Annette Krauss

Annette Krauss is a Senior Academic Associate at the University of Zurich’s Department of Finance. She is affiliated with the Competence Center for Sustainable Finance and the Executive Education unit, overseeing teaching programs on sustainable finance. Her career includes founding the Center for Microfinance (2009) and co-founding the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (2017). She previously served as a Senior Lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management (2007–2009) and held roles at the United Nations Capital Development Fund as a Training Manager (2000–2005). She earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Ruhr-University Bochum (1999) and a Diploma in Economics from the University of Trier (1995), with research stays at UC Berkeley (USA) and Toulouse (France).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Economics, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany (1999)
• Diploma in Economics (M.Sc. Equivalent), University of Trier, Germany (1995)
• Exchange Student at Université des Sciences Sociales, Toulouse, France (1991–1992)
• Research Fellow at University of California, Berkeley (1994–1995)

Research Interests: Annette’s work centers on empirical studies of financial inclusion, sustainable banking, and microfinance in developing economies. She explores how business environments influence microenterprise growth and investigates mechanisms to combat financial exclusion in rural regions. Her research also delves into impact investing, ESG integration in financial systems, and the role of social capital in microfinance institutions.

Teaching Activities: Annette teaches courses on Impact Investing and Financial Inclusion, Sustainable Banking, and Sustainable Finance programs at the University of Zurich. She actively designs executive education curricula for MAS/DAS/CAS in Sustainable Finance.

Grants and Academic Contributions:

• Principal Investigator for a Data.org grant (2021–2022) on AI-driven financial inclusion for women
• Co-investigator in Swiss National Science Foundation grants (2014–2017) on entrepreneurial rights and ESG integration
• Recipient of multiple grants from the Schwyzer Winiker Foundation, SFI Foundation, and Ecoscientia Foundation

Labs and Teams: She leads the Competence Center for Sustainable Finance and collaborates with the Center for Microfinance. Her work intersects with institutions like Women’s World Banking, Triodos, and the Financial Inclusion Equity Council (FIEC).