The Center for Financial Studies (CFS) (Gesellschaft für Kapitalmarktforschung), located in Frankfurt am Main, is an independent research institute affiliated to the Goethe University.

The CFS aims to promote the dialogue between academia and the financial community by regularly organizing conferences, colloquia, academic forum discussions and specialist presentations on finance-related issues.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Goethe University in 1964, banks, in particular private bankers, and the Deutsche Börse donated funds for the foundation of a new research institute.

To this day, the institute is supported by the Gesellschaft für Kapitalmarktforschung (GfK) (Society for Capital Market Research), which was founded at the same time and whose more than 60 members mainly include banks, insurers, consulting and industrial companies.

The directors of the Institut für Kapitalmarktforschung (IFK) and the Centre for Financial Studies included Karl Häuser, Bernd Rudolph, Axel A. Weber and Volker Wieland.