Tuesday 23 June 2015

How to start a career in investment banking in India

Dealing with finances and studying the concepts of how and when it can affect the industrial and corporate world, seems to be a thrilling career which can be appealing, high paying as well as satisfying in every sense. You can choose to take up such courses only if it interests you and not just because your close friend chose to do it. Deep interest and passion to learn the subject and its related concepts lets you gain a lot of knowledge and hands on experience which would not be possible otherwise. If the present scenario is observed closely, then you will know how prospective this career is. You can choose to enroll yourself for some of the best investment banking courses in India, such that you get to excel while staying in the domain which you love.

investment banking courses in India
investment banking courses in India


Being one of the best career choices, you will be proud to be part of this field. With a scope in this career, it will let you grow as and when you gain experience. Learning never stops when you are in this field. You also learn techniques of financial modeling and this is made possible due to the presence of a practical working environment. If you are highly ambitious then you should plan to seek admission in one of the leading school of investment banking. There are some prestigious colleges across the nation which attracts students who are genuinely interested in learning the subject and who can also learn practical skills such as staying calm and focused from their peers.

Imarticus Certification Ceremony of CIBOP-13 batch
Imarticus Certification Ceremony of CIBOP-13 batch


With the increase in competition, it has become essential for one and all to be highly skilled such that they can reach high levels in their professional lives. Enrolling oneself in a good school of investment banking is essential such that all the freshly qualified professionals get training as to how they should face the world such that they come out successfully with flying colors. The certification should be granted only after a candidate has successful cleared the training and the corresponding tests. Only the candidate who has managed to clear and pass out of the tests successfully can be assured of being able to build a strong career path in this field.


If you wish to become successful in the banking and financial sectors, then you need to time and again keep nurturing your knowledge. Practical study might also see involvement of data collection and analysis of information that turns out to be useful for such bankers. You can be sure of building a satisfactory career in investment banking in India if you keep your basics right and are always ready to learn with the flow. You will also need to have knowledge about the related work and professional ethics.

How to build an investment banking career path

Investment banking has emerged as a lucrative career option for those have a knack for analysing market trends and cracking numbers. Many graduates are showing inclination towards investment banking career path because of the huge money that can be earned in the sector. So if you are planning to take investment banking as a profession, here are a few things that you would need to know. 

investment banking courses in India
investment banking courses in India

There are several institutes in India that offer banking and finance courses in MumbaiYou can seek admission in any of these institutes if you wish to carve a career in investment banking. However, banks do recruit fresh graduates into their banks and train them in investment banking. If you are a graduate who wishes to pursue a career in investment banking, watch out for recruitment alerts in leading newspapers and social media. While boutique organisations may ask you for a CV, larger organisations usually take in application through online process. 

banking and finance courses in Mumbai
banking and finance courses in Mumbai

Qualifications

·     Most organisations take fresh graduates and train them. However, if you are seeking appointment in the technical division, you might need a technical degree.

·         However, if you wish you can also seek admissions in different institutes that offer a formal degree in investment banking in India

·         Before applying, review your qualifications such as your education and your soft skills.

·         Candidates with an ability to quickly pick up skills are highly preferred. Those with genuine interest in finance always have an edge over competition.

·         Other skills that you would be expected to have as a trainee would be team working skills, attention to details, analytical skills, numeracy etc.

Salary and Working Hours

·         As an investment banker, you will have to put in long hours of work. The remuneration is quite attractive but the work load will be quite high.

·         In spite of the long working hours, most investment bankers would vouch for the fact that their jobs are challenging and enjoyable.

·         An average of 12 working hours a day is quite common for investment bankers.

Different Areas of Work

Investment bankers can find employment in a variety of sectors such as private wealth management, operations, technology, structured finance, risk management, corporate banking, investment management, investment banking, specialist market etc.

With the right skills and training, you can successfully complete investment banking courses in India. While the long working hours may be counted as a drawback in the sector, but you will get the opportunity to work in a dynamic environment and with high powered colleagues. 

Saturday 20 June 2015

Imarticus Learning launches its online training program in Capital Markets

Imarticus Learning has launched its online training program ‘Certification in Capital Markets’ (CCM), aimed at providing an overview of Capital Markets and bridging the divide between academia and the needs of the Financial services industry.
Certification in Capital Markets (CCM) is a comprehensive, short-term program that provides aspirants with a thorough understanding of financial instruments and capital market operations. This two-month weekend program has been designed for working professionals and fresh graduates who are keen to explore career options in the capital markets. The program will be conducted virtually using a combination of 30 hours of interactive video and 20 hours of live instructor-led virtual classes, which will be managed by a fully integrated online learning portal.
The CCM program thoroughly prepares aspirants for the ‘Introduction to Securities and Investment’ Certificate from CISI. This is an internationally renowned certification that offers students a comprehensive and valuable benchmark qualification to prepare for entry into financial services.
The focus remains on practical knowledge and applicability in the corporate world. To that end, we work closely with our Advisory Council comprising noted industry experts when we design the curriculum of the program. The council also periodically guides and mentors our students. The CCM course ends with aspirants presenting their projects in front of industry experts.
The idea for launching our CCM program was a result of continues market demand from aspirants who wanted to be part of Capital Markets. The Certification in Investment Banking Operations (CIBOP) program, Imarticus’s flagship program for the last 2 years, fills out fast and has batches starting every month. But this is a classroom based program located at our Imarticus centres in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, which can pose a constraint for aspirants in other cities or for working professionals who still want to learn about Capital Markets but are unable to attend classroom sessions. The CCM program is a more focused and flexible learning option for candidates with both time or location constraints and those who prefer self study to a classroom environment.
Commenting on the launch of the CCM batch on 13th June, Mr Nikhil Barshikar, Managing Director, Imarticus Learning, said, “With the reduction in technological barriers and growing familiarity with sophisticated computer interface, there has been a gradual shift from traditional classroom training. Online education or eLearning has become an accepted training medium. We have trained over 5000 students in Financial Services and Analytics, and it was only a matter of time before we leveraged our domain expertise and networks within the industry. We want to be the first firm to offer comprehensive online education that completely mimics classroom teaching so much so it becomes the preferred mode of learning. We believe we can provide our online CCM students with the same stimulating learning experience that our classroom CIBOP course provides. We hope to create many more such online courses, while creating employment opportunities for our youth.”

The first CCM batch begins on 13th June, 2015, and enrollments are now open for Batch 2

Thursday 4 June 2015

Scope and the widened role of an equity research analyst

An equity researcher presents detailed analysis of a company, enabling investors to make an informed decision. He is responsible for reviewing stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments and producing an unbiased, factual report. There is a huge demand for this type of analysis, as investors rarely have the expertise to review all the information on a company and determine the current and potential future value. Equity research is the study of equities or stocks for the purpose of investments. It is exactly what an equity research analyst does. He gathers information that helps investors to decide where to put their money; or information with which traders understand whether to enter or exit a market position; or information that bankers and firms need to evaluate companies. They analyze industry data and financial models of a specific company or an industry. Their function also involves understanding current market trends, and report findings.



Equity research analysts closely analyze small groups of stocks to provide insightful investment recommendations to the firm’s sales force, traders, and directly to institutional investors. If one enjoys writing, being on the phone with clients and getting to know management teams, while at the same time doing a lot of financial modeling and analysis, they can think of making a career in equity research. Research associates go through similar training to that of sales and trading analysts.  After 2-3 months of corporate finance, accounting, capital markets, research associates are assigned to a group, and they begin to cover a group of stocks within a specific industry or region. Equity research doesn’t directly generate revenue. Equity research departments are a cost center that support sales and trading activities. These associates find themselves interacting with portfolio managers and hedge fund managers, the firm’s internal sales force and traders, and communicating the senior analyst’s investment thesis after a company report earnings.  

Online courses are quickly moving from novelty to mainstream. Leading colleges, graduate schools, and companies are investing significant resources into education. There are now hundreds of courses available online. Graduate-level, undergraduate level, Diploma level, certification level online finance courses are plentifully available and can teach students about the laws, ethics, implications and theories of the finance field. Most of these courses are designed for students to work independently by accessing course lectures, handouts and examinations online. Those who graduate from a finance program often find themselves working in careers like banking, financial planning, investment planning, money managing, insurance and real estate. But more important in some ways are the skills and competence a finance graduate develops during the course. Not only should each student be learning the basics of budgets, the money market, credit analysis, the global economy, loans, and investments, each student should be learning how to put that degree to work for them.