Finance is an Industry with a higher purpose than profit.
Seven Pillars Institute (SPI) is an independent think tank for research, education, and promotion of financial ethics. We are affiliated with the University of London – Queen Mary College.
Education in
Financial Ethics
Academia
Aristotle believed ethics education starts from early childhood. SPI provides resources and teaching aids on ethics in finance for academics and students.
To Support
Professional Practice
Business
SPI educates professionals about the theory and application of financial ethics. We provide an ethics edge when it comes to spotting ethical issues, problem-solving and decision making.
& Influence Ethical Progress on a Systemic Level
Government
All levels of government should instill and apply ethics when engaging in financial activities. SPI offers ongoing education and professional speaking engagements.
Ethics in Finance is Good
Support Our Continuity & Mission
Our mission is to promote and enhance the practice of ethics in finance, our quest, to make ethics an integral part of finance theory. Our research and educational resources are free to all users. SPI serves as the space for new ideas. Help us achieve our mission and quest with your financial support.
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Our Resources
Industry leading resources are free to access with the support of our generous donors.
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Speaking Engagements
Dr. Kara Tan Bhala has over 23 years of experience on the sell side and buy side of the finance industry, and years of training in moral philosophy. She has given speeches and lectures on financial ethics at universities, government institutions, and NGOs around the world.
Bursa Malaysia
Stock Exchange of Malaysia
Keynote – Women in International Business
International Trade Council of Kansas City
Financial Ethics in the Age of Trump
University of Auckland School of Law
The Global Business Ethics Symposium
Bentley University
The Transparency Symposium
Mercer Consulting
Books
Ethics in Finance: Case Studies from a Woman’s Life on Wall Street (2nd.Edition)
Dr. Tan Bhala’s latest book Ethics in Finance: Case Studies from a Woman’s Life on Wall Street (2nd.Edition), won five book awards and is an Amazon bestseller. The book captures true stories of an immigrant Asian American woman’s journey through the top echelons of Wall Street finance, with enduring lessons about ethics from her 30 years of experience (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023).
Winner of the UK Business Book Awards 2022, best book in the International Business Book category
Bronze medal recipient of the US Axiom Business Book Awards 2022 in the Business Ethics category 
Finalist, International Book Awards 2022 (US)
Check out Contents | Order Book
International Investment Management
Read the new and original book lead-authored by Seven Pillars Institute’s President, Dr. Kara Tan Bhala. The book synthesizes three theories of finance and gives a lucid explanation of ethics and its real-world application in investment management.
The Business of Ethics
Dr. Kara Tan Bhala, President of Seven Pillars Institute, contributed a chapter to this handy, engaging and readily accessible volume. Contributors to the book span the academy, financial services, and industry. They include Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and originator of social business and microcredit, Charles Hamden-Turner the creator of Dilemma Theory and Emmanuel Lulin, Chief Ethics Officer of L’Oreal.
Research Handbook on Law and Ethics in Banking and Finance
Dr. Kara Tan Bhala authored a chapter “The Philosophical Foundations of Financial Ethics” in recently published Research Handbook on Law and Ethics in Banking and Finance, edited by Constanza Russo, Rosa Lastra, and William Blair. The editors and contributors are impressive experts in their fields. Sir Ross Cranston hails the book as a “tour de force in considering how ethical considerations can inform the financial system”.
Why We Must Rebuild Trustworthiness and Confidence in Financial Services; and How We Can Do It
Dr. Kara Tan Bhala contributed a chapter “Teaching Virtues in Finance Programs of Business Schools” to the book, Why We Must Rebuild Trustworthiness and Confidence in Financial Services; and How We Can Do It. She also was invited to write the foreword to the volume.
Collaboration with Queen Mary University of London
Seven Pillars Institute for Global Finance and Ethics (SPI) and the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary University of London have a collaborative affiliation in their work on ethics, law, and regulation in finance. The goal of the collaboration is to foster a dialogue on important ethical policy issues affecting the financial services industry.
The Prospect Think Tank Awards 2016 shortlisted and cited the research of Seven Pillars Institute (SPI) on climate change mitigation, praising its “deft work on eco-tourism”. The Awards are an annual recognition of the influential work carried out by think tanks across the globe.
Dr. Kara Tan Bhala, the Institute’s President, continues her role on the eminent Jury of the Ethics and Trust in Finance 9th Global Prize. The Jury awards the Ethics in Finance Prize to the best creative papers with analyses and proposals for innovative ways to promote ethics and trust in finance. The Jury also allocates the prize money of US$20,000 among the winners. The competition spans the globe, has run since 2006, and produced a global network of former Prize winners. The closing date for the 2022-2023 9th edition of the Global Prize is May 29th 2023.