About Sascha Steffen

Sascha Steffen is the DWS Senior Chair in Finance and Professor of Finance at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, and the Director of the Centre for European Transformation (CfET) — a research platform focused on private credit, nonbank finance, and their role in Europe’s financial system.

Sascha is recognized for his work on the structure and dynamics of private credit and nonbank lending, how these intermediation channels interact with traditional banks, and what this means for financial stability and regulatory policy in Europe. His research combines rigorous empirical methods with deep institutional insight to produce evidence that shapes academic debate, informs regulatory frameworks, and guides senior decision-makers in finance.

His work emphasizes the measurement and interpretation of opaque financial markets, including the use of AI-enabled measurement of opaque financial markets to enhance understanding of credit provision beyond traditional banking. This approach helps bridge gaps between data, research, and real-world decisions in private capital markets.

Sascha’s research agenda is rooted in real-world questions and designed to clarify how private capital — and particularly private credit — mobilizes capital, redistributes risk, and interacts with banks under stress and regulatory scrutiny. He regularly collaborates with regulators, policymakers, and industry leaders to ensure that academic insights translate into practical frameworks and actionable understanding.

He has published in leading academic journals including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, and Review of Financial Studies, and serves on editorial and policy panels relevant to financial intermediation and stability. Prior to his current role, he held academic appointments at the University of Mannheim and the European School of Management & Technology (ESMT) and has contributed to research initiatives involving central banks, the European Commission, and other international institutions.