Stefano Bonini, PhD
Italian economist and risk advisor specialising in credit risk and FinTech
Stefano Bonini is an Italian finance academic and practitioner specialising in credit risk modelling and FinTech. He teaches FinTech at the University of Bologna, Innovation in Banking and Financial Markets at the University of Florence, and Financial Risk Management at LUMSA University. He also teaches Credit Risk at the POLIMI Graduate School of Management (Milan).
He is Partner and Head of Risk Advisory at MBS Consulting, after a decade as head of the Credit Risk & Risk Governance practice at Accenture. Earlier he worked at Deloitte Consulting and Prometeia.
His research covers credit risk modelling, A-IRB models, climate risk, machine learning, and FinTech. He holds a PhD (cum laude) from the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
Professional qualifications
- Chartered Accountant, Order of Chartered Accountants of Milan
- Statutory Auditor and qualified Sustainability Auditor
- State Examination in Statistics
- Chartered Statistician (RSS) · Accredited Professional Statistician (ASA)
- Registered Journalist
Education
- PhD in Banking & Finance (cum laude), University of Rome Tor Vergata
- Degree in Mathematical Economics, University of Florence
- Visiting student: University of Birmingham (2001–2002), University of Sussex (2004), Georgetown University (2005), University of Alicante (2006–2007)
Books
FinTech: Rethinking Financial Intermediation
A textbook on how FinTech reshapes the core functions of finance (payments, credit, investment and risk management) and reconfigures financial intermediation as a data-driven, technology-enabled system. Foreword by Romina Gabbiadini (Bank of Italy).
Statistica per le decisioni economiche e finanziarie
A textbook on statistical methods for economic and financial decision-making. Foreword by Giorgio Gobbi (Bank of Italy).
Selected research
- Systematic forecast errors from extreme weather events in credit risk models. Economics Letters, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.econlet.2026.113149
- Why Publish in Top Journals? Publication Incentives and Binary Classification in Finance, Economics and Business. Finance Research Letters, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.frl.2026.110406
- Artificial Intelligence: the Application of Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics in Credit Risk. Risk Management Magazine, 2021. doi:10.47473/2020rmm0081
- Probability of Default Modeling: A Machine Learning Approach. Book chapter, Springer, 2018. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-89824-7_32
- Estimating loss-given default through advanced credibility theory. European Journal of Finance, 2016. doi:10.1080/1351847X.2013.870918
- The survival analysis approach in basel II credit risk management: Modeling danger rates in the loss given default parameter. Journal of Credit Risk, 2013. doi:10.21314/JCR.2013.155
Teaching
- University of Bologna – FinTech; Economics of Financial Intermediaries
- University of Florence – Innovation in Banking and Financial Markets
- LUMSA University, Rome – Financial Risk Management
- POLIMI Graduate School of Management (Milan) – Credit Risk
Visiting positions
- NYU Stern School of Business – Visiting Scholar
- IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca – Visiting Professor
- Université Côte d'Azur – Visiting Lecturer
- University of Barcelona – Visiting Lecturer
- Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences – Visiting Lecturer
- Catholic University Our Lady of Good Counsel, Tirana – Visiting Lecturer
Press & media
- "Bonini (MBS Consulting): L'AI nei modelli interni crea valore solo se cambiano anche i dati". Video interview at Supervision, Risks & Profitability 2026, Bancaforte (ABI), 13 July 2026. In Italian. Watch
- "Bonini (MBS Consulting): Dal rischio all'incertezza, ecco come cambia il ruolo del risk manager". Video interview at Supervision, Risks & Profitability 2025, Bancaforte (ABI), 16 June 2025. In Italian. Watch
- "Dmo, definiti i vertici. Michele Luciani alla guida. Nominati due consiglieri". Profile on his appointment to the board of the Fondazione Turismo DMO of Montecatini Terme, by Daniele Bernardini, La Nazione, 21 May 2025. In Italian. Read
- TV interview on ECB interest rate decisions, TGR Piazza Affari, Rai 3, 19 September 2024. In Italian. Watch
- TV interview on ECB interest rate decisions, TGR Piazza Affari, Rai 3, 13 June 2024. In Italian. Watch
- "MBS Consulting (Cerved): operativa una nuova practice dedicata al Risk Advisory". News on the launch of the Risk Advisory practice he co-leads, Bancaforte (ABI), 8 February 2024. In Italian. Read
- "Il Fintech non è solo pagamenti". Video interview at the Milan Fintech Summit, askanews (published by il Dolomiti), 11 October 2023. In Italian. Watch
- TV interview on FinTech, on the occasion of the Milan Fintech Summit, TGR Piazza Affari, Rai 3, 11 October 2023. In Italian. Watch
- Speaker at the Bologna stage of the Global Thinking Foundation "Libere di… vivere" tour on financial education. QN Economia – il Resto del Carlino, 17 April 2023, print edition. In Italian.
- "La nuova era del rischio di credito in banca: intervista a Stefano Bonini". Live-streamed interview, 24ORE Business School, 2 November 2022. In Italian. Event page
- "Il montecatinese che insegna nel dipartimento dei premi Nobel". Profile on his visiting period at NYU Stern School of Business, by Lorenzo Mei, Il Tirreno, 19 August 2019. In Italian. Read
Beyond finance
- Chess: FIDE National Arbiter; FIDE National Instructor and Lead School Instructor.
- Magic: member of The Magic Circle (London) and of CLAM (Milan); performs at private and corporate events in Italy and abroad.
Profiles
ORCID Google Scholar SSRN RePEc Scopus Wikidata LinkedIn University of Bologna
Contact
Email: stefano@stefanobonini.eu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stefanobonini