Maria Gerhardt joined CEPS in July 2008 and is a Research Assistant at the European Credit Research Institute. She holds a Master in Economics, with specialization in Infonomics from the University of Maastricht, Netherlands, and a Research Master in International Relations and History from the University of La Rochelle, France. During her studies, she spent a total of 14 months in Buenos Aires, Argentina, studying at the University of Buenos Aires and gaining work experience in microfinance. Before joining ECRI, she worked for one year at BNP Paribas Securities Services, Paris, in the department of global custody, international settlement. Her research interests include credit markets, microfinance, trust in institutions, retail banking and clearing and settlement.