Introduction to Banking and Financial Services

This fast-paced seminar, designed as a crash-course on the inner workings of the world of banking, features a step-by-step analysis of banking and is customized to the annual report and operations of the sponsoring bank.

(Due to time constraints of many bankers today, the program can be delivered in two days, reducing the level of detail of certain topics.)

The seminar is designed to provide a practical introduction to banking and financial services, and includes workshops and application sessions on Treasury bills and the bank’s investment portfolio, commercial lending, foreign exchange, derivatives, profitability, and asset/liability management in order to help participants see the constraints under which a bank operates, recognize the opportunities for profit, and understand the impact and importance of their jobs.

The information gained from this program will allow banking professionals at all levels from technology, operations, audit and accounting, risk management, human resources, trust, marketing, legal, public relations, administration and similar staff areas, as well as credit/branch manager/general management trainees, and employees without prior banking experience to deal with complex banking issues in an understandable way, with no prior accounting or financial background required.

Major topics include functions of banks and other financial institutions, discussions of major asset and liability categories (including their interrelationships and tradeoffs), deregulation and competition, funding, investment banking, fee income, profitability and the income statement (with emphasis on ROA/ROE, risk-adjusted capital, Basel II/III, efficiency ratios), and the outlook for the future.

A version of this program is available for bank vendors, to help them to understand how banks operate, the concerns and business drivers of bankers, and to be able to relate to bankers using banking terminology.