforming how capital moves across borders. Panelists will debate how emerging markets can harness digital assets to foster inclusion while managing risks.
Main Talking Points:
CBDC adoption and implications for monetary sovereignty.
Crypto and DeFi innovations: opportunities vs. systemic risks.
How digital currencies can expand financial inclusion in underserved regions.
Questions for Discussion:
What are the core market failures/customer frictions Digital Assets and Cryptocurrencies address?
How can regulators balance innovation with risk management and cybersecurity in digital assets?
In what specific sub-sector of digital assets do you see emerging markets taking a leadership position? What nations are positioned foropportunity on the industry?
Speakers:
Moderator: Vishal Gaur – Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean of the Johnson Graduate School of Management
William F. Maloney – Chief Economist for Latin America and Caribbean at the World Bank
Prof. Kaushik Basu – C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics at Cornell University
Rustom Desai, MBA ’95 – Senior Lecturer at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Business
Edward Mermelstein – former New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs
Panel Overview:
A forward-looking session analyzing global risks — from credit downgrades and infrastructure bottlenecks to new opportunities in technology and optics. The panel will bring together perspectives from academia, rating agencies, and multinationals.
Main Talking Points:
The role of ratings in capital market access for emerging economies.
Technological shifts driving industrial opportunities in optics and digital infrastructure.
Macroeconomic risks: debt sustainability, inflation, and capital market volatility.
Questions for Discussion:
How do rating agencies assess sovereign risk in times of political instability?
What opportunities do emerging markets have in advanced optics and new tech manufacturing?
How can governments and firms collaborate to de-risk infrastructure investments?
Find out more about the EMI case and pitch competitions
Annually, EMI holds within the EMI Conference the Cornell EMI Corning Case Competition and the Cornell EMI Mark Mobius Pitch Competition.
Cornell EMI Corning Case Competition
The Corning Cornell Case Competition is a key event in the conference. It boosts collaboration among universities and strengthens Johnson’s ties with other academic institutions. Moreover, it speaks to EMI’s focus on international and inter-institutional collaboration. Find more information by clicking below or accessing case.emiconference.com.
Cornell EMI Mark Mobius Pitch Competition
This pitch competition is hosted by the Cornell Emerging Markets Institute and assisted by Cornell Big Red Ventures in the regional finalists’ selection. In 2021, Mark Mobius announced his generous sponsorship of the pitch competition as a learning opportunity for student entrepreneurs to improve their pitching skills. Find more information by clicking below or accessing pitch.emiconference.com.
2.2K+Participants in the Case Competition since 2017
126Startups in the Pitch Competition since 2020
1,000Streaming views
All regions around the world participate annually
Past EMI Conferences
Panelists, organizers, and participants gather at the 2024 EMI annual conference at the Cornell Tech Campus. Photo by Michael Graham.
The EMI Conference 2024 was held on October 31 and November 1, 2024, at Tata Center and Bloomberg Center Auditorium, Cornell Tech, New York City, under the theme “Innovation and Transformation to Emerge Stronger“.
In this conference, we delved into the landscape of emerging markets amidst a global economic flux. ‘Innovation and Transformation to Emerge Stronger‘ offers a detailed exploration of how these dynamic economies are harnessing cutting-edge innovations and strategic transformations to redefine their paths to growth. From groundbreaking technological advancements to transformative economic policies, our conference and the EMI report provides a comprehensive analysis of the key drivers propelling emerging markets towards unprecedented resilience and prosperity. This conference is an essential event for investors, policymakers, and industry leaders seeking to understand the future trajectory of global economics and capitalize on the burgeoning opportunities within these economies.
Dean Andrew Karolyi and Former President of Colombia Iván Duque with studentsThe 2023 EMI Conference had 500 attendees at Bloomberg Auditorium, Cornell Tech, NYC, and online.
The Cornell Emerging Market Institute Conference is the United States’ leading annual forum for discussing the ongoing trends and phenomena in our world’s rapidly growing emerging markets. Bringing together heads of the world’s largest multilateral institutions and preeminent business, the conference fosters engaging discussions on economic development and this year, specifically, through the lens of global supply chains.
Emerging markets are in flux—no longer the future, already central to the present. And yet Capital is flowing as if there is doubt, with new partnerships dawning, old questions lingering. The EMI Conference straddles the crossroads, here to capture a seminal moment, when crises — even the specters of financial contagion — may not have to threaten us, so much as invite us to think anew. This Conference reaffirms our commitment to building bridges, as risks spill over, as potential realignments draw closer.
The 2022 EMI Conference had nearly 471 attendees at Verizon Center, Cornell Tech, and online.
The Cornell Emerging Market Institute Conference is the United States’ leading annual forum for discussing the ongoing trends and phenomena in our world’s rapidly growing emerging markets. Bringing together heads of the world’s largest multilateral institutions and preeminent business, the conference fosters engaging discussions on economic development and this year, specifically, through the lens of global supply chains.
The theme of the 2022 Conference, “Reinventing Global Value Chains”, invites speakers to envision the connections that are evolving between industries, governments, and environments, which have compounding effects on trade and economic development, especially as we reach into a post-pandemic world riddled with uncertainty.
Attendees at the Verizon Center for the 2021 EMI Conference
The 2021 EMI Conference had nearly 450 attendees at Verizon Center, Cornell Tech, and online.
In the 2020s more than ever before, ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) concerns will be crucial for business, especially in emerging economies. Emerging multinationals will be key players in both offering solutions and mitigating their own impacts, as society grapples with its own destructive effects on our planet. Understanding and responding to social issues, such as poverty, inequality, and marginalization will be crucial, as business leaders seek to make positive change and eliminate harmful practices. And finally, scrutiny of firms’ governance will be a primary concern. Clients, partners, employees, and society at large expect firms to be part of the change for good.
Screenshot of a panel during the 2020 EMI Conference
Ten years that changed Emerging Markets
The last 10 years has been transformational for Emerging markets; their economies have grown, poverty levels have gone down and, in some cases, extreme poverty has been eradicated. On the business side, their companies, mainly from China and Korea but also from India, Mexico or Brazil, have made inroads globally and have made major acquisitions globally. On the innovation front, emerging markets have increased patent applications and investments in research and development. EMI’s annual conference in November 2020 will celebrate the institute 10th anniversary and focus on the achievements of emerging markets over the last ten years.
EMI was born in 2010 in the aftermath of the Global Financial crisis. A decade later in 2020, emerging markets are faced with yet another global crisis and this is an opportune moment for the EMI Annual Conference to explore how emerging markets will not just cope with the Covid-19 crisis but also emerge stronger to shape the global future.
"I participated in the organizing committee. I was able to learn about the end-to-end process, the guest speakers, topics in ESG and overall innovation in emerging markets."
Yashodhara Neerukonda, Cornell AMBA 2022, EMI Conference Committee member
"The EMI conference was the highlight of our year, and engaging with impactful start-ups from different was inspiring - it challenged us to think about how we can bring positive, lasting impact in our own communities and countries."
