Dr. Maria Casoria is an experienced academic, a university administrator, and an independent legal and business consultant with extensive work experience across three continents. Before joining Euro University of Bahrain, she served as the Executive Director for Overseas Operations in the Office of the Provost and a Visiting Professor of Law at West Virginia University (WVU) in the USA. While at WVU, she worked extensively with universities, embassies, and public organisations from different countries in the Middle East and Asia to establish academic, research and student-related partnerships. Previous academic appointments include faculty positions and academic collaborations in Bahrain and the UAE, with a focus on Commercial Law and Alternative Dispute, and in Italy, where she specialised in Competition Law and Comparative Private Law.

Dr Casoria earned a Bachelor of Law and International Organisations, a Master of Laws, and a Ph.D. in Markets Law, all from the University of Siena, Italy.

She is an Italian-licensed Attorney and a Mediator in Civil and Commercial Disputes. She has been a fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2017, an Associate at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators since 2019, and a member of the American Bar Association since 2016.

In addition to her academic experience, Dr Casoria has been a General Counsel and legal advisor in Bahrain, where she also founded a consultancy firm, a legal counsel in Italy and worked at the Italian Competition Authority.

Dr Casoria’s scholarship focuses on Competition Law, particularly in digital markets and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Commercial law, and alternative dispute resolution. She is an expert in Open Banking and competition, and is interested in law and technology, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. Notably, she has been a Global Stiefel Fellow in Antitrust and IP Rights at the New York Law School – Institute for Information Law, New York, USA.

Dr Casoria has been a speaker at various international conferences, a co-organiser of research symposia and conferences, and a member of a working group for the establishment of a research centre on gender issues and women’s empowerment in the Middle East. Currently, she is a contributing author to LexisNexis Middle East.

• A Comparative Approach to Open Banking and Competition, in Quaderni di Ricerca Giuridica della Banca d’Italia No. 93, 2022, pp. 145 -168. https://usiena-air.unisi.it/retrieve/30dcdabb-f5a1-4684-af42-3b1f82f5cbed/Final%20remarks.pdf
• Conference Proceedings of 1st Annual Research Symposium on International Commercial Arbitration (ed.), Royal University for Women, 2020, available at https://unov.tind.io/record/70130?ln=zh_CN.
• Cybersecurity as Enterprise Risk Within and Beyond the Bahraini Legal Framework, in Conference Proceedings of the ‘Sustainability and Resilience Conference’ organized by University of Bahrain and Northumbria University, UK, on 15-16 October 2018. https://kneopen.com/kne-engineering/article/view/3071/
• Women’s Role in International Commercial Arbitration Between Education and Legal Profession, in Conference Proceedings of the 2nd RUW Conference on Women and Society in collaboration with Gulf Education ‘Empowering Women through Higher Education,’ 18-19 April 2018, pp. 44-56 (with A. Saleh). https://www.ruw.edu.bh/conference/doc/RUW%20Conference%20Proceedings%202018.pdf

• Distribution Agreements as Monopolisation: Insights from the United States versus Google Case, in Mercato, concorrenza, regole, 2025, No. 1, pp. 159-186. https://ideas.repec.org/a/mul/jhpfyn/doi10.1434-118213y2025i1p159-186.html
• Practice Note Questions and Answers on Companies 2024 – Bahrain, in LexisNexis Middle East GCC – Middle East Corporate Counsel Advisor, August 2024. https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/pg/gcc/Bahrain_Companies_2024/en
• Practice Note on Bahrain Arbitration Law – Updates 2024, in LexisNexis Middle East – Gulf Legal Advisor series, August 2024. https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/legislativeInsight/Bahrain/Bahrain_Arbitration_Law/en
• Practice Note on What is Institutional Arbitration, in LexisNexis Middle East – Gulf Legal Advisor series, February 2024. https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/pn/Bahrain/What_is_Institutional_Arbitration___English_Arabic_/en
• Practice Note on What is International Arbitration, in LexisNexis Middle East – Gulf Legal Advisor series, September 2023. https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/pn/Bahrain/What_is_International_Arbitration_/en
• Practice Note on E-Commerce (Including Distance Selling and Online Contracts) in Bahrain – Updates 2023, in LexisNexis Middle East – Gulf Legal Advisor series, July 2023. https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/pn/Bahrain/E-Commerce__incl._Distance_Selling_and_Online_Contracts_/en
• Practice Note on Consumer Protection in Bahrain, in LexisNexis Middle East – Gulf Legal Advisor series, February 2023. https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/pn/Bahrain/Consumer_Protection/en
• Selective Distribution Online in the Aftermath of the Coty Germany Case, in Opinio Juris in Comparatione, Pacini Giuridica Press, Vol. 1/2020, pp. 31-43. https://www.opiniojurisincomparatione.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/32-45-PB.pdf
• Practice Note on Local Arbitration Laws and Institutions in Bahrain, in LexisNexis Middle East – Gulf Legal Advisor series, June 2023. https://www.lexismiddleeast.com/pn/Bahrain/Local_Arbitration_Laws_and_Institutions/en
• La Corte di Giustizia e il (re)wind della distribuzione selettiva alla conquista della rete, in Mercato, concorrenza, regole, 2018, No. 2, pp. 75-88 (with R. Pardolesi). https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1434/90245
• Competition Law in the GCC Countries: The Tale of a Blurry Enforcement, in Chinese Business Review, Vol. 16, No. 3, 2017, pp. 141-149. https://www.davidpublisher.com/index.php/Home/Article/index?id=31300.html
• In Europe’s Shadow: Obstacles to Monetary Union and Common Payment Systems in the Gulf Cooperation Council, in IANUS – International Journal of Law and Finance, No. 13 bis – Special Issue 2016, Jean Monnet Project, pp. 7-22. https://www.rivistaianus.it/quaderni/quaderni_2016/01_Casoria_5-18.pdf
• La regolamentazione concorrenziale nei Paesi Arabi del Golfo. Cronache di un enforcement abbozzato, in Mercato, concorrenza, regole, 2016, No. 2, pp. 401-411. https://www.medra.org/servlet/view?LANG=eng&doi=10.1434/84397
• Private enforcement: il cuore (del giudice) oltre l’ostacolo?, in Mercato, concorrenza,regole, 2015, No. 2, pp. 337-344. https://ideas.repec.org/a/mul/jhpfyn/doi10.1434-81138y2015i2p337-344.html
• L’imputabilità infragruppo delle violazioni antitrust. (Ir)responsabilità e presunzioni, in Mercato, concorrenza, regole, 2014, No. 2, pp. 365-382. https://rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1434/78087
• Osservazioni in tema di sequestro penale di conto corrente, obblighi informativi e (ir-)responsabilità della banca nei confronti del correntista (dis-)informato, in Banca, borsa, titoli di credito, 2013, II, pp. 302-304. https://www.csjn.gov.ar/pubextrs/verIndice?tm=PP&nm=41&fascic=2013-LXVI-03#:~:text=M%20aria%20C%20asoria%2C%20Osservazioni%20in%20tema,(ir%2D)responsabilità%20della%20banca%2C%20nei%20confronti%20del%20corren.
• Danni al litorale e conseguenze risarcitorie: valutazione e metodi di quantificazione del danno ambientale, in IANUS – International Journal of Law and Finance, 2010, pp. 2-20. https://www.rivistaianus.it/numero_02-03/05_Maria_Casoria.pdf

Selected Conference Presentations

• Moderator on “Bahrain at the Helm of Banking, Finance and Wealth Management”, Bahrain Business Law Forum 2025, Kingdom of Bahrain, 16 October 2025.
• The Evolution of Open Banking in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, 15^th Gulf Research Meeting, Cambridge, UK, 22-24 July 2025.
• The U.S. Google Search Case, Online guest lecture to MBA students at the Luiss Guido Carli, Business School, Rome, Italy, 13 May 2025.
• Open Banking and Competition: An Overview with a Look Ahead to the Third Payment Services Directive (PSD3), Online guest lecture to Law students and PhD candidates at the University of Siena, Department of Law, Italy, 9 May 2025.
• Moderator and speaker on the topic “Distribution Agreements as Monopolisation: Insights from the United States versus Google case”, World Litigation Forum hosted in Bahrain, 28-29 April 2025.
• Moderator on Digitalisation and Data Protection – The in-House Lawyer’s Guide to Digital Transformation, Bahrain Business Law Forum 2024, Kingdom of Bahrain, 18 September 2024.
• Open Banking and Competition: An Overview, Mercati, contratti e pagamenti al tempo dell’open banking – PRIN Project 2022 KYTERZ Private law aspects of open banking led by the University of Siena, the University of Palermo, and the University of Bari, Italy. Conference held at the University of Siena, Department of Law, 10 May 2024.
• Untangling the Knots of Open Banking and Competition: BigTechs, Financial Intermediation, and Beyond, Final Conference of the Jean Monnet Activities 2020 – Project title: ‘European Legal Strategies for Payment Systems in the Open Banking Age’ organised by the University of Siena, Siena, Italy, 12-15 October 2022.
• A Comparative Approach to Open Banking and Competition, Conference on The Global Rise of Open Banking: New Challenges Competition, organised by the Bank of Italy and the University of Siena, Rome, Italy, 17 June 2022.
• The Relationship Between Open Banking and Competition Law: A Novel European Saga, 16^th Annual Conference of the Academic Society for Competition Law (ASCOLA) on Competition and Innovation in Digital Markets, Católica University, Porto, Portugal, 1-3 July 2021.
• Moderator at the Conference on Contracts and Payments in the Digital Era organised by the University of Lodz and the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland, 27-28 May 2021.
• Guest speaker at the Arbitrator Roundtable of the 11^th Middle East Vis Pre-Moot Competition, Bahrain, 21 February 2021.
• The Relationship Between Open Banking and Competition Law, Kick-Off Meeting of the Jean Monnet Activities 2020 – Project title: ‘European Legal Strategies for Payment Systems in the Open Banking Age’, organised by the University of Siena, Italy, 22-23 January 2021.
• Beyond Tradition: Rethinking the Concept of Abuse of Dominance through the Lens of Personal Data Protection, Final Conference of the Jean Monnet Activities 2018 – Project title: ‘Boosting European Security Law and Policy: Focus on Flows of Migrants, Data Security and Movement of Capitals – BeSEC’, organised by the University of Siena, Italy, 18-20 June 2020.
• Selective Distribution Online in the Aftermath of the Coty Germany Case, 15^th Asian Competition Forum Annual Conference – Europe-Asia: Trade, Investments and Antitrust: Challenges and Opportunities, University of Valencia, Faculty of Law, Spain, 20-21 January 2020.
• Guest lecture on EU Legal Basis, Single Market, and Competition Law, RUW College of Business and Financial Sciences, Bahrain, 30 October 2019.
• Moderator and organiser of the 1st Annual Research Symposium on International Commercial Arbitration, RUW College of Law, Bahrain, 7 March 2019.
• The Evolution of Personal Data Protection Law in the EU and in a Comparative Perspective, Kick-Off Meeting of the Jean Monnet Activities 2018 – Project title: ‘Boosting European Security Law and Policy: Focus on Flows of Migrants, Data Security and Movement of Capitals – BeSEC’, held at the University of Siena, Italy, 19-20 October 2018.
• Cybersecurity as Enterprise Risk Within and Beyond the Bahraini Legal Framework, Sustainability and Resilience Conference organised by the University of Bahrain and Northumbria University, UK and held in Bahrain, 15-16 October 2018.
• Women’s Role in International Commercial Arbitration between Education and Legal Profession, 2^nd RUW Conference on Women and Society in collaboration with Gulf Education – Empowering Women through Higher Education, Bahrain, 18-19 April 2018.

External Research Funding

• 2020-2022 – European Union Research Grant Jean Monnet Activities: Researcher within the research group led by the University of Siena, Department of Law, Italy, in the project: ‘European Legal Strategies for Payment Systems in the Open Banking Age’.
• 2018-2020 – European Union Research Grant Jean Monnet Activities: Key Staff Member of the research group led by the University of Siena, Department of Law, Italy, in the project: ‘Boosting European Security Law and Policy: Focus on Flows of Migrants, Data Security and Movement of Capitals’.