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Tag: Investment Banking

Difference Types Of Investment Banking

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

Investment banking is all about providing expert advice and management services for complex, large financial transactions, and the provision of services related to raising and creation of capital for corporations, organizations or even governments. The two primary roles for IBs are in underwriting debt/ credit financing and the equity issuances like IPOs, acquisitions, mergers, and buyouts of and for companies. IBs also offer advice to clients in the sale of securities, placement of stocks, handling placing of investments and trade brokering for large companies, corporate clients, governments, independent entities and HNIs.

Investment banks also form groups to aid coverage and financial products. Such types of investment banking groups within the bank have FAs with immense expertise in specific verticals, market sectors and industries like the technology, health-care, and medical sectors. The groups improve relationships with client companies and facilitate the financing, M and A, equity issue, etc. Thus they bring in new business and clients to the bank. Other such groups may exist in leasing, asset financing, public and leveraged financing, syndicated financing, etc. Each of the bank’s products also will have one or more groups for M and A, restructuring, corporate finance, IPOs, etc. The groups can also be designated depending on the areas they work in like debt capital, equity capital markets, sales, asset management, equity research, and trading.

IB firms can also be categorized in an investment banking course into boutique, middle-market, and bulge bracket banks. The boutique banks are further subdivided as elite and regional boutique banks. Size is used to classify banks and such a comparison can be relative to the number of offices, employees, average size of M and A deals and such parameters.

Regional Boutiques:
The size and deal sizes are both small and these banks may not offer a full range of services. The number of employees, offices, products and geographical areas of operation set them apart. Their deal size is typically 50 to 100 million USD deals or even lesser.

Elite Boutiques:
They are like the bulge bracket banks in terms of their deal-sizes ranging from large to over 1 billion USD deals happening most times. They are known to be in international, domestic and niche markets while lacking the global presence of the biggie like JP Morgan and Chase. Elite boutiques are known to limit services to M and A issues, asset management, and restructuring deals. The well-known players are Qatalyst Partners, Evercore Group LLC, Moelis & Company and Lazard LLC.

Middle-Market firms:
Some of the better known firms in this sector are the Cowen Group, Houlihan Lokey and Piper Jaffray Companies. Middle-market investment firms and banks are smaller than the large bulge-bracket and larger than the small regional banks. Their deal range is 50 to 500 million USD and they also offer the full range of services with special groups for specific sectors like the KBW for financial sector clients.

Bulge-Bracket banks:
These banks are the large majors like Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse Group AG, and the Bank of America. The numbers of employees, offices, large multi-million deals, large corporate clients, Fortune 500 clients, etc help identify such banks. Their transactions are always high value and run into thousands of millions even in slumping economic situations.
They have both domestic and international presence, global offices, and generally, offer the entire range of services. Though M and A are the main focus areas they are not shy to cross sell products.
Though bulge bracket banks do cater to Fortune 500’s and large companies or groups a startling fact is that many of them prefer to do business with elite boutique firms and banks instead.

Conclusions:
If you aspire to work in IB research the type of work the bank does and see if it suits you. Remember that the one-type or size of a bank does not necessarily offer all products in the other groups. Should the M and A sector interest you, then, it is better to join smaller banks. They do offer quicker progression on the career path and enable you actually handling such deals.
To learn all about the types of investment banking, do an investment banking course at the reputed Imarticus Learning. Very simply put it is a wise first-step to the banking career with assured placements, soft-skill development modules and most importantly the best curriculum on the global markets with widely accepted certifications. Hurry! Start your IB journey today.

Half Yearly PE Roundup 2019

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

 

The volatile stock-markets in India were impacted by a number of factors both global and domestic like the LS-elections, the international trade war, the NBFC crisis, falling earnings, the MPC meet, weakened auto-sales and such.

Nifty and Sensex indices saw a high on the day of election results and continued moving up to 12,103.05 and about 40,312 respectively. The 1-year target-price of these indices was hiked by the brokerage firms in spite of the capping of the upper limit in the current short term. The expected Nifty-EPS is anticipated to grow to 604 Rs or 26%. Both indices rallied by 9% in the first six months of benchmarking. Nifty Media lost 19% while its realty arm gained 18% making Nifty Media the top loser for the half-year.

Factor’s that impacted PE markets:

The top five events impacting the performance of PE markets were

Victory for NDA:

The benchmarking indices rose after the general election results and even on the exit-polls forecasts. The mandate was overwhelmingly for the BJP when Nifty rose by 3.7%. Investors were pleased the reforms introduced would continue when the uncertainty of poll results saw an end to it with the political party BJP garnering 303 seats out of the total 543. The full budget expected on 5th July offered a window to the indices that stabilized at 10% in the first half of 2019. According to SAMCO Securities’ research head Umesh Mehta, Nifty is trading at a highly-valued top-end with 29xPE and onwards confirming that after the 10% rally the Nifty will hold ground till the budget presentation.

Cut in RBI-policy rates:

The 6th June review-meet on policies by the RBI cut the repo-rates downwards by 25 bps. The expected cut was in line with RBI’s stance to be accommodative rather than neutral, amid growth-concerns. According to Fitch Ratings, the interest rates will see another 25 bps decline by RBI attributed to inflation and growth momentum being well within the targeted limits. Most analysts agreed with this assessment.

Kotak Mahindra AMC’s Head- Debts and Products Lakshmi Iyer, who is the CIO stated the cuts in repo-rate was expected since RBIs changed stance removed doubts regarding the rate-of-action and its direction. The package is silent about any concessions to NBFC’s and focuses on studying the liquidity problems by appointing a working-group for it.

The tanking of Jet Airways:

The first half-year of 2019 saw shares of the cash-strapped aviation giant Jet Airways shares tank by almost 80%. The company was hauled to the NCLT in Mumbai and forced to shut down operations by lenders and the 20th June insolvency petition filed by SBI the largest creditor. The SBI led bank consortium had earlier declined emergency-funds of 400 Cr in Rs for operational expenses. A total of 15000 employees were stranded without salaries from January and approached the police for recovery action. Jet Airways may never be up and running again.

The trade war between US and China:

Donald Trump the US President levied stiff tariffs on trade partners across the globe to strengthen the economy and reduce trade-deficits of the US economy. China was in the protesting forefront and in India the stock markets were affected and under pressure amid the rising tensions and a possibility of a tariff war between China and the US. The 26th June meeting could also see a deal between Xi Jinping and Trump that could ease the ongoing trade war.

The crisis in the NBFC sector:

The alarming defaults in 2018 by IL&FS saw the NBFC crisis deepen and the markets respond to the stimuli. Most NBFC found the banks were wary of lending and the NBFC’s found it hard to raise capital. The lending rates increased the funds-costs by  150 basis-points! RBI tried to ease their position by buying 300,000 Cr Rs governmental papers in the debt markets in 2018-2019 as NBFC’s do not use it as a collateral measure. Yet, the costs are very high on NBFC borrowings.

The very sustainability and liquidity of NBFCs came under scrutiny with DHFL defaulting in paying interest on its debentures held by investors. CRISIL and ICRA quickly downgraded the DHFL ratings. The commercial papers of DHFL saw CRISIL downgrading the credit rating and simultaneously Reliance Commercial and Home Finance owned by the group of Anil Ambani also got CARE down-graded.

HDFC Life Insurance’s CIO Prasun Gajri states that the investor’s risk aversion for debt capital markets could be temporary. Well, we hope so too!

In conclusion, the PE market trends in the round-up for the half-year of 2019 were impacted by the events both regulatory and political. Learn about the PE trends at Imarticus Learning and make your career in data analytics.

Interesting Things About Investment Banking In India

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

Among the well-known banks currently operating in India are HSBC, ABN-AMRO, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Nomura, Citi Bank, and the Mellon Bank of New York. Large financers like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Barclays also operate from here. Among our very own Indian investment banking well-knowns are ICICI IB and Securities, HDFC, Avendus, Kotak Capital, Bajaj Capital, SBI IB division and Yes Bank.
Services offered:
Investment banking plays the intermediary role in assisting HNIs, Corporations and even small companies raise and manage their financial investments. They provide assistance in selling equity and debt securities like shares, stocks, debts, bonds and more. Investment banking certification covers and teaches you all about the services of an investment banking career. Namely,
• Acquisition advisory
• M and A mergers
• Security trading
• AMC
• Custodial services
• Corporate finance
• Debt restructuring
• Other services.
Why Foreign Banks Love India:
Do you know why most foreign banks operate from India? This is so, due to the availability of talent, such employees being largely English spoken, and lowers operating costs when compared to the other English speaking nations like UK, USA, Australia and such. Back-offices are also readily available in terms of LPO, KPO, transcription, and such services being readily offered by Wipro, TCS, Infosys, Syntel etc among many others.
IB markets:
Investment Banking focuses on exploring the bank’s services in the markets. Here is a brief explanation of the markets involved in an investment banking career.
Equity Markets:
The Equity Market has three categories:
Equity Fund services: Here raising capital, IPOs, financing deals are the mainstays.
Convertible Bonds: Debts that convert into a share in equity help raise company capital through the issuance of such convertible bonds.
Syndicated: This interbank transaction involves multiple-bank equity deals.
Debt Markets:
Debt investment banking markets where sales, funding and trading are involved based on the asset class, the objective of the investment and structure. The noteworthy segments are
The mutual funds: The money collected from investors is invested to make sizeable profit/loss as a partnership effort.
Equity Funds: Funds invested in company shares, equities and stocks carry a high degree of risk and provide higher returns when traded in or sold.
Debt Funds: These government bonds, company debentures, and other fixed assets are considered low risk as they provide a fixed percentage of income on maturity and when traded in.

Investment Banking Career Scope and Payouts

With data analytics and a highly dynamic and evolving technological scenario present in India and globally, European companies like Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse and very many large financial banks, groups and even NBFCs operate in India. This ensures the local talents find lucrative jobs and make their careers in investment banking. There is hence great demand for talented youngsters, training and investment banking courses that actually make you job-prepared. Good institutes like Imarticus Learning have mushroomed over the last decade with a global footprint. Hence the scope for job-roles in investment banking has steadily grown and is today the most popular choice of career aspirants.
Now have a look at this table, where Payscale reports an average salary of 508, 855 Rs for a fresh starter. Salary components can vary between 177,560 to 1,545, 630 Rs and have added bonuses from 2,517 to 524, 023Rs depending on your skills and performance. Thus the total pay can be much higher and very lucrative in comparison to other jobs. However, doing a course is essential and the Investment banking certification provides the measure of your skill and knowledge and has come to also be a prerequisite for interviewers.
Just remember at interviews to
• Dress neat and professional.
• Prepare for the interview and research your subjects, the company applied to, job-profile etc well.
• Practice and reinforce your learning until perfect.
Requisite investment banking skills:
To become a successful investment banker you will need to be one who has
• Good academic record and at least a graduate.
• Fluency in English communication.
• Analytical-thinking ability.
• Excellent forecasting, predictive and analytical skills.
• Problem-solving capacity.
• Subject expertise is very desirable.
• Strong skills in Excel, other financial software.
Wrap up notes:
The IB role is both financially and career-wise a rewarding prospect. Essential to the whole equation is knowledge and training at the interview, placement and on-the-job stages. Do your at Imarticus Learning to take advantage of certification, assured placements and a firm footing in the industry. Hurry and enroll.

Half Yearly M&A Roundup 2019

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

 

The acquisitions and mergers started just seven days into the year.  2019 saw the start-off with two deals running into billions of dollars with one of them at a record USD 82 billion. The deal was among the all-time top ten!

Fourteen deals in the biopharma sector took the M and A total to USD 173.326 in billions for the half-year according to the CRG- Chimera Research. While CRG does not add the deals in technology and tools in the sector in this figure, the tech and tools M and A deals had 2 with a total of USD 22.7 between them. Again, the deals completed and announced earlier like Takeda Pharmaceuticals purchasing of Shire at GBP 46 billion is not factored in these figures.

If one looks at the top ten bio-pharma announced/completed M and A deals the half-year statistics show a total value surpassing the USD 250 billion marks very easily. In comparison to the half-year statistics of 2018 valued at USD 170.2 in billions over the top ten deals 2019 has a 47 percent increase in value according to the GEN’s List January-June 2018 Top 10 M and A Deals.

According to Deloitte’s Center for Health Solutions, the key factor responsible for the R and D in the biopharma sector is that traditional methods like in-house R and D have shown poor ROI. In keeping with this trend, the fall recorded was 1.9 percent in 2018, in 2017 3.7% and in 2010 10.1% when Deloitte started the study. Deloitte attributes the decline to the increasing median costs for gaining market approvals especially for treatments that are new. Such diminishes in the ROI effectively mean drug developers use M and A to fill their pipelines and expend the range of portfolios of marketed drugs where they face an exclusivity loss.

In keeping with this premise, the May 8th deal of Novartis’ buying IFM Tre, saw 2 programs of the non-clinical type and 1 of the clinical type in the pipeline expansion. The programs focus on inhibiting targets related to chronic inflammation of the underlying immune system. This large deal was considered too small to be reflected in the list of Gen A’s top-10. And this deal was valued USD 1.575 billion!

The top tech/tools deals:

Here’s a peek at the deals that found a place on the list by Gen A.

  • Catalent bought Paragon Bioservices’ gene-therapy capacities at USD1.2 billion completing the deal on 19th May.
  • Clementia Pharmaceuticals’ buying-license of 2014 for a drug treating rare diseases from Roche, was acquired by Ipsen and the deal completed on 19th April was valued at USD 1.31 billion.
  • The pending merger of Pacific Biosciences with  Illumina valued at USD 1.2 billion was anticipated to be delayed. In this case, the Authority for Markets and Competition in the UK flagged on 18th June the issue of anti-competitiveness in its first phase of investigations which could now last another investigative round.
  • Exonic Therapeutics was bought on 6th June by Vertex for USD 1 billion. Vertex plans to cash in on the genetic neuromuscular diseases range and the CRISPR-based Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment was just right for it.

The Gen A’s list:

The top M and A list in the first six months of 2019 include the value of the deal in USD, with details of the acquirer, acquire, deal status, and the reason for the deal. The details therein are in keeping with tech/ tools and drug developer’s disclosures. Only whole company purchases are considered excluding specific drug rights like the Astra Zeneca deal of USD 6.9 in billions for global commercialization and development of DS 8201 aka trastuzumab deruxtecan through Daiichi Sankyo’s agreement, and the 1st July purchase deal of Novartis from Takeda of 5%- lifitegrast solution for ophthalmics-Xiidra®.

The list of the top ten includes: 

  1. The 24th June Bristol-Myers Squibb’s acquisition of Celgene for USD 74 billion.
  2. The 25th June AbbVie’s acquisition of Allergan for USD 63 billion.
  3. The 7th January Takeda Pharmaceutical’s acquisition of Shire for USD 58.6 billion.
  4. The 25th February Danaher’s acquisition of GE BioPharma for USD 21.4 billion.
  5. The 17th June Pfizer acquisition of Array BioPharma for USD 11.4 billion.
  6. Eli Lilly’s 15th Feb acquisition of Loxo Oncology for USD 8 billion.
  7. GSK’s 22nd January acquisition of Tesaro for USD 5.1 billion.
  8. Roche’s 10th June acquisition of Spark Therapeutics for USD 4.8 billion.
  9. The third quarter scheduled Merck & Co acquisition of Peloton Therapeutics for USD 2.2 billion.
  10. The 1st May completed Thermo Fisher Scientific acquisition of Brammer Bio for USD 1.7 billion.

In parting, if you are impressed then come to Imarticus Learning for a career in M&A.

Current Liquidity Crisis and M&A

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

The financial crisis of NBFCs a major concern
For a long time, various corporations, including insurance firms, had made investments through short-term instruments in the Infrastructure Finance Company IL&FS, which has to led to a significant liquidity crunch today. Amidst this scenario, the Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) have been majorly affected by the current liquidity crisis in India. The relationship between the Government and RBI is going through a rough phase as well due to the prevailing circumstances. Adding to the tension is the ban on using Aadhaar information for microlending during December 2018.
Interference of RBI to save IL & FS from the liquidity crunch
The reports from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) states that the total debts of IL&FS as of 2017-2018 balance sheet stands at INR 63,000 crores today. The NBFCs were expecting a ray of hope from the RBI, but to their surprise, the reserve bank imposed more rigid rules and regulations for risk management, and asset-liability structures. In the last quarter of 2018, the RBI had announced to inject INR 40,000 crore to help the soaring funds through Government securities into the system.
The problems faced by NBFCs are mostly attributed to their dependencies in short-term borrowings and long-term lending loans to builders and real estate players. Therefore RBI’s ruling enforces more disciplined liquidity management in the future is a welcoming approach. However, the point to be concerned is the unknown course of action for the NBFCs to get out of the present liquidity crisis without which implementing new measures is difficult.
The financial crunch of the NBFCs has affected the loans against the property market in the fiscal year 2019 in India. A secured loan where one party pledges a property with a lender and borrow against it is a Loan Against Property (LAP). In a report from the reporting agency, India Ratings and Research stated that the weak LAP in FY19 is mainly due to lack of strong emotions on the property market and the liquidity crunch faced by NBFCs.
An insight into global M&A
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) World Investment Report of 2019 release states that there is a substantial decline in the global FDI by 13% in 2018 which is a third consecutive decline. The slide in global FDI is  USD 1.3T in 2018 from USD 1.5T in 2017. However, India witnessed a 6% growth in FDI in 2018 to 42B. This growth is attributed to the activities in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, communication, production, and financial service sector.
The growth of e-commerce in India is expected to increase tentatively by a large extent. It is estimated that India’s e-commerce transactions to reach USD200B by 2026. Further, the trending online retail businesses coupled with telecommunication growth has leveraged the increase in cross-border M&As in India to USD 33B in 2018 from USD 23B in 2017.
The domestic M&A emerging as a life saver
A blockbuster merger was by the American multinational retail corporation, Walmart and India’s largest fashion e-commerce giant Flipkart. The telecommunication alliances and deals were worth USD 2B that collectively associates deals from Vodafone and American Tower. India’s blooming year for M&As was 2018, after which the first quarter of FY2019 has been low. The reason for this subdued effect is attributed to the gloomy global M&A market.
The quarterly report figures indicated a fall in M&A in Q1CY19 to $9.9B from $21.6b in Q1CY18. However, the domestic deals were a breather for India, the most significant being the merger between Bandhan bank and Gruh Finance, which was a $3.2B deal. Another agreement was between GMR airports, and Tata group led Consortium, which amounted to $1.2B. While Japan and Germany were favorite partners for cross-border M&A, the US remained at the top of the chart with 14 inbounds and 14 outbound deals with India. The Indian business executives are high on confidence that one-third of them are expected to undertake M&A in 2019.
To Sum Up
The backup of domestic consolidation for India and continued support of interests from FDI is considered a root cause for having a stable M&A in the future. Given the weak sentiment in the bond market, the current liquidity crisis may remain stubborn for NBFCs at the present moment.
Get more interesting about Current Liquidity Crisis and M&A, by applying for an Investment Banking Courses

Imarticus Learning’s Investment Banking Course Powers Career Transitions – Here’s Sanjita’s Story

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

 

Transitioning from consumer banking to investment banking, while improbable, is absolutely possible. We had a chat with Sanjita, a retail banking professional and student of the Certified Investment Banking training program at Imarticus Learning.

Here’s her story.

My name is Sanjita Pednekar. I have a master’s degree in commerce and graduated in management studies back in 2014. I am currently a part of batch 84 of the Certified Investment Operations course at Imarticus.

I heard about Imarticus on the internet. I was working in the retail banking industry but have always wanted to enter the investment banking division. I began looking for courses that would teach me the requisite knowledge and help me become an investment banker. I first did a bit of research into the skills an investment banker needs to learn and then went through the program webpage and curriculum. I found that the program has an overall view of investment banking and would build the skills that the industry needs. Moreover, Imarticus Learning reviews were very positive, and these were the factors that convinced me to enroll.

I would rate the course 5/5 

The best thing about the course is the comprehensive curriculum that’s precise and practically oriented. Each lesson is co-related to hands-on case studies and projects, and that’s what helped me through my learning journey. The learning management system – Learntron, also is an excellent resource and was accessible 24/7.

Guest lectures were conducted periodically by industry experts, and they were invaluable 

The lectures gave me a perspective of investment banking from an industry point of view. One of the sessions that I clearly remember and can relate to was on an options strategy. It helped me understand how the options strategy works in the market and how it can impact the derivatives market.

The resume building process was a key highlight of the program

When I compare my old resume with the post-Imarticus one, there certainly is a drastic change. I’ve been able to present myself effectively through my resume because of the prompt guidance from the faculty.

The faculty get a superstar rating from me, especially Lourdes Maam

The entire faculty was approachable and friendly and would take extra care to clear all my doubts and questions.

I’d recommend the course to everyone looking for a career in investment banking; it will give you an edge over the competition – guaranteed!

Are you interested in an investment banking career? Click here and speak to a career specialist now.

Danish Azam’s transition from engineering to an Investment Banking Career!

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

You don’t need a degree or background in finance to become an investment banker. Find that hard to believe? Well, we don’t blame you.

The mainstream ideology is that the traditional starting point for every investment banker is a bachelor’s degree in economics or finance with a master’s or Ph.D. in rocket science. So I exaggerated a little – but the fact remains – anybody aspiring to be an investment banker without a conventional degree in finance will, in all likelihood, give up!

Danish Azam’s transition from a civil engineering graduate to the investment banking division at SS&C GlobeOp challenges the status quo and is an inspiration for everyone wanting to start a career in investment banking. Read his story here.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a Danish Azam, and I have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. I recently graduated from the Certified Investment Banking Operations course at Imarticus and have been placed at SS&C GlobeOp.

Q: What convinced you to enroll with Imarticus?
I heard about Imarticus through a friend who recommended the course to me. At first, I was hesitant because I had absolutely no background in finance, but I spoke to a counselor at Imarticus who charted an investment banking career path for me and assured me that the transition from engineering to finance was possible. I was convinced and decided to enroll in the course.

Q: Was the transition from engineering to finance challenging?
Quite honestly, it wasn’t as difficult as I had anticipated. Considering the fact that I am from an engineering background and the course is in Finance, I have not faced any challenges and could keep up because of the knowledgeable faculty and the detailed curriculum.

Q: Were the guest lectures helpful?
The guest lectures were beneficial. I was able to co-relate the topics I was taught in class with the practical projects and assignments, and this has helped me grasp particularly challenging concepts like options strategies and derivatives.

Q: What did you like most about the program?
I’d have to say the faculty and the learning facilities. The faculty were extremely helpful and made every concept clear with a focus on real-world simulations and hands-on experience to make the training sessions interactive. The learning infrastructure at Imarticus is exceptional.

The online learning management system – LearnTron – is available to students 24/7. If ever I had a doubt or couldn’t remember a specific concept taught in class, I would go back home and go through the lecture to enhance my knowledge in a better manner.

Q: Tell us a little about the career and placement services.
In addition to technical sessions, soft skill sessions are also conducted and saying these sessions were beneficial would be an understatement. The resume building workshop helped me craft my resume into an effective and efficient one with the help of the experts at Imarticus.

I was pleasantly surprised because the placement services were much better than I had anticipated. Even before completing the course, the placements team brought me a couple of interview opportunities. They didn’t stop there; through mock interviews and interview prep, the trainers helped me hone my communication skills. In all, I appeared for two interviews and cracked one of them. I now work at SS&C Globe Op; my job involves much of what I learned at Imarticus, and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s not too late to begin. Click Here to speak to a career counselor and start your investment banking career.

Media Professional Turns to Investment Banking – Rashmi’s Incredible Career Transition

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

Rashmi Shetty’s ambition was to work with a top-tier global investment bank and that was specifically why she enrolled for Imarticus Learning’s Certified Investment Banking Operations Course.
How did we know that? Well, Rashmi’s first question on orientation day was “When will Goldman Sachs conduct their placement drive?”
Rashmi, a media graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and a master’s degree in Mass Communication, yearned for a career in the dynamic investment banking industry but encountered a roadblock – “Where do I begin?” She came across Imarticus’ investment banking course, received positive Imarticus Learning reviews from her peers and decided to take the leap.
Investment Banking Course
Considering the fact that Rashmi had no background in finance, it’s no surprise that the initial stages of the course were a tad bit overwhelming. Nevertheless, the program’s focus on everything from the basics of finance to advanced derivatives and commodities meant that even without a ‘finance degree’, Rashmi could effortlessly keep up with the learning curve. “This investment banking course is very good for anyone looking for a long-term career in investment banking,” she says.
What Rashmi liked most about the program was the practical approach to learning and the introduction of innovative teaching methods through a combination of classroom training, self-paced online lectures, and quizzes.
Even before completing the course, during her second semester, Goldman Sachs conducted a placement drive in Bangalore and Rashmi was one of the candidates for the interview. Imarticus Learning’s placement team urged her on, preparing her to face the interview through resume building workshops, interview prep, and mock interviews. Rashmi left Bangalore with an offer letter from Goldman Sachs in hand, ecstatic that she was one step closer to achieving her Investment Banking dreams.
“The interview went really well, I got placed at Goldman Sachs, and I’m so happy about it,” Rashmi exclaimed as soon as she walked into class the next day.
Are you an aspiring investment banker?
Enquire about Imarticus’ Investment Banking Operations Program and start your success story today.

Top Five Fiction Reads Set in The World of Investment Banking

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

Investment banking is an immensely specialized field wherein financial corporations termed as investments banks assist public and private commercial entities in complex transactions. So, it is natural to have much literature that surrounds this broad topic. To save your precious time in finding out the best fiction books available on investment banking, here are the top five handpicked books that are set amidst the world of investment banking.

Lets us know the thought flow of various authors in these fiction books on investment banking:

1. Free to trade by Michael Ridpath
The journey of this fiction book brings out the insights of the author upon the possible business complexities. This is a novel of suspense by a British author, where you see the narrator, Paul Murray is an ex-Olympic runner and a bond trader in London whose life turns upside down when his colleague drowns into the Thames.  Paul suspects it to be a murder, whereas the police suspect it to be an accident or suicide. Free to Trade being Ridpath financial thriller where the narrator Paul sets on a road to London, Manhattan and Las Vegas to untap the fraudulent activities involved in the colleague’s death. The author has told his story well through a skillful narrative of the protagonist.

2. The Chairman by Stephen Frey 
Shedding light on the darker side of the wall street, The Chairman portrays the power and risks faced by the young Christian Gillette who heads the throne of a towering firm after the sudden demise of its owner. A phase where Gillette escapes an explosion throws light on the undeniable risks that come along with power. The journey of Gillette when he takes the helm includes destruction, success, failure, attacks, betrayal, loyalty and assassination. The world of billion-dollar deals in this fiction gets exciting when the enemies try to hold the success ladder of Gillette. This highly finance-centric thriller has a cutting edge and intense that is portrayed in Stephen Frey’s novels surrounded in the financial world.

3. The Predator by Micheal Ridpath
Top investment bank Bloomfield Weiss has taught its employees to be predators, winners and killer deal makers. During the bank’s training program period, Chris and Lenka along with a gang of friends get on an upfront confrontation on their failed love story, when one of the group dies the rest of the members are left to cover up the truth. After a decade, Chris finds Lenka murdered and his world falls apart as he has to tackle the pressure of the company to keep it afloat along with the loss of his friends and business partners. The author has provided a master class financial thriller which one cannot afford to miss.

4. The price of Risk by Christopher Reich
This is yet another impeccable financial thriller by Christopher Reich that brings espionage to Wall Street. Being the head of the investment bank Comstock Partners, Bobby gets bewildered by a threatening text message from his father right before his death. Bobby’s investigation gets him trapped in an unruly way with the US target. This journey is enlightened by short, fast-paced scenarios, including a chapter where the wife of Bobby is also entangled to the same conspiracy. Reich confines this novel brilliantly into the world of finance, and international terrorism entangles Bobby in identifying the killer of his father.

5. The Day Trader by Stephen W. Frey
Augustus McKnight, who is having a dead-end life being a sales representative of a paper company, earns a lump sum by investing in the stock market. Even before he could reveal the windfall, his wife confronts him about her illicit affair. The death of Augustus’s wife makes him the beneficiary of million dollar life insurance.  To get over the devastating loss of his wife Augustus plunges into rigorous stock market trading and finds that he is just a pawn and a target in the exhilarating world of finance. This novel narrates the gamble between life and fortune of Augustus with nerve-wracking suspense.

Bottom Line
These fascinating stories tailored in the world of finance are an absolute treat for book lovers. The impeccable knowledge of the authors in the manipulative world of investment banking has led them to display a peek into the other side of investment banking. These books will undoubtedly be an excellent choice to widen your knowledge of the industry and the risks associated with it. Albeit in a fun way!

To know more details regarding Fiction in the world of Investment Banking, you can also consider our an Investment Banking Certification.

What Are The Career Prospects in Corporate Banking?

Posted on by Imarticus Learning

Corporate banking is a fantastic field for dynamic, driven individuals who have a passion for numbers. In this article, we try to outline the various career choices available in corporate banking.
Corporate banking is commonly known as business banking, and it deals with corporate customers whereas retail banking focuses predominantly on individuals. Everyone from small to large businesses avails their financial services from corporate banking companies. One of the best things about joining the corporate banking workforce is that there is no niche skill set that needs to be acquired in order to thrive in this field. Those with an undergraduate degree can get a certification in investment banking course and can pursue a career in the field. 
Jobs in this industry are highly prestigious and require individuals who are hardworking, smart and ambitious. It is challenging, and one gets to work with the best of talent in the financial sector. These career opportunities in corporate banking are also high salaries roles which means that one can look forward to a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle. One of the best things about corporate banking is the fact that one can learn different types of functions on a rotational basis within an organization before specializing in one.
There are many career options that one can consider after finishing a course in investment banking training.
Investment Banking
One of the largest job opportunities in corporate banking is investment banking. Enabling companies to understand the financial attributes of their business including how much capital to raise, how to manage their assets and also look into mergers and acquisitions is something that investment bankers do. Anyone with the right qualification, hard work and passion can pursue a career in investment banking.
Relationship Manager
Just like in retail banking, corporate banking also requires individuals who have good communications skills and can build lasting relationships with clients. A relationship manager in corporate banking is responsible for acquiring, retaining and ensuring customer success. For example, an associate corporate banker who is looking to take on additional responsibilities can establish a strong relationship with the client and upsell the additional services provided by corporate banks.
Trading
The stock market and trading can be another option in corporate banking.  It is a high risk and high-pressure job which one can pursue and achieve great rewards. Individuals who have pursued investment banking training can also work in the stock market.
Auditing
Auditing is the process of organizing a company’s financial records and makes sure that the board is aware of everything. If one is organized, methodical and can thrive in a high-pressure environment, then auditing is an option for you. Auditors have a deep knowledge of the companies workings and are able to provide strategic inputs when it comes to taking business decisions thereby aiding the success and growth of a company.
Conclusion
Corporate banking has many different career paths that one can pursue in order to accomplish a successful career trajectory.