Rasha Alsakka

Rasha Alsakka is a Professor of Banking and Finance at Bangor Business School, Bangor University, where she has been employed since January 2010. She serves as Senior Tutor at Bangor Business School (August 2018 - May 2025) and leads the Credit Risk research planning group at the Institute of European Finance (May 2024-Present). She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Her educational background includes a BSc in Economics, Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting, MSc in Econ in Accounting and Finance, and PhD in Accounting and Finance, all from Aberystwyth University, plus a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCertHE) from Bangor University.

Professor Alsakka's research focuses on credit risk and credit ratings, political economy, ESG and sustainable finance, Fintech, SMEs lending, and credit uncertainty. Her work investigates the interplay between political factors and financial markets, with particular attention to how political preferences influence stock markets and how sovereign credit ratings affect voters' behavior. She examines whether regulatory reforms have improved corporate credit rating quality amid political uncertainty and explores the implications for firms' financing decisions.

Her research output demonstrates a consistent focus on the intersection of political economy and financial markets, with recent work examining Brexit's impact on SME lending, the relationship between politicians' connections and sovereign credit ratings, and how political preferences affect stock market volatility. Her publications appear in high-impact journals including Journal of Banking and Finance, European Economic Review, and Journal of Financial Stability.

• Bangor University Teaching Fellowship (2022)
• Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) (2022)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) (2013)
• Outstanding reviewer status for Journal of Banking and Finance (2017)
• CELT Associate Award (2016)

Professor Alsakka has successfully supervised 13 PhD students to completion and currently supervises four doctoral candidates. She has secured research funding from prestigious organizations including the British Academy, Leverhulme Trust, Chartered Banker Institute, and ESRC. She serves as an Associate Editor at the European Journal of Finance and has acted as an external examiner at numerous UK universities including University of Liverpool, De Montfort University, and Bristol University.

As a member of the management board of the Institute of European Finance at Bangor, Professor Alsakka leads the Credit Risk research planning group, which has established a reputation for high-quality research in the UK. The group includes Bangor Business School staff, PhD students, and external associate members, creating a collaborative environment for cutting-edge research in credit risk assessment and financial stability.