phd finance manchester business school

Kevin Aretz

• Professor of Finance , A&F Accounting & Finance
• Phone 00441612756368

Personal profile

Kevin Aretz holds an MSc degree in Finance from Maastricht University (mid 2004) and a PhD degree in Finance from Lancaster University (Dec 2008). Prior to joining Manchester Business School as a senior lecturer in September 2011 and becoming a Professor of Finance in August 2017, he worked as a lecturer in Finance at Lancaster University Management School. He also worked, on a part-time basis, as an academic advisor for Old Mutual Asset Management in London.

Research interests

My main research interests are in the areas of cross-sectional asset pricing, corporate finance, and forecasting. I'm currently working on the following topics in these areas:

Theoretical and Empirical Cross-Sectional Asset Pricing:

Real Options Asset Pricing Research:

My asset pricing research studies real options investment models of the firm holding out the potential to explain important cross-sectional stock anomalies, such as the value, momentum, investment, and profitability anomalies in stock returns. In a paper with Peter Pope (London School of Economics, UK), we use a stochastic frontier model to estimate a state variable suggested by the models to drive the anomalies: “capacity overhang,” the difference between a firm’s actual installed capacity and the optimal capacity. We show that the estimate helps explain momentum and profitability, but not value and investment anomalies. The paper is now forthcoming in The Journal of Finance .

The Distress Risk Anomaly:

Another part of my asset pricing research focuses on the “distress risk anomaly,” the empirical finding that US stocks with a high failure probability have lower (not higher!) mean future returns than safe US stocks with a low failure probability. Using hand-collected bankruptcy filing data for firms from 14 non-US countries, my co-authors Chris Florackis (Liverpool University, UK) and Alex Kostakis (also Manchester Business School, UK) show that the distress risk anomaly does not exist outside of the US. Outside of the US, mean future returns significantly increase with the failure probability. This paper is now forthcoming in Management Science .

The Pricing of Higher Moments:

Another part of my asset pricing research focuses on the pricing of higher moments in stock prices. In a paper with Eser Arisoy (Dauphine University, France), we use quantile regressions to come up with a novel estimate of stock-level return skewness. Using realized skewness estimated following the approach of Neuberger (2012), we show that our quantile regression based skewness estimate outperforms other popular estimates in explaining future realized skewness. Despite its outperformance, the quantile regression based estimate is not priced in the cross-section of stock returns, while most other estimates are. The paper is a first-stage R&R at the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis .

Cross-Sectional European Option Pricing:

In more recent asset pricing research, I have shifted my focus from stocks to European options. In a recent paper with Max Lin (DeMontfort University, UK) and Ser-huang Poon (also Manchester Business School, UK), we study the expected returns of such options in a stochastic discount factor framework. Our most interesting result is that the systematic and the idiosyncratic volatility of the underlying asset have a markedly different effect on expected option returns. Empirical tests support the predictions of the model.

Empirical Corporate Finance:  

Access to Capital:

My corporate finance research studies the effects of collateral laws on access to credit. In a paper with Murillo Campello (Cornell University and NBER, US) and Mary Marchica (Manchester Business School, UK), we show how a French collateral reform easing the pledging of hard assets to banks led to a dramatic “democratization of credit.” For example, we show that before the reform nine out of ten private French firms used no long-term debt capital, while after the reform that number dropped to about four. We also show that mostly rural firms located in the countryside benefitted from the reform. The reform also had positive real-side effects. For example, it induced firms to invest into both capital and labour and made them more profitable and less risky, in turn leading to decreases in default rates. The reform also improved capital allocation efficiency.

Risk-Shifting:

Another part of my corporate finance research focuses on risk-shifting, the tendency of economic agents with convex payoff functions to take on riskier actions. In a paper with Shantanu Banerjee (Lancaster University, UK) and Oksana Pryshchepa (Birmingham University, UK), we study how distress risk shocks induced through hurricane strikes affect the compositions of the real-asset portfolios owned by firms. We show that such shocks induce firms to skew their asset compositions toward riskier assets, mostly through closing or divesting their lowest risk businesses. This risk shifting behaviour has real economic consequences, with for example risk-shifting firms becoming significantly more likely to fail over the subsequent ten years. This paper is now a first-round R&R at the Review of Finance .

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Dive into details.

Select a country/territory to view shared publications and projects

Research output

Research output per year

Construction, Real Uncertainty, and Stock-Level Investment Anomalies

Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

• Investment 100%
• Learning 33%
• Low Tech 33%
• Volatility 33%
• Production Costs 33%

The Early Exercise Risk Premium

• Risk Premium 100%
• Return 100%
• Profitability 33%
• Asset Pricing 33%

The Pricing of Skewness Over Different Return Horizons

• Skewness 100%
• Pricing 100%
• Estimation Theory 33%
• Asset Pricing 22%

Consumption Risks in Option Returns

• Consumption 100%
• Risk Premium 50%
• Volatility 50%
• Economy 16%

Moneyness, Underlying Asset Volatility, and the Cross-Section of Option Returns

• Volatility 100%
• Elasticity 28%
• Capital Market Returns 14%

Postgraduate-Taught Teacher of the Year 2015/16

Aretz, Kevin (Recipient), 13 Dec 2016

Prize : Prize (including medals and awards)

• Instructor 100%

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Alliance Manchester Business School PhD Studentships 2024 Entry - Competition Closed for 2024 Entry

Type of award.

Studentship

Managing department

Alliance Manchester Business School

• Tuition fees
• An annual maintenance stipend (£18,622 per annum for 2023/24)
• A research training support grant

Specified use

Please note that existing postgraduate research students cannot be considered for this funding.

Tenable period

Continuation of award.

Continuation of the award is subject to satisfactory progress.

Number available

Funding provider.

This award is internal.

Level(s) of study

This funding is available to students undertaking the following types of study:

• Postgraduate research

Allowed study options

This funding is available to students undertaking the following modes of study:

Subject restrictions

This funding is available to students undertaking study in:

• Accounting and Finance
• Business and Management
• Science, Technology and Innovation Policy

Academic requirements

• Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
• Master's degree in a relevant cognate subject - normally with an overall average of 70% or above (or overseas equivalent)

Nationality restrictions

This funding is available to all nationalities.

Application procedure

You must submit your completed online programme application for a place on your chosen PhD programme by 15 March 2024. Your programme application should contain all necessary supporting documents.

Section 9 of the application asks for your funding intentions. Please add a funding source, and populate the fields as below:

• Type of Funding: Uni of Manchester Scheme
• Awarding Body (free text): AMBS School Studentships
• Status of Funding: Intend to Apply

Please note that there is no separate funding application form for Alliance Manchester Business School Studentships. All decisions are based on the online programme application and supporting documents.

If you are shortlisted for an award, you will be invited to attend a funding interview. You may be asked to prepare a presentation on your proposed research. The interview panel will consist of a Division Co-ordinator and an independent interviewer.

Application form

• https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/admissions/how-to-apply/

Additional documentation

• A 3,000 word PhD research proposal
• Copies of the academic transcript and certificate from both your Bachelor's and Master's degrees. If your Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript
• An up to date academic CV, detailing your education and qualifications; employment history; publications; and any other relevant information
• You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review process
• International applicants must additionally provide English Language evidence (e.g IELTS)

Selection criteria

• Performance in interview
• Academic merit and preparedness for research
• Quality and feasibility of research proposal
• Consideration of ethical responsibility

Selection body

Closing date.

15 Mar 2024

This competition has now closed for 2024 entry.  Deadlines for 2025 entry will be published here in due course.

Due to the high demand for AMBS studentships, we operate a staged process as set out below. However, we reserve the right to close the competition at any stage if all awards have been allocated, so we recommend that you apply as early as possible.

• Stage 1: Deadline 1 December 2023; decision by 7 February 2024
• Stage 2: Deadline 15 March 2024; decision by 31 May 2024

Please note that the given deadlines are strict and late or incomplete applications will not be included in the competition.

Decision date

We expect to communicate the outcome to applicants by the dates specified above.

In some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next stage. If this is the case we will let you know after the initial deadline has passed. If your application is incomplete by the stage 1 deadline, your application will be rolled forward to stage 2.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide feedback on individual applications, as outcomes are determined by independent panels.

Deferral information

Contact details for enquiries.

• Humanities Doctoral Academy Admissions Tel: +44 (0)161 275 1200 Email: [email protected]

Useful links

• https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/study/phd//
• https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/study/phd/funding/

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PhD and doctoral degrees

Conduct a significant piece of research and make an original contribution to your field.

PhD and doctoral degrees offer you the chance to make a meaningful and original contribution to your chosen field. They require passion and dedication, but allow you to drive your own research and can be a huge step towards your long-term career goals.

By studying at Manchester Met, you will join a successful and collaborative research community. In addition to receiving dedicated support from our expert supervisors and access to our modern research facilities, we will help prepare you for life after your degree.

If you’re thinking about doing a doctoral degree, we recommend doing the ‘So You’re Thinking of a PhD?’ short online intensive. It’s a free resource developed by a group of current Manchester Met PhD students that takes you through the process of doing a PhD from start to finish. 

Study a research degree with us

Explore the degrees we offer, our research culture and supervisory expertise. Browse by subject area.

Find a supervisor

Learn about our research community and areas of expertise.

Information on research programme fees.

Fund your research degree or PhD

From self-finance to loans, scholarships to sponsorship, we explain ways to pay for your doctoral research.

Distance learning research degrees

Flexible study options to support your research career.

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Supporting you as you build your research career.

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Key documents detailing how we regulate and govern our research.

• The University of Warwick

MRes/PhD Finance & Economics

Experience independent thinking in a world-class interdisciplinary environment.

Our new fully-funded MRes/PhD Finance & Economics programme combines highly relevant and structured training with close mentorship from a team of supervisors, embedding you in our culture of curiosity and helping you develop and deepen your chosen area of research. We value our doctoral researchers and aim to attract students from across the globe who are independent thinkers, restless to learn more and challenge themselves. We particularly welcome applicants whose ambition is a career in academia.

Jointly run with the  Department of Economics , we aim to establish our MRes programme as one of the leading programmes in Europe, supporting you to pursue a future career in top academic positions, international organisations and central banks. This programme will provide you with a thorough understanding of state of the art research techniques and in-depth appreciation of principal areas of interest for researchers in finance and economics. 

Our MRes/PhD Finance & Economics programme is a full time two + four year programme (six years in total).

Please note applications are now closed for 2024 entry. Applications for 2025 entry will open in October 2024.

• Application Deadline Closed for 2024 entry
• Start Date 01 October 2024
• Duration 2+4 years
• Location Warwick Campus
• Format Full-time
• UK Fees Fully-funded *
• EU/International Fees Fully-funded *

* See fees and funding for fees breakdown.

If you have any questions regarding the WBS PhD programme, please do not hesitate to contact the team:

Email:   [email protected]

Call:   +44 (0)24 7652 4754

For our students, learning isn’t confined by physical walls. If you excel through independent learning and have an eagerness to learn then WBS is the place for you. The core benefits of our PhD programme include: 

• A fully-funded programme and an annual stipend of approximately £21,000 per annum.
• An inspirational learning experience in a world-class interdisciplinary environment, working alongside the brightest scholars and learning from leading academics from across the globe.
• Highly relevant and structured training which is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) focusing on developing your core research skills.
• Programme flexibility allowing you to tailor your studies to a particular topic you are passionate about.

Preparation for an academic or research career.

Experts from Warwick Business School warned Bank of England proposals to regulate stablecoins involved significant challenges, but would also create opportunities.

The collapse of TerraUSD revealed the vulnerabilities in some stablecoins. Ganesh Viswanath-Natraj reveals how to boost stability and confidence in digital assets.

Decentralised finance has boomed since the financial crash but Kalina Staykova found some platforms are not as decentralised as they claim.

WBS Finance Group

Mres/phd in finance and economics.

Why choose our MRes/PhD?

Finance is a well-established subject area within Warwick Business School; at the forefront of academic research and practice. Our faculty consistently publishes in top academic journals in Finance (The Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial Economics, among others), and in other related topics in Economics and Management.

We value our doctoral researchers and aim to attract students from across the globe who are independent thinkers. We particularly welcome applicants whose ambition is a career in academia. Our MRes in Finance and Economics is the pathway to the PhD in Finance . It is an integrated two year Masters in Finance and Economics, from which students progress to the PhD in Finance. It includes:

• Two years of courses covering the tools, techniques and literature necessary for you to write a PhD dissertation at the forefront of the finance discipline;
• Four years (maximum) of research under the guidance of world-renowned faculty. We have staff expertise in each of the main areas of finance;
• Support and resources to enable you to participate in the scientific community, including a weekly seminar series.
• Tailored support to help you achieve a top job market placement, including academic writing skills, presentation skills and interview practice with experts in the economics job market;

Our PhD Programme combines highly relevant and structured training in the first year with close mentorship from a team of supervisors to help you develop and deepen your chosen area of research.

Close collaboration between members of the group, faculty from WBS and other departments. and PhD students is common. Our PhD students also have the opportunity to obtain funding to attend conferences based on merit. They are also active members of the Group, and have the opportunity to gain both teaching and research experience as members of our community.

Essential Information about our programme:

Duration : 2 year MRes and 4 years PhD.

Entry Requirements : Bachelor’s degree: 1st class (recommended) in Economics or Finance. Master’s degree: Distinction (recommended) in Economics or Finance. Accounting or Financial Mathematics may be considered with a significant finance component.

The GRE or GMAT is a formal requirement for admission. No predefined threshold established, score merely to support application

English Language Requirements : See information in the following link .

Course Fees : All fees are fully funded by Warwick Business School. Students will also receive an annual stipend of approximately £15,500 pa (subject to RCUK rates and inflation) for the life of their study, subject to satisfactory progress.

When to Apply : Our programme is competitive, and, therefore, applying early is strongly recommended. For an application to be considered complete, all the supporting documentation must be provided. The final deadline for any consideration is 28 February 2022 . An earlier application than this date is strongly recommended. Apply online .

Please do NOT contact potential supervisors when completing your application. We do not recruit PhD students in this way.  

All of our PhD students must either complete the MRes Finance and Economics at Warwick or demonstrate they have completed a two year MRes at another institution (with a syllabus closely matching that taught at Warwick) and achieved excellent results. If you are interested in direct entry to the PhD, please apply for the MRes/PhD in the first instance. If you are selected for interview, you should at this stage make clear to the admissions committee that you are seeking direct entry to the PhD.

Course Content :

Compulsory modules - Year 1:

ECA9A1 Advanced Microeconomics Theory (35 CATS)

ECA9A2 Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis (35 CATS)

ECA9A3 Advanced Econometric Theory (35 CATS)

Practice of Financial Research (15 CATS)

Compulsory modules - Year 2:

Asset Pricing I (12 CATS)

Asset Pricing II (12 CATS)

Corporate Finance I (12 CATS)

Corporate Finance II (12 CATS)

Financial markets (12 CATS)

Dissertation (60 CATS)

Progression

The first two years of taught coursework lead to the award of the MRes degree for candidates satisfying all of the requirements. Those who pass the MRes at a sufficiently high level of performance: achieve a 65% average (over all taught modules in year 1 and 2) and demonstrate a strong performance in the core modules (i.e. an average of not less than 60% across the core modules) and achieve a mark of at least 65% for the dissertation; will then be eligible to proceed to the four-year PhD programme (all calculated averages are weighted according to the module CAT weighting). The structure and progression rules will provide the Department, as well as the students themselves, with a greater degree of evidence of candidates’ suitability to progress on to a doctoral programme.

Finance Group, Room 2.106 Warwick Business School Gibbet Hill Road University of Warwick Coventry, CV4 7AL United Kingdom

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PhDs and research degrees

The University of Exeter Business School aims to train world-class researchers who will shape our understanding of and responses to the most important societal challenges.

We offer MPhil and PhD programmes with expert academics in 5 core areas of business and economics (see PhD programmes below). We have a very generous funding scheme to support the most outstanding students (see funding opportunities). We also welcome applications from current doctoral students who are interested in visiting the School (see visiting student programmes below).

MRes and PhD programmes

MRres and PhD funding

Visiting student programmes

Find a supervisor

Related programmes

Students may apply for direct entry to one of the University of Exeter Business School’s PhD programmes. 

However, we strongly encourage all applicants to consider applying for the Masters in Research. These programmes provide a rigorous foundation in the skills that are required to conduct high quality research. Students who successfully complete the MRes are expected to progress to the PhD.

The MRes programmes

The two-year MRes in economics or finance is suitable for students who intend to pursue a PhD in an area requiring a strong grounding in econometrics (e.g., economics or finance).

The one-year MRes in management is suitable for students who intend to pursue a PhD in an area requiring diverse methodologies and a solid grounding in theory (e.g., management, entrepreneurship, accounting).

The PhD programmes

We offer MPhil and PhD programmes with expert academics in 5 core areas of business and economics. Our students get demanding graduate level training, participate in research seminars and international conferences and conduct innovative research.

University of Exeter Business School funding

We run two funding schemes that provide fully funded MRes to PhD scholarships and annual bursaries for Black British research students and, for truly exceptional applicants, Dean’s Scholarships.

Successful applicants will receive funding to complete one of the University of Exeter Business School’s Research Masters ( MRes ), which provide a rigorous foundation in the skills that are required to conduct high quality research. Students who meet the PhD entry criteria on completion of the  MRes  will then receive funding for full-time study in one of the University of Exeter Business School’s PhD programmes. 

To find out more about these schemes and to apply, please click on the links below.

Additional funding opportunities

The University offers a wide range of scholarships and bursaries and you can find out more on the  funding pages of the University’s website.

The University of Exeter Business School is committed to its active and vibrant research community and to supporting outstanding researchers. We welcome visiting doctoral students from many countries and institutions including in recent months from China, Japan and Sweden.

If you are a currently registered doctoral researcher interested in spending a period of time the University of Exeter Business School as a visiting doctoral researcher, some guidance and information is available to you below:

What would be available to you

• Use of a desk in our postgraduate research student centre
• Use of a desktop computer in our postgraduate research student centre
• Use of the University library and IT access
• Participation in doctoral training seminars and events within the Business School
• Invitations to departmental and Business School wide research events and social activities

What would the cost be

A bench fee of £1000 is chargeable for a 12 month period. The fee is calculated on a monthly basis based on the actual length of the stay.

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A Gen Xer who got $250,000 in student loans forgiven said he can now finally start saving for retirement — and consider his dream of studying in India

• Joel Lambdin, 49, received $250,000 in student-loan forgiveness in January.
• It's a result of the Education Department's one-time account adjustments.
• Lambdin said the relief would allow him to save for retirement and consider long-term dreams.

Joel Lambdin finished graduate school in 1998 — but as a professional musician, he was hardly making enough money to pay off his student loans and other bills.

So Lambdin, now 49, said his only option to make ends meet was to put his student loans in forbearance — in which he was not making payments but interest was still accumulating .

"It was just so that I could subsist, so that I could survive," Lambdin told Business Insider. "With the hope that at some point, I would be making enough money that I would be able to take them out of forbearance and start paying them down."

But he grew to realize that the only way he could make a significant dent in his student loans was by switching careers. He didn't want to do that because he loved working in music, so he decided to keep his larger student loan in forbearance and begin paying off his smaller loan with a lower monthly payment.

He continued making those payments until the pandemic pause on student-loan payments , at which point he and his wife started making a plan of action to tackle the larger debt once the pause ended. That led them to discover the Education Department's initiative allowing some borrowers a one-time account adjustment . It lets the department evaluate borrowers' accounts and update payment progress toward forgiveness on income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, including any payments made during a forbearance period.

That account adjustment led to a letter Lambdin received on January 31, reviewed by BI, from his student-loan servicer Aidvantage. It said: "Congratulations! The Biden-Harris Administration has forgiven your federal student loan(s) listed below with Aidvantage in full."

For Lambdin, that letter meant his $249,255 outstanding student-loan balance was effectively wiped out.

"It had started to feel like my fate was being decided for me by the cold hand of finance," Lambdin said, "and that was a weight that I didn't realize was there until it wasn't there."

He added: "The feeling was much more like putting down a backpack that was really full of books that you got used to. And then you put it down, and you're like, 'Oh, man, that feels so much better.' It's more like that, rather than sort of a jump-for-joy kind of situation."

While Lambdin is still working to determine what exactly the relief will mean for him and his wife, he said, discussing retirement is "a much more present conversation now" because contributing to savings is viable after the relief. He can also begin to look into buying a home.

Related stories

The Education Department continues to cancel student debt through its one-time account adjustments, a process it plans to complete this summer. Most recently, the department wiped out $7.4 billion in student debt for 277,000 borrowers , some of whom benefited from the adjustments.

Beyond financial goals, Lambdin said the relief was also allowing him the freedom to pursue some of his long-term dreams, including taking a sabbatical to study with his meditation teacher in India.

"It's something that I wouldn't have been able to even consider doing if we had to pay off student loans, but without them, it's something that I can really seriously consider doing," he said. "And so those are the kinds of things that I think get really lost in the monetary side of the conversation about debt relief."

'I've been really lucky'

While Lambdin said he felt as though he earned the relief given his decades of payments, he recognized that it's not that easy for many other borrowers.

For example, as BI has previously reported , some borrowers who might qualify for relief through different repayment programs may not have gotten it yet because of paperwork backlogs and administrative errors. On top of that, funding for federal student-loan servicers is strained — meaning many borrowers face hourslong hold times and cannot get clear answers from customer service regarding their payment progress.

"There are some real horror stories out there, and I've been really lucky in that I haven't experienced the kinds of shenanigans that other people have experienced," Lambdin said. "So I actually feel very lucky that things have transpired the way they have."

Some of those horror stories include inaccurate payment projections and delayed billing statements . When it comes to student-loan forgiveness, some borrowers told BI that their servicer made a mistake with the forgiveness , reinstating their payments months later.

The Education Department has said it's aware of the challenges borrowers face and has established an accountability framework to punish servicers when they fail to fulfill their contractual obligations.

The department is also in the process of crafting its new plan for student-loan forgiveness — it recently released the draft text of the rules , which included relief for borrowers with unpaid interest and those who have been in repayment for at least 20 years.

As for Lambdin, he's still figuring out how to approach life without student debt hanging over his head. But now he can consider various options, and he can thank the loan forgiveness for that freedom.

"There's a certain amount of waiting for the other shoe to drop because it's not that I don't trust that it's happening but just that the debt has been with me for so long, and then it's not there," Lambdin said. "And it's something that I think really takes some getting used to."

Watch: Biden announces who can have $10,000 erased in student loans

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The Centre for Financial Technology (FinTech) Studies

Established in autumn 2022, the Centre for Financial Technology (FinTech) Studies is a knowledge and research hub for digital advancements in finance, including cryptocurrency, blockchain and artificial intelligence, and offers a broad range of specialist courses and research areas for students and academics, spanning topics such as green finance, non-fungible token (NFT) analysis, and open finance.

The Centre, while builds on extensive financial technology expertise across Alliance Manchester Business School, also acts as a knowledge-sharing platform, bringing together FinTech firms and financial services institutions from across Manchester and the UK via regular conferences and seminars. It also collaborates with industry partners to provide theoretical insights and practical solutions to help organisations.

The rate at which digital innovation is shaping the financial services sector has accelerated dramatically since the Covid-19 pandemic, and the new Centre leads on pioneering research which helps businesses to keep up with these ongoing developments and which makes a real-world impact. By bringing leading researchers closer together we also accelerate research into these new areas.

FinTech news

AMBS launches new Centre for Financial Technology (FinTech) Studies

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Alliance Manchester Business School has launched a new specialist centre to accelerate research into financial technology. >>

FinTech giant partners with Alliance MBS to boost UK’s FinTech ecosystem

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) to become Innovate Finance’s first strategic academic partner >>

North West region has "huge part to play" in UK's fintech strategy

Friday, February 26, 2021

An independent review, led by British Entrepreneur Ron Kalifa OBE, that sets out a strategy to put the UK at the top of the global fintech league table has profiled Alliance Manchester Business School’s (AMBS) “dual mission” to support the growing fintech revolution. >>

Markos Zachariadis appointed to Global Future Councils

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Markos Zachariadis has been invited to join the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Responsive Financial Systems for a second year. >>

Manchester: A clear choice for fintech-focused MBAs

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Manchester is set to become a clear choice for fintech-focused MBAs following investment into fintech research, teaching and learning >>

View FinTech news

FinTech at The University of Manchester

The University has been growing its activity in FinTech over the past two years and is looking to scale-up significantly. Since 2017, the University has:

- Established a partnership with FinTech north - Created an internal multidisciplinary academic network - Hosted two “innovation lab” events to develop collaborative projects with industry partners - Attended various regional, national and international conferences to gain insight into developments in the sector and identify potential new partnerships for collaboration - Built relationships with the local business ‘eco-system’ and with international businesses with interests in the field to align interests and develop new opportunities for R&D collaborations. - Hosted the Manchester event of the FinTech north conference series (the city’s only major FinTech conference)

FinTech in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is one of Europe’s leading digital and technology clusters. It is home to more FinTech start-ups and scale-ups than any other UK region outside London. [Source of all stats : Greater Manchester FinTech Ecosystem Report 2020 ]

The fastest growing tech city in Europe in 2019

More ecommerce unicorns than any city in Europe

Highest percentage of B2C FinTech companies in the UK (outside London)

"At Alliance Manchester Business School, we’re on a dual mission. We are developing cutting-edge research to support the FinTech revolution. We are also dedicated to educating the next generation of analysts, managers, stakeholders, regulators, investors, and entrepreneurs." Professor Markos Zachariadis Professor of Financial Technology (FinTech) & Information Systems

A world-class environment

Our brand-new building gives us facilities to match our international reputation, including a large-scale Data Visualisation Observatory .

The University Green

Eddie Davies library and The Hive

Data Visualisation Observatory at Alliance Manchester Business School

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School of Business

A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management

UCR Showcases Expertise at 2024 Global Case Competition

Five UCR teams from the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM) recently participated in 2024 Global Case Competition sponsored by USC Marshall School of Business and UBS.

Ten schools worldwide were invited to participate, and a UCR team, Trinity, was selected to advance to the final round. Team members were MBA students Sonal Agrawal ’24, Trang Bui ’24, Karen Ngo ’24, and Jiabei Hu ’22, and Agrawal explains the business issue they tackled: “UBS seeks to develop a strategic initiative to engage young adults, ages 21 to 35, who are connected to their current high- and ultra-high-net-worth clients by leveraging its leadership in sustainable investing.”

The goal, adds Agrawal, “is to build lasting relationships between these rising generations and their family’s financial advisor teams, focusing on wealth growth and sustainable investment education.”

This involves targeted marketing, educational programs, networking opportunities emphasizing financial literacy, sustainability, and generational wealth strategies, she says.

“We brainstormed and refined innovative strategies focusing on engaging young adults with UBS’s financial advisors through personalized investments, financial literacy programs, and networking initiatives,” says Agrawal of Trinity’s preparation for the final competition. “Our approach was data driven and involved consultations with UBS employees to ensure a practical proposal.”

Team members’ preparation included an orientation session, in-depth industry research on the wealth-management industry, sustainable investing, collaboration with professors, and funding secured from AGSM staff for logistics.

“In the competition, we dove into sustainable finance, addressing gaps in wealth management and digital adaptation. We applied a $200,000 budget from UBS for practical solutions,” says Agrawal of the foursome’s strategy. “We gained insights into portfolio management, personal investing, financial advisor roles, and the Gen Z mindset.

“This experience enriched our understanding of finance, blending theory with real-world application, and equipped us with valuable skills for our future careers.”

Agrawal, who plans a career in the tech industry with a senior product manager position, encourages fellow graduate students to participate in similar case competitions for “invaluable exposure to real-world business challenges, direct mentorship from industry leaders, and the chance to network with peers from top global universities. It’s a must for ambitious MBA students.”

She also gives a shoutout to her Trinity team members: “Teamwork is really important in such competitions.” Their participation was enhanced, she says, by “the diversity, collaboration, and respect within our team, highlighting the value of our collective effort and learning journey.”

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Header image (from left to right): Trang Bui ’24, Sonal Agrawal ’24,  Karen Ngo ’24, and Jiabei Hu ’22

Two Florida business schools now ranked among top 70 nationwide, U.S. News says

Florida’s two top business schools now rank among the 70 best in the United States, according to a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

Joining UF in the top 70 was the University of Miami, which surged 13 points to a four-way tie for 62nd.

One other Florida business school made it into the top 100: the University of South Florida (in a tie for 87 th with the University of Denver).

U.S. News based its rankings on the employment rates and starting salaries of recent graduates, student test scores and assessments of the schools by recruiters and academic administrators.

The top business school overall? A tie between Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania. Find the full rankings here .

Here are the three Florida business schools ranked in the top 100

36. University of Florida (up 4)

62. tie, University of Miami (up 13)

87. tie, University of South Florida (down 14)

Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] .