Banking, finance & investment management online courses
You would like to develop your employees’ banking and financial knowledge in order to reach a common level? You would like to expose your team colleagues to the latest developments in sustainable banking, fintech or crypto? You would like to familiarise your employees with developments in the areas of family office, international wealth planning and holistic investment solutions?
Fintelligence offers one of the most comprehensive online learning & assessment platforms – specifically tailored to the needs of employees of banks and financial service providers. Our content is constantly updated and expanded. More than 120 modules are available to you.
We also offer comprehensive test pools to check learning progress or the level of knowledge. We also offer you face-to-face courses on the various topics. Our faculty members have many years of practical experience and the relevant didactic skills.
Also see:
Financial Products & Investment Management
Fixed income investments (9)
- Function of the interest rate and essential characteristics of interest rates
- Submarkets for fixed income investments
- Basic features of a bond
- How bonds are issued in the primary market
- Trading of bonds in the secondary market
- Relationship between yields and bond prices
- Calculation of bond yields
- Time value of money and compound interest
- Conventional bond pricing
- Term structure of interest rates
- Interest rate risk and duration
- Difference between capital and money markets
- Essential features of money markets
- Money market instruments
- Use and suitability of money market instruments in client portfolios
- Bond issuers (corporate, sovereign, supranational, emerging markets)
- Bond types (vanilla bonds, convertible bonds, bonds with warrants, floating rate notes, medium term notes)
- Valuation of convertible bonds
- Secured vs. unsecured bonds
- Seniority of creditors
- Fixed vs. floating charge
- Subordinated bonds
- Contingent convertible (co-co) bonds
- Securitisation – asset backed securities and mortgage backed securities
- Foreign bonds, Eurobonds and dual-currency bonds
- Callable bonds
- Green bonds
- Issuance of bonds
- Direct vs. intermediated issues
- Private placement
- Offers for subscription
- Issuance by auction
- Bond issuance process (mandate, forming syndicate, underwriting, allocation, listing)
- Selecting appropriate strategy based on client suitability
- Client ability and willingness to take risk
- Bond strategies by risk, liquidity and expected return
- Tax aspects
- Components of fixed income returns – income and capital gains
- Accrued interest
- Bond strategies in low interest environments
- Conventional bond valuation
- Arbitrage-free valuation, using spot rates
- Clean price, dirty (full) price and accrued interest
- Daycount conventions for calculation of accrued interest
- Case study: Confirming the price of a corporate bond from Refinitiv / Bloomberg screen
- Motivation for securitisation
- Classification of instruments by type of securitised asset (RMBS, CMBS, ABS)
- Mechanics of securitisation
- Tranche structures (by payment priority, by prepayment / extension risk, by interest structure)
- Case studies of recent issues
Equities (5)
- What is a share?
- Rights of shareholders
- Definition and key principles of corporate governance
- Types of shares (ordinary, preference, convertible preference)
- Issuance of shares
- Rights issues
- Share splits and reverse splits
- Share buybacks
- Primary vs. secondary markets for shares
- Methods of issuing shares
- IPO process
- Listing and secondary market trading of shares
- Order types
- Off-exchange trading
- Equity indices (major indices, weighing methods, total return vs. price indices)
- Principles of company valuation
- Asset-based valuation (role of goodwill in company valuation)
- Cash-flow based valuation (dividend discount models, DCF models)
- The average value (combined) method
- Comparison of fundamental, technical and behavioral analysis
- Top-down fundamental analysis (macroeconomic analysis, industry analysis, company analysis)
- The concept of intrinsic value
- Dividend discount models vs. relative valuation (multiplier) approaches
- Key ratios in equity analysis (PE, PEG, Shiller PE ratio, cash-flow based ratios, EV / EBITDA)
- Principles of technical analysis
- Principles of behavioral analysis
- Role of equity investments in portfolios
- Suitability of equities based on client profile
- Equities and currency risk
- Trading frequency and role of transaction costs and taxes
- Diversification
- Active and passive equity strategies
- Economic cycle
- Cyclical vs. defensive shares
Portfolio Management (7)
- Calculation of returns (simple yield, time-weighted rate of return, capital-weighted rate of return, annualisation of returns)
- Definition and calculation of risk (volatility, normal distribution, skewness and kurtosis)
- Systematic vs. specific risk
- Role of diversification in reducing risk
- Correlation and its effect on diversification
- The efficient frontier and the capital market line
- Introduction to the capital asset pricing model and beta as a measure of risk
- Risk-adjusted performance measures (Jensen’s alpha, Sharpe ratio, Treynor ratio)
- The investment process (planning, execution and feedback)
- The importance of asset allocation in portfolio risk and returns
- Strategic vs. tactical asset allocation
- Optimal allocation based on client profile
- Benchmarking
- Tactical asset allocation
- Active vs. passive portfolio management
- Market efficiency and active strategies
- Top-down vs. bottom-up strategies
- Execution of asset allocation decisions
- Performance measurement (tracking error, information ratio)
- GIPS
- Typical portfolio strategies (capital protection, capital growth, balanced, income, long-term growth)
- The core-satellite approach
- Case studies (selecting most appropriate strategy based on client profile)
- Obtaining data and verifying reliability
- Selecting calculation methodology based on use and external cash flows (TWRR, MWRR, Linked-IRR)
- Selecting appropriate benchmarks
- Adjusting returns for risk – risk adjusted performance measurement
- Evaluation of benchmark appropriateness
- Selecting appropriate attribution methodology (micro attribution, macro attribution, fixed income attribution, multiperiod return attribution)
- Understanding impact of investment decisions on performance (market timing, allocation, security selection)
- Factors affecting liabilities
- Calculating PV of fixed and inflation-sensitive liabilities
- Matching liabilities using securities and derivatives
- Implementation
Macroeconomic aspects (5)
- The importance of the macroeconomic environment on investment risk and returns
- The circular flow of the economy
- Measuring macroeconomic output
- Loss of purchasing power; measuring inflation
- Nominal vs. real prices and interest rates
- Analysing savings and investments
- Functions of money
- Measuring the money supply
- Determinants of supply and demand for money
- Monetary policy and the role of the central bank
- Understanding mechanisms of monetary policy
- Central banks’ approach to monetary policy
- Implication of inflation and deflation on economic growth
- Measures of economic growth
- Definition and tools of fiscal policy
- Supply- and demand-driven fiscal policy
- Government finances and national debt
- Case study: The Maastricht Treaty and indebtedness of EU member countries
- Definition and components of balance of payments
- The current account
- Interaction of current account and national savings and investments
- Fiscal vs. current account deficits
- How to manage current account deficits
- Exchange rate regimes (flexible, controlled float, pegging, monetary union)
- Determinants of exchange rates
- Real vs. nominal exchange rates
- Impact of exchange rates on the wider economy
Derivatives (11)
- What are derivatives?
- Key types of derivatives explained (forwards, futures, swaps and options)
- Where and how can derivatives be traded
- Uses of derivatives in portfolio management
- Assessing suitability of derivatives for clients
- Understanding option types (call vs. put options, long and short positions)
- Option expiry types (American vs. European)
- How to decide if / when to exercise option
- Option position payoff profiles
- Calculating profits / losses of option positions
- Components of option premiums (intrinsic value, time value)
- Determinants of option values (price of the underlying, income, time to expiry, interest rates, volatility)
- Which factors are most important for call and put options
- Sensitivity of option values to changes in factors
- Intrinsic (fair) vs. theoretical (time) value of options
- Valuation of options using the Black-Scholes formula
- Valuation of options using Excel and other options calculators
- Put-call parity
- What are option indicators?
- Static vs. dynamic indicators
- Importance of static indicators (premium, leverage, break-even)
- Importance of dynamic indicators (Delta, Gamma, Vega, Theta, Rho, Omega)
- Matching market opinions to derivative strategies
- Four basic option strategies
- Hedging and speculating with options
- Directional and volatility bets
- Yield enhancement strategies
- Four key uses of options (speculation, hedging, return enhancement, arbitrage)
- Option spreads and combinations (bull and bear spreads, straddles and strangles)
- Use of options in client portfolios
- Digital options; their definitions and risk-return profiles (binary options, all-or-nothing options)
- Path dependent options; their definitions and risk-return profiles (barrier options, Asian options)
- Rainbow options; their definitions and risk-return profiles (outperformance options, best-of options, worst-of options)
- Definition of swaps
- Swap terminology
- Trading of swaps (role of central counterparties, Standardisation of contracts)
- Types of swaps (interest rate swaps, commodity swaps, currency swaps, credit default swaps)
- Principles of pricing and valuation of swaps
- Using swaps to hedge interest rate exposures
- Using swaps to speculate
- Using swaps to change asset allocation
- Creating synthetic portfolios using swaps
- Definition of volatility
- Historic vs. implied vs. realised volatility
- Sensitivity of options to volatility
- Volatility-related instruments
- Is volatility a comprehensive measure of risk?
Investment funds (4)
- Different types of investment funds (collective investment schemes) in Switzerland, EU and the UK
- Open vs. closed investment schemes
- How to pick the most appropriate fund structure for your clients
- Fund strategies – active vs. passive
- Equity fund types and strategies
- Fixed income fund types and strategies
- Money market funds
- Sustainability funds
- Exchange traded funds (ETFs)
- Multi-asset fund types and strategies
- Absolute- and relative-return funds
- Real estate and commodity funds
- Definition and calculation of the Net Asset Value (NAV)
- Evaluation of fund fee structures (Calculating the Total Expense Ratio (TER))
- Direct and indirect costs of investing in funds
- Primary and secondary markets for units in funds
- Fund ratings and rankings explained
- Overview of taxation of fund investments (Switzerland, EU and UK)
- Withholding tax
- Taxation of capital gains vs. income
- The role of funds’ and investor’s location
Loans and mortgages (4)
- Economic function of banking systems
- Financial intermediation
- Characteristics of loans
- Covered vs. uncovered loans
- Credit risk management
- Types of consumer loans
- Overdraft facilities
- Leasing of consumer goods
- Bank loans
- Repayment of loans
- Lombard loans
- Significance of land register
- Real estate eligible for registration
- Easements and encumbrances
- Types of land ownership
- Key elements of real estate financing
- Valuation of real estate
- Property features and locations features
- Mortgage lending rules
- Types of mortgages
Business and company loans (8)
- Main characteristics of different legal company structures
- Sole proprietorships
- Partnerships
- Limited liability companies
- Stock companies
- Functions of the commercial register
- Market and sector positioning
- SWOT analysis
- Five Forces
- Product life cycle
- BCG matrix
- Business plan
- Structure of annual financial statements
- Balance sheet, income statement and cash-flow statement
- Importance of financial ratio analysis
- Capital and asset structure
- Liquidity analysis
- Key indicators for financial strength and profitability
- Threshold analysis for financial indicators
- Financial and liquidity planning
- Creditworthiness and ratings
- Intrinsic value
- Valuation principles and their limitations
- Earnings value
- Average value
- Discounted cash flow
- Economic profit
- Operating credit
- Overdraft facility
- Factoring
- Investment credit
- Financing vs. operating leasing
- Lombard loans
- Contingent credit
- Characteristics of guarantees
- Letter of credit
- Documentary collection
- Covenants
- Financing options when starting a business
- Succession financing
- Types of corporate takeovers
- Special features and risks of restructuring loans
Structured products (6)
- What are structured products
- Recent developments and innovation
- Classifying structured products based on risk-return profile
- Role of structured products in client portfolios
- Categories of structured products (capital protection; yield enhancement; participation; leveraged)
- Mechanics of structured products
- Assessing risk-return profile of structured products
- Assessing client suitability of structured products
- What are capital protection products
- Subcategories of capital protection products
- Essential design features and function
- Risk-return profiles
- What are yield optimisation products
- Subcategories of yield optimisation products
- Essential design features and function
- Risk-return profiles
- What are participation products
- Subcategories of participation products
- Essential design features and function
- Risk-return profiles
- What are leverage products
- Subcategories of leverage products
- Essential design features and function
- Risk-return profiles
Alternative Investments (7)
- Foreign exchange markets and players
- Currency quotations
- Cross rates and arbitrage
- Exchange rate systems
- Convertibility and capital controls
- Spot transactions
- Forward and futures transactions
- Interest rate parity
- FX options
- European and American options
- FX swaps
- Non-deliverable forwards
- Precious metals as investment vehicle
- Determinants of the gold price
- Direct investments in precious metals
- Precious metals accounts
- Precious metals ETFs
- Gold mine shares
- Commodity categories
- Commodity indices
- Specific characteristics of commodity markets
- Cash vs. futures market
- Contango and backwardation
- Price determinants of commodities
- ETF and ETC
- Specific characteristics of real estate investments
- Real estate valuation
- Net present value
- Replacement cost
- Hedonic pricing
- Direct vs. indirect real estate investments
- Opportunities and risks
- REITs
- Organisation and regulation
- Fee structure
- Asset strategies
- Directional strategies
- Long short strategy
- Global macro strategy
- Event-driven strategies
- Merger arbitrage
- Distressed assets
- Relative value strategy
- Funds of hedge funds
- Focus of private equity investments
- Private equity strategies
- Leveraged buyouts
- Venture capital
- Direct and indirect investments
- Mezzanine capital
- Growth capital
- Distressed assets
- Exit strategies
Wealth Planning (3)
- Three pillars of the Swiss pension system
- State pension provision
- Private (self-invested) retirement products
- Health coverage in retirement
- Role of occupational pensions in the Swiss pension system
- Essential aspects and function of occupational pensions as pillar 2 in the Swiss system
- Voluntary contributions, early payouts and early retirement
- Nature and purpose of vested benefits foundations
- Characteristics and function of foundations, trusts and insurance products in private wealth management
- Assessing the suitability of foundations, trusts and insurance products for clients (tax considerations; estate planning; restrictive legislation in home country)
- Transparency requirements
Operations, Transactions and Treasury Management (4)
- Types of accounts for private and corporate clients
- Legal framework for opening an account (due diligence)
- General terms and conditions
- Powers of attorney
- Joint account
- Custody account
- Payment transaction systems
- Features of bank transfers and direct debiting
- Use of debit and credit cards
- Means of travel cash
- Functionalities of e-banking
- Key prerequisites for using cash management services
- Cash management services
- Liquidity planning and liquidity transfer
- Investment solutions
- Benefits of cash reporting and cash pooling
- Background and objectives of Global Custody
- Basic and comprehensive Global Custody solutions
- Settlement of securities transactions
- Corporate actions
- Reporting and tax claims
- Securities Lending
- Credit services
Wealth Management Advisory (4)
- Investment advice vs. asset management
- Typical asset management return strategies (capital protection, income and growth, balanced, growth, long-term growth)
- Core-satellite approach
- Case studies
- Life cycle of the investor
- Identifying and adjusting for life events
- Liquidity planning
- Risk capacity and risk appetite by life cycle phase
- Traditional vs. behavioral finance
- Key categories of behavioral biases
- How to identify behavioral biases in yourself and your clients
- How to address behavioral biases
- Dealing with vulnerable persons
- Nature and purpose of an advance care
directive - Characteristics and purposes of a living will
Digitalisation (1)
- Impact of digital innovation on financial services and products
- Digitalisation of banking services
- Big data and artificial intelligence
- Robo-advisors
- Distributed ledger technology
- Tokenisation
- Crypto banks
Sustainability (1)
- Application of ESG (environmental, social and governance) criteria to sustainable products and services
- Sustainable investing and lending strategies (sustainability styles)
- Sustainability rating systems
- Bringing clients on board: Explaining the significance of sustainable investing to your clients
Intro to Global Capital Markets (1)
- This is a great introductory and interactive course, aimed at delegates who are new to financial markets
- What is financial intermediation?
- The circular flow model of the economy
- Role of banks
- Role of investment banks
- Securities markets and institutional investors
- Trends in global financial markets
Family Offices in Wealth Planning (3)
- Concept of a Family Office
- Origin of creation of Family Offices
- Importance of Family Offices for wealth
management - Role of Family Offices as service providers
- Range of services of Family Offices
- Investment management
- Other core activities
- Supporting and auxiliary services
- Structures of Family Offices
- Single and Multi Family Offices
- Governance mechanisms
Client Advisory (2)
- The importance of a good client relationship
for providing effective advice to the client - The benefits that client classification can bring
to an appropriate allocation of resources - The structured advice approach and the importance
it has in order to gain and sustainably
maintain the trust of your clients
- Understanding theories of communication and
negotiation - Theories of communication and negotiation in
the context of a client counselling session - Advantageous interaction with the client in the
context of a counselling transaction
ESG (6)
- Background
- ESG philosophy
- ESG investing
- ESG investing: drivers and challenges
- ESG investment market
- ESG investments
- ESG investment approaches
- Active versus passive ESG investments
- The importance of ESG in various financing deals
- Implementation in practice
- ESG in corporate finance
- Sustainable lending
- Regulations and reporting standards
- EU classification of ESG products
- Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)
- Reporting standards for companies (investment targets)
- Transparency in practice: Documentation and ESG Reporting
- Suitability assessment: Taking account of clients’ ESG preferences
- Swiss Banking Association ESG guidelines
- Preventing and combating Greenwashing
- ESG analysis
- ESG data
- Stewardship
- Reasons for engagement
- Engagement
- Stewardship code
Crypto (4)
- Overview of the digital assets ecosystem
- Teaching basic terms and concepts
- Differentiation of various digital asset types
- Overview of cryptocurrencies and their
function - Explanation of the three primary areas of use:
Payment tokens, utility tokens and investment
tokens - Cryptocurrencies as an asset class and means
of payment - Advantages and disadvantages of cryptocurrencies
- Overview of various investment strategies
- Examples of model portfolios with cryptocurrencies
- Tools and strategies for crypto trading
- Self-custody vs. custodial service
- Specific risks and threats of different custody
methods - Comparison of wallet types and their benefits
Find out more about our online learning platform in the following video.