How to build a strong investment banking portfolio

If you are in investment banking, the chances are that your days consist of trading floors, Excel spreadsheets, and pitch books. You probably don’t have time to go hang out with friends or meet new people. However, it is crucial to invest money and effort into building a solid career portfolio.

This blog post will converse how you can make one by using LinkedIn and other social media platforms to increase your network and become more visible within the industry. Steps on building a solid investment banking Portfolio:

Create a LinkedIn profile:
Build connections on the platform by adding everyone who attended your university or worked at the banks you interviewed. You can connect with people on LinkedIn using their email addresses or use the phone number mentioned on their profiles to call them and ask for an invitation.

Build and maintain relationships:
The key to realization in investment banking is who you know and what they think of you. Therefore, keeping in touch with people becomes incredibly important as this will be the platform to connect one with other professionals within the industry.

LinkedIn allows you to send emails to all of your connections, encouraging them to endorse you for specific skills or comment on your profile. You can also write recommendations for others in the industry, giving them an incentive to provide one for you in return.

Making yourself visible:
It’s essential to make yourself visible to as many people as possible. You can do it through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, but LinkedIn has been the most successful in making new connections in the industry.

Although it might feel strange at first to answer questions directed at your public profile, you will soon realize that this is the best way to get your name out there. By replying to these questions, you can begin a dialogue with people within the industry. They might even provide you with an introduction if they see that you’re a valuable asset to their network.

Attend industry events:
Make use of LinkedIn events by attending any networking or educational events you can. It will allow you to meet other professionals within the industry who might provide valuable advice or even a job opportunity.

Start blogging:
One way is by writing and publishing articles, for example, on your blog, demonstrating your investment banking knowledge. It can be used to your benefit when applying for jobs as you will be able to show examples of your work, plus it will allow you to connect with other people within the industry through blog comments.

Explore and Learn with Imarticus Learning

Learn about complicated securities and derivatives, their trade-lifecycles, and the services that make up an investment banking career. This 180-hour powerhouse Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional (CIBOP) course will thoroughly prepare the student for a job in investment management, treasury, Derivatives Markets, and clearing services.

Some course USP:
This Investment banking course for students is with placement assurance aid the students to learn job-relevant skills.

Impress employers & showcase skills with the certification in the financial market endorsed by India’s most prestigious academic collaborations.

World-Class Academic Professors to learn from through live online sessions and discussions.

What Do You Need to Study to Become an Anti-Money Laundering Specialist?

An Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (AML specialist) is a professional who is committed to a financial system in protecting it against money laundering. An AML specialist is also responsible for looking out for, scrutinizing, and reporting any kind of financial transactions that are deemed suspicious. 

Unlike a Money Market Analyst, the AML specialist is a smaller group of 20k individuals across the globe. To be eligible to be such a specialist, one must clear the certification- Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). But this certification course is the last lap of a series of academic and certification courses. 

Academic qualifications

The suitable academic qualifications include a bachelor’s degree preferably in finance-related subjects, maths, etc. It also requires you to have a specific number of credits for a bachelor’s degree, coursework during college, professional experience, and additional points for completing other related certification courses before getting eligible for the CAMS course. Each certification course carries separate credit points. 

For the CAMS eligibility, you must have at least 40 credit points. With multiple options, aspirants could comfortably compile the necessary points. Several certification courses carry a significant number of points so choosing them carefully will earn you enough points. 

Certification courses

One of the most important certification courses for CAMS eligibility is CIBOP. The Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional course serves as the stepping stone towards being an AML specialist. 

Such courses for investment banking are conducted by experienced professionals. Most of the curriculum covered here has a global outlook so further upskilling in related fields will be easier for the candidates. Other certification courses to look forward to are CPP, CPA, and CPE. 

Personal and professional skills

Apart from the academic qualifications, the candidates should also have certain personal skills to excel in the job profile. In many cases, the anti-money laundering specialist could very well be an entry-level job. To climb the corporate ladder from there onwards, these personal, as well as professional skills, will be highly important. Some of the basic skills required here are, 

  • Experience in financial management, investment banking, AML banking, etc. This is one of the reasons why Investment banking courses are popular. 
  • One must have strong communication skills verbally, and interpersonally. 
  • Having analytical skills makes their job easier and problem-solving skills will be an added advantage. 
  • One of the most significant added skills would be a thorough knowledge of the AML data vendors. You need to have a clear understanding of the value and structure of the data provided. 

Significance of CAMS

AML specialist is a challenging career where you need to be constantly aware of the trends in the financial world so that you know where to look for what. CAMS is a global certificate so the curriculum is also going to be highly challenging. The standard of this certification is regularly raised so one must keep up with the current financial affairs and regulations. 

At the same time, you can complete other certification courses to prepare yourself for the bigger league by understanding the field and getting more experience in your profession before you make the big leap. 

Courses such as the CIBOP are ideal for knowledge up-gradation and getting ideal job profiles for professional experience. 

Takeaways

Though CIBOP is quite suitable for newcomers, they can choose the various investment banking courses or other kinds of banking courses before heading towards other specialist courses. This way they can become more authoritative with their decisions in their further career options.  

The factors driving India’s stock market boom

It seems like everywhere you look, there is an article about the growing economy in India. The GDP has grown by 6% year on year, and the stock market continues to rise. The Indian economy still faces many challenges, including corruption, poverty, lack of infrastructure, high inflation rates, and low literacy rates.

While these problems are longstanding ones for India, they should consider them before investing money into what looks like an attractive market right now. So while it might seem like a good idea to put your money into Indian stocks right now because everyone else is doing so too (momentum investing). It may be better to wait until more data on the Indian economy is available, and we know if their GDP growth rate will continue at 6%.

1.      Government Policies: 

  • While some policies may be controversial, the Indian government is doing a lot to attract foreign investment.
  • The Prime Minister’s office has held meetings with CEOs and business leaders to get their perspectives on what India needs to improve its economy.
  • He needs to follow through and make the changes necessary for foreign investors to feel comfortable putting their money into India.

2. Foreign Investment:

Recently, there has been great news about foreign companies investing in India and setting up production facilities here: 

  • Walmart is planning to spend nearly $1 billion in India shortly. 
  • Toyota wants to increase its production plant numbers from two to four over the next few years.
  • Dell is looking for more places to open up shop, both nationally and regionally.  
  • Google wants to double the size of its workforce in India over the next few years.

3. Indian Stock market:

The Indian stock market has been on a tear recently, increasing by over 10% in the past month and making many investors very happy:

  • When news about India’s economy is released, the stock market often jumps up due to increased trading volume. 
  • It could be because people buy stocks based on rumors or speculation rather than actual data about the economy.

4. Exchange Rates:

  • The Indian rupee has been rising relative to the U.S. dollar lately.
  • It means that foreign investors can buy more Indian stocks with their dollars now than they could have a few months ago.  
  • However, this rupee appreciation might be short-lived as inflation in India is still high and will likely remain elevated for the next few years.

Explore and Learn with Imarticus Learning

Learn about complicated securities and derivatives, their trade-lifecycles, and the services that make up an investment banking career. Complex securities and derivative markets and their trading lifecycles and functionalities get covered in the investment banking course.

Some course USP:

  • This Investment banking course for students is with placement assurance aid the students to learn job-relevant skills.

  • Impress employers & showcase skills with the certification in capital market endorsed by India’s most prestigious academic collaborations.

  • World-Class Academic Professors to learn from through live online sessions and discussions.

How to invest smartly during a bull market?

The market is surging, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s direct to get caught up in the excitement and start thinking about all the money you’re going to be making. But this is when you have to remember that there are always two sides to every coin.

Yes, during a bull market, it seems like your investments will double overnight but so will your losses if you don’t invest smartly. This blog post gives some ideas on making sure you stay on top of things while enjoying the ride!

Some tips that will keep your money safe:

  1. Stay informed
  • First of all, it’s essential to understand the reason behind the increased activity. The best method to do this is by staying up-to-date with market news and government announcements.
  • To keep informed, you should combine internet research with the help of a television or radio.
  1. Watch out for trading tips
  • In general, trading tips aren’t an excellent idea during a bull market. The most successful traders don’t share their secrets, and since everyone is already making great returns on their investments, none of them want to pass up potential business.
  • In times of increased volatility, it’s easy to come across trading tips that claim they can help you double money in just a few days. But the truth is, they only sound too good to be true because they probably are.
  1. Don’t fall for get-rich-quick schemes
  • It’s easy to be tempted by get-rich-quick schemes during this time of year. The reason for this is that most of them promise sky-high returns in just a short time.
  • It would help if you remembered that there’s no such thing as easy money when it comes to get-rich-quick schemes. If someone promises you easy money, run away as fast as you can!
  1. Invest in your financial education
  • A great way to make sure you don’t lose out on anything while still enjoying the benefits of a bull market is by investing in yourself.
  • It means making time to learn more about finance, money management, and investing.
  • Students can take these courses at their place and time, eventually developing a good understanding of how money works.

Explore and Learn with Imarticus Learning

This 180-hour powerhouse investment banking course will thoroughly prepare the student for a job in investment banking operations, treasury, Derivatives Markets, and clearing services. Learn about complicated securities and derivatives, their trade life cycle, and the services that make up investment banking operations. 

Some course USP:

  • These Investment banking courses for students is with placement assurance aid the students to learn job-relevant skills.
  • Impress employers & showcase skills with the certification in investment banking endorsed by India’s most prestigious academic collaborations.
  • World-Class Academic Professors to learn from through live online sessions and discussions.

How to land high-paying investment banking jobs in 2022

Investment banking is a field that is as high-paying as it is demanding. It comes with many benefits, but there are certain things you need to master. And, one of them is networking. This especially comes in handy if you are looking forward to working in a specific firm. If there are alumni of your institution who work there, then connect with them. Another approach can be through LinkedIn. You need to connect with people there who work in that firm or can introduce you to someone who does. Also, you need to build a resume that no one can refuse. 

Above all, to get into an investment banking career, it is important to do a proper investment banker course. Thankfully, Imarticus Learnings is here to your rescue with its CIBOP course. This will give you amazing exposure with great placement support. This in turn will give you the necessary boost needed in your career. Here, we are going to talk about what investment banking jobs entail, how much you can expect as salary, and also the requirements you need to meet to become one. Keep reading to learn more.

What Does an Investment Banker do?

Essentially, an investment banker’s job is to advise companies on corporate-level transactions. For example, mergers and acquisitions on a large scale. What this means is that they collaborate with the marketing and sales teams to promote and sell companies. They also need to find potential clients and make sure that the deals go through smoothly. Another part of their job is to suggest the best terms and accurate timing for capital gains and then sell that idea to the investors efficiently. In short, you need to be a master in many domains to be good at this. And, being good at this is the only way to land a high-paying job. 

How Much Salary can you Expect?

On average, an analyst gets about $85-$95k, which, of course, increases with time and experience. And, if you are one of the luckier few who have what it takes to be a managing director, then you can expect an average salary of about $400-$600k. 

Tips to Get a High-paying Investment Banking Job

There are a few things you need to ace to bag a high-paying job in this field. 

  • Prepare for the interview well: several rounds of interviews are conducted before choosing a candidate. Mostly, the questions focus on problem-solving, behavioral, and technical aspects. So, prepare for that thoroughly.
  • Master technical skills: You need to be on top of skills like financial modeling, excel, valuation and accounting. Once you have these mastered, the road becomes much smoother.
  • You need to have amazing attention to detail.
  • Competitive overachievers are always appreciated.
  • You need to be actually interested in the deals instead of just following the market trends.
  • Reading, writing, speaking and mathematical skills are a must.

Investment banking jobs need a specific kind of training before you can actually get into an investment banking career. Check out Imarticus Learnings’ investment banking course and make yourself ready for the big break.

Beyond the spreadsheet: A career transition from sales to investment banking operations

Transitioning from sales to investment banking (IB) can be quite hard to do. Especially, when as a sales analyst it is already presumed that you will be completing a two-year term. So, if halfway through your first year you declare that you will be moving to investment banking, then it will raise certain questions about your sincerity and work ethics. There is, however, a more practical problem related to it.

That would be the lack of training as an investment banking analyst. Since the training programs required for a sales analyst and investment banking analyst are completely different, the transition would be hard to make. And obviously, the teams within the IB department will look for a candidate who already has proper training. So, they will be reluctant to take you on. 

In this situation, the best thing to do would be to wait and complete your two-year term as a sales analyst. In the meantime, you can do a proper course that will help you prepare for your investment banking career path. Now, there are a lot of institutions in India that provide short-term investment banking courses. Imarticus Learnings is a leading one among them.

With its CIBOP course, you will not only get tremendous exposure but also placement support that will put you leagues ahead in your career in investment banking. Here, we are going to discuss the way to become an investment banker in detail. 

Way to Become an Investment Banker

There are a few steps you need to follow that will help you to land better jobs and get ahead in your career. 

  • Build connections: This is the primary thing you need to follow for a career in investment banking. Especially, if you want to work in any specific firm. If you know someone working there, like college alumni, then make sure to talk to them and learn about the internal processes. If not, then LinkedIn is your best friend. Find people there or find someone who can introduce you to someone working there. This will help you a lot in the long run.
  • Build a good resume: Interviewers look for past interest and experience with finance in your resume. Try to join finance clubs or other banking-related activities in your institutes. This will make your resume even more appealing.
  • Prepare extensively for the interview: Notably, interviews mostly revolve around technical, problem solving, and behavioral questions. So, the thing that will probably help you best is if you prepare for said questions beforehand. Questions asking to introduce yourself and why do you want to work in investment banking are common behavioral questions.Now what matters is how much of a good answer you can provide. You should aim to prepare a few personal stories that can get reused and restructured to answer all of these. Technical questions are where your skills are tested. So, prepare early for questions related to DCF, LBO, and other technical aspects.

At the end of it, the best thing you can do for yourself is to learn from the best to prepare for your investment banking career path. So, do check out Imarticus Learnings’ CIBOP course to get ahead in your career in investment banking.

The Revolution of Capital Markets – All That You Need to Know

Capital Market is where the trading of financial securities between buyers and sellers takes place. It mainly focuses on the long-term securities of these bonds. Depending upon the magnitude, the role of a capital market can be directly connected to a nation’s economy, with any change in one can cause ripples in the other one.

This is why a revolution in this industry will have more impact and also why investment banking is a more potential career. The investment banking career is highly competitive and ambitious.   

Role of a Capital Market

The Capital Market includes both the bond market and stock market. Businesses use this market to get funding for supplies and resources. It helps generate a financial market by selling bonds or stocks of a company. 

The bond market is where the trading is mostly on debt securities. Buying a bond does not give any amount of ownership to the business. It simply enables the capital amount to be traded from one party to the other. It is considered as a loan or debt which has to be repaid. On the other hand, the stock market has trading where investors invest in buying shares of a business. 

When stocks are sold, buyers get partial ownership in the business in exchange. To make it available in the market requires the help of a banker who can prepare the necessary documents and complete the processes. 

Importance of Capital Market

  • Capital Market is essential for business owners to get financial aid to expand their business.
  • It reduces the business cost through the global economy and works as a reliable resource for liquidity.
  • It helps the buyers and sellers together in a single platform to boost the economy, nationally and globally. 
  • Businesses can find finance with reduced risks at these reliable markets. 

Investment Banking career

An Investment Banker is a responsible person who advises and facilitates investments for clients or businesses. They will need to keep track of the Capital Markets and act as an interface to help them in capital investments and help them raise the necessary capital for their plans. An investment banker must also have an understanding of the volatility of the capital market. 

People who have a certificate in investment banking can start their careers in this industry. The investment banking career is lucrative as it opens the way for higher compensation. Those who are interested in accounting, finances, or mathematics can easily have a career in this industry. Growth in this industry is faster but it requires performance consistency. 

Best course for investment banking

A certificate in investment banking is valuable when it provides in-depth knowledge in the various aspects of financial and capital markets. Courses like CIBOP ( Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional) are short-term but cover the most relevant aspects in this industry. 

It also helps in placements after providing hands-on experience in trading and other case studies. This will prepare the aspirants to face the common challenges in Capital Markets and investment banking. 

The opportunities in Capital Markets after such courses include the roles of Capital Market Operations Consultant, Financial Analyst, Risk management Consultant, Investment Banking Operations Lead, etc. There are plenty of opportunities for beginners and a career change for professionals. 

Conclusion

Investment Banking is now one of the most popular career options and there is a large pool of talent across the globe. But this is one career that requires working at odd hours to complete a particular pitch book. It is a highly pressurizing job and only those with competitive skills can thrive under the stress. 

Understanding global securities settlements and reporting in investment banking operations

Conceptually speaking, global investment banking is an activity focused on obtaining and intermediating resources for the sale of companies, mergers, and acquisitions, issuing shares for the entry of new investors (traditionally carried out on stock exchanges), placing debt bonds in the market, or for the development of new companies or projects. In countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and those belonging to the European Union, investment banking has also been associated with the trading of securities in the capital markets.

Securities settlement systems (SSSs) are a fundamental component of the infrastructure of international financial markets. Over the last years, the volumes of trading and settlement have grown significantly as securities markets have developed to be an increasingly imperative channel for intermediating streams of resources between creditors and debtors, and because investors are being able to manage their portfolios of securities more dynamically, in part because of declining transaction costs. Cross-border trading and settlement volumes have grown particularly fast, reflecting the increasing integration of international markets.

best investment banking courses with placement in IndiaAny disruption in securities settlement has the potential to spill over to any of the payment systems used by the SSS or to any payment system used by the SSS to transfer collateral.

In the securities markets themselves, market liquidity depends critically on confidence in the safety and reliability of settlement arrangements; traders may be unwilling to trade if they have significant doubts about whether the transaction will actually be settled. 

Thus, in order for investment banking to be able to carry out its intermediation and resource management activity, it develops basic services and activities to identify the financial situation of the companies it supports. These activities are financial analysis and diagnosis, company valuation, and financial advisory services, the main one being the financial structuring of projects. These services are the same as those provided by financial consultancy firms.

In addition, some investment banking firms also specialize in the comprehensive development of the company’s strategic process vis-à-vis third parties. For example, if a company wants to sell a shareholding, the investment banking firm prepares a booklet for the sale of these shares, indicating the details of the activities to be carried out by the interested agents in order to purchase the shares. This is the importance of reporting in investment banking.

Why an Investment Banking Career? 

Global Investment Banking professionals are among the highest-paid in the world, but with this great reward comes enormous responsibility. To be able to work in this field, you need to have many competencies and skills in concepts like global securities settlements and good reporting practices. In fact, the investment banking sector will deal with responsibilities such as the financing of companies through debt or equity, as you will decide things like whether to buy or sell companies or parts of it, risk hedging, or joint ventures.

Why Imarticus for investment banking courses in India?

In Imarticus we offer CIBOP Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional courses in India for everyone that needs to start from the basics of an Investment Banking Career. Visit our site today to start a career in global investment banking operations, and learn more about the importance of well understanding global securities settlements and reporting techniques in this field.  

Conclusion

To succeed in an Investment Banking Career, professionals must acquire and demonstrate a multidisciplinary profile with extensive financial knowledge. Concepts and skills such as global securities settlements and reporting must be well mastered. At Imarticus, we offer you the possibility to take online investment banking courses in India. Enroll today and start your Investment Banking Career.

Pros _ Cons- Is It Worth Becoming an Investment Banker

Investment banking is probably one of the top-level jobs all over the world. It is a perfect blend of high pay, long working hours, excellent people’s skill, fierce competition and much more. When it comes to deciding a career path, various factors determine the choice. Knowing that an investment banking career could be a very challenging yet interesting career option, in the long run, some confusing questions are bound to occur in mind.

best investment banking courses with placement in IndiaThe most important one being ‘is it worth becoming an investment banker?’. Or ‘what could be the pros and cons of investment banking?’.

Thankfully, at Imarticus, we offer investment banking certification courses falling under the CIBOP program, which can boost your career path. 

Pros of Investment Banking

  • When you would start your career as an investment banker, you would receive a high joining bonus which would make you want to work more in this field.
  • Extensive networking with large enterprises and their people is also a trait of an investment banker. You can have the opportunity to connect with the people in big firms up to a very personal level as well. This opens the gates to building your network of people.
  • Every day is a new day in the life of an investment banker. You would get the opportunity to learn many different subjects from your manager, colleagues, and even customers. Not just an expert in investment banking, you would develop many other skills like financing, taxing, accounting, and of course people’s skills.
  • It can also teach you the skill of becoming a multi-tasker. Since you work with and for multiple people at the same time, you learn to prioritize your tasks in an effective manner.
  • Nonetheless, an investment banking career is a high-paid job. You would get outstanding compensations and bonuses for your work throughout the year.
  • Since everything is online, most of the work can be done from home. If your enterprise approves this, then you can work comfortably and efficiently at home. 

Investment Banking Course

Cons of Investment Banking

  • Intense performance competition in investment banking has begun to affect personal lives as well. There is a shotgun every day at the head of an investment banker to give his career-best performance every single day. If not, there would be many others in line as a replacement.
  • Long tedious working hours would put your work-life balance at stake. You might need to do overtime as well to meet the target annual goals which might be very exhausting. Sometimes, even during your vacation or weekends, you cannot avoid customer calls and might need to work more than 15 hours a day.
  • Some customers can be very difficult to handle and it can be challenging to work with them and understand their needs. They might put up false and unrealistic goals in front of you.
  • There is always an element of fear attached to investment banking in terms of job security. During difficult financial times, it might become very difficult to find another job in case your current employment contract ends or if you are fired from the company in case they do not have enough funds to support you. 

Conclusion

So after having read extensively the pros and cons of investment banking, what should you choose? Although it depends on you and your interests, you can be sure of the Investment Banking Certification course offered by Imaticus.

These investment banking courses would help you become a successful investment banker in the future and would teach you the ways and tricks of handling all the above-mentioned cons like a professional. 

Are financial modelling skills indispensable to investment banking professionals

Are financial modelling skills indispensable to investment banking professionals?

To work in investment banking, you need to demonstrate that you have a range of skills and knowledge that are differentiated or in demanding careers, such as financial modelling skills. Moreover, the investment banking sector deals with the financing of companies through equity or debt. This includes work such as buying and selling companies in whole or in part, IPOs, joint ventures, or risk hedging.

To achieve this, investment banks must work directly with the management of the companies involved, as well as with investment funds or public financing facilities. This requires people who want to work in investment banking to have a multidisciplinary profile with extensive financial knowledge, agility in financial modeling, and good interpersonal and communication skills. Here we tell you 7 reasons why financial modelling skills are indispensable to investment banking skills.

What is financial modelling? 

The term financial model refers to an abstract-mathematical version of a company’s financial reality in a set of spreadsheets.

A model is thus a mathematical, simplified, and idealized version of the reality of a company. The model works out simple versions of real factors and translates them into spreadsheets that facilitate the execution of mathematical calculations on the data.

The purpose of a financial model is to represent reality as simply as possible while still being a realistic reflection of the company’s situation, and thus to enable the company’s financial statements to be projected on the basis of current and historical data.

Here are the 7 main reasons why financial modelling skills are indispensable to having investment banking professional skills

  1. It allows you to give a transparent picture of the overall situation of a company.
  2. It helps to project the impact of any changes in the company’s structure or business.
  3. Since financial models are designed taking into account historical data in addition to the structural situation, the model allows for the definition of scenarios with variables that reflect changes in the entire structure depending on their value.
  4. It is an integrated planning system that contains the profit and loss accounts, the balance sheet, and the calculation of capital flows with their respective dependencies. In this way, the model makes it possible to project the development and consequences of a change scenario for any given decision. This is an indispensable tool when making decisions affecting the structure of a company, as it makes the impact of any decision transparent.
  5. All companies need a business plan to organize themselves, but from the moment external financing comes in, whether, through credit or investment, the financial model becomes an essential planning tool.
  6. Investors only invest their money if they are convinced that the company will be able to repay loans and interest in the future, thus providing a return on their investment, which is why a transparent, complete, and correct presentation of the financial situation, especially the projected income, capital, and liquidity situation, is indispensable.
  7. Apart from their use in all matters relating to financing, financial models are also used for business management.

Why Imarticus for a CIBOP online course?

Financial modelling, i.e. the design and planning of a financial model, is mainly used in the preparation of a business plan or in the representation of a company’s financial structure. The aim is to translate the reality of the company into an abstract model that provides a transparent picture of the overall situation of a company. 

In Imarticus we offer Certified Investment Banking Operations Professional courses for those who need to start from scratch. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us to have more information on investment banking courses.