Investment Banking Training Courses
We offer a wide range of capital markets technical training covering: sales and trading – equities, fixed income, commodities and FX; investment banking – corporate finance valuation and financial modelling; investment management - asset and private wealth management; as well as corporate banking and credit.
Creating the right course for your organisation
We believe that tailored training is both more effective and cost efficient than standardized 'off the shelf' courses. We work closely with our clients to identify key learning needs and then design courses to address those training needs. One of OTC’s core competencies is its design strength. We are expert in making complex ideas simple, and in managing to make often quite technical subjects engaging and fun to learn. It is very important that participants can apply the learning back at the workplace, and we build case studies and examples that are directly relevant to your business, to aid in the practical application of the concepts learned.
Another key strength is our phenomenal team of trainers. See feedback below. They are selected for their outstanding combination of a deep working knowledge of the financial sector both in the UK and globally, as well as, critically, their ability to educate and inspire participants.
Content/Topic areas
- Equities – cash and derivative products
- Interest rate products – cash and derivative products
- Credit products – cash and derivative market products
- Commodities and commodity derivatives
- Foreign exchange and FX derivatives
- Corporate finance
- Equity valuation
- Accounting and financial analysis
- Economics
- Risk metrics and risk management
- Asset management and portfolio management
- Private wealth management
- Technical analysis
- Trading simulations
- Portfolio management simulations
Venues: We train internationally – either in offices around your global network or at the training facilities of one of our many training venue partners.
Investment banking clients
Our investment banking clients include leading banks, investment banks, hedge funds and asset managers, such as: Barclays, Concorde Capital, Credit Suise, Glenview Capital Management, Lloyds Bank, Renaissance Capital, and Schroders
OTC Training methods
Our approach to training is that it should be clearly structured, engaging, technically robust, relevant and applicable. We recognise that different participants have different learning styles and we ensure that we use a variety of learning approaches including:
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- short tutor inputs
- practice exercises
- class discussions
- case studies
- role-plays
- facilitated workshops
- simulations
- one-to-one coaching discussions
- distance learning
- e-learning modules
I just wanted to let you know I received a call from a participant stating how extremely beneficial the course was. As well as many compliments about yourself and how you reviewed and explained everything perfectly. Thought you would like to know! Kudos to you!! HR Manager, Global Bank
Illustrative module outlines
Our investment banking training programmes can be delivered to all levels of management, from junior hires to senior managers. Each programme is tailored to the client’s requirements. They are typically modular in structure, with each element lasting between one and four days. Below are some illustrative module outlines, showing the sort of content covered. Contact us to discuss how we can meet your specific training needs.
Sales and trading – fixed income equities, FX and commodities
Fixed income
Introduction to bond markets
Bonds and interest rate swaps
Bond relative value analysis
Introduction to financial maths
Bond market maths
Fixed income derivatives
Bond and interest rate futures and interest rate swaps
Building an interest rate swap model
Repo
Credit products
Introduction to credit analysis
Advanced credit analysis
Understanding credit risk and credit derivatives
Credit default swaps
Credit default swap modelling
Introduction to asset-backed securities
Securitisation structures
Risk management
Equities
Introduction to equity markets
Introduction to technical analysis
Clearing and settlement
Principles of valuation and modelling
Relative valuation
Absolute valuation
Introduction to modelling in Excel
Advanced equity modelling
Advanced valuation - beyond two-stage DCF models
Advanced performance analysis
Essentials of equity derivatives
Equity options pricing and risk management
Exotic and structured equity derivative products
Convertible bonds, CB arbitrage and capital structure arbitrage
FX and Commodities
Introduction to FX
FX options for spot/forward FX dealers
Introduction to commodities
Client trading and hedging strategies
Investment banking – M&A and corporate finance
Structured real estate finance
Introduction to accounting
Introduction to financial analysis
Advanced financial analysis
Developing effective financing solutions for major corporates
Project finance
Practical accounting
Advanced accounting issues
Business writing
Preparing an effective business case
Introduction to private equity
Introduction to equity valuation
Introduction to modelling in Excel
Corporate Credit Analysis
Asset/private wealth management
Money, interest rates and key economic indicators
The essentials of micro-economics
The economics of the market cycle
Macroeconomics essentials
Introduction to fund management
Introduction to portfolio construction
Risk and performance measurement
Overview of alternative investments
Introduction to hedge funds
Introduction to real estate investment
Exploring private equity
Feedback from our trainees
The best trainer we have had. Well-run course that was engaging and challenging.'' - M. Minchella
A tutor with a gift for holding an audience's attention for a long time. I liked the course structure and explanations were clear. Applause!'' -A. Ryshova
Brilliant! The best training I've ever attended. -
L. Akchurina
Amazing energy in the room! - M Pillay
Tough topic to teach but very well taught - very clear and helpful'' -D. Whelan
Read more client feedback.
investment banking Case Studies
Global MBA front office training Programme
The Challenge
A major US investment bank wanted help designing and delivering a global induction programme for MBA hires into sales and trading. Participants had a mixture of backgrounds – many had relevant experience gained on Wall Street, but many were business school graduates with a commercial background looking to move into finance, whilst some were technical PhDs with no prior financial/commercial experience. They were also drawn from all over the world, with English being a second or third language for many.
The programme had to be flexible enough to accommodate these different backgrounds and to add value to those who already had significant financial knowledge and relevant Wall Street experience, as well as being able to quickly move those with less financial knowledge up the financial learning curve. The client approached OTC because of our recognised expertise in designing well-structured, engaging, flexible training courses, that work well with a wide variety of international audiences.
The solution
OTC designed a modular programme that allowed participants to work at a speed that suited them. Everyone undertook a core of “have to know” information, and then there were additional, more challenging, exercises and case studies for the more advanced students. This approach allowed the OTC tutors to spend time ensuring that the less experienced hires were brought swiftly up the learning curve, without adversely impacting on the engagement, or learning, of other students. The course was highly practical, with examples based on real products and clients of the firm. Our tutors all had relevant market experience, and we worked closely with the client to ensure that line managers would come at regular intervals and talk to the class about topical issues and relevant product areas. We streamed live market data into the classroom, using Bloomberg Anywhere, and participants were rigorously tested on their knowledge, through weekly examinations, ensuring full commitment to the learning process as well as regular feedback on progress.
The result
The students learned an enormous amount in a relatively short space of time, and the client was delighted with OTC’s contribution. Line managers were involved in the programme design, and commented positively on its rigour. The client invited OTC to broaden the scope of the programme in subsequent years to include private banking as well as sales and trading.
Front Office graduate induction programme
The Challenge
A major east European investment bank wanted to put together a world-class graduate training programme, to help maintain their market leadership by continuing to attract, develop and retain top talent to their firm. They approached OTC to design and deliver the major technical training elements of their graduate induction programme.
The solution
OTC designed and built a suite of intensive, rigorous but engaging technical and product training modules. We were able to ensure that the modules fitted seamlessly into the overall graduate programme and complemented, rather than duplicated, other elements of the training. The delivery style was fast-paced and highly interactive, challenging participants to think through how best to apply their knowledge in practice. We made extensive use of real-life examples, interactive exercises, and streamed live market data into the classroom using Bloomberg Anywhere.
The result
The training was highly effective, and the client was delighted. The participants commented that, as a result of our training, they felt much more confident about starting at their desks and being immediately productive. The client extended the scope of our training work at the bank to include technical and product training for more experienced hires as well as front office graduates within the bank
Infrastructure graduate training
The Challenge
A major international bank had a global training programme for graduates going into a variety of middle and back-office support roles. They wanted a programme that gave all their graduates a good insight into the operations of the bank and the key products and services offered to clients, but that was also relevant to the roles that they were going into in HR, Marketing, Operations, IT and Finance.
The solution
OTC designed and delivered a modular programme that provided participants with the key knowledge and skills that they needed to be effective in their first years at the bank. The programme focussed on how products worked, and what their key features and benefits were. The programme was highly interactive, with examples drawn from real-life, and use of Bloomberg in the classroom, together with a number of hands-on simulations and case studies.
The result
The client was delighted with the feedback from the programme. Participants said that they felt much more confident about going into their first roles at their desks. OTC were invited to design and deliver a number of additional modules – delivered globally later in the year - to build on the learning from the initial training programme.
Hedge Fund training
The Challenge
A highly successful, multi-billion dollar US hedge fund had expanded rapidly and had a fairly new infrastructure and research team that needed to brush up on their knowledge of the trading strategies adopted within the hedge fund industry. They had heard about OTC’s work with other clients in this area and approached us to design and deliver a practical workshop to help people build their knowledge about hedge fund trading strategies in particular, and sales and trading in general.
The solution
OTC designed a series of half-day workshops, delivered in their offices, comprising a review of key hedge fund strategies including global macro, long/short equity, index arbitrage, statistical arbitrage and capital structure arbitrage, together with a short trading simulation to embed the knowledge in a practical way. The workshops were highly interactive, with live market data streamed into the classroom using Bloomberg Anywhere, and participants were encouraged to ask questions freely.
The result
The client was absolutely delighted with the response to the programme, with every participant on every workshop giving the OTC tutors a perfect 100% score. They are keen to work with us further.
Intern Training Programme
The Challenge
A major US investment bank wanted help designing and delivering product training for interns. The training needed to be relevant and concise, enabling the interns to perform more effectively on their desks for the duration of their internship.
The solution
OTC designed a short high-level programme covering the basics of investment banking and the key products and services offered to clients. Participants were encouraged to ask questions and to learn by doing, through highly interactive simulation and role-play exercises.
The result
The client was delighted with OTC’s contribution, as the participants enjoyed the learning process and thus formed a more positive view of the bank, as well as being more confident in their ability to perform effectively on the desk during their internships.
On-campus recruitment Event
The Challenge
A major investment bank wanted to distinguish its on-campus recruitment events from the competition. It asked OTC to design and deliver a very different type of on-campus recruitment event, where participants would participate, rather than be talked at, and would get some useful technical knowledge to take away with them.
The solution
OTC designed a programme based on dividing the undergraduates into three separate groups and giving them short practical training inputs on corporate finance, equity research and sales and trading – focussing on what actually happens in practice and comparing and contrasting this to what is taught in text books at business school. The participants then got back together for an engaging and intensive market simulation - allowing them to apply some of the techniques learned.
The result
The client was delighted with the results. Many participants commented that it was much the most memorable on-campus event that they’d been to, and that they’d actually picked up some relevant and useful knowledge. They left the event with a very positive view of the bank.
business case and modelling training
The Challenge
A major East European hedge fund had a team that needed to build a consistent approach to developing and presenting robust business cases. They had heard about OTC’s financial training work with other hedge fund clients in Eastern Europe and contacted us. We were asked to design and deliver a residential workshop reviewing key elements and process of developing, as well as presenting, a robust business case.
The solution
We designed a tailored residential programme that introduced participants to a simple, practical and robust eight-stage investment case framework. Each element was illustrated with multiple practical examples, and participants were encouraged to think through, and challenge, the approaches suggested to particular problems, as well as sharing their own investing/pitching experiences. The final part of the programme considered practical approaches to ensuring that both written and oral presentations were clear, punchy and persuasive.
The result
The client put all of the key members of their team through the training and were very happy with the results. They found the business case framework to be a very useful addition to their toolkit. The programme made a significant improvement to their business case evaluation skills, and the team felt much more confident in their ability to create, and present, persuasive business cases. The programme also identified some additional technical training needs. As a result, OTC was asked to design and deliver a follow-on residential programme covering technical aspects of corporate finance theory, as well as a practical workshop to help them refine their in-house approach to building enterprise valuation models in Excel.
Excel Modelling Training
The Challenge
A successful US investment bank wanted to ensure a consistent approach to valuation modelling amongst its equity analysts. They approached OTC to design and deliver a series of practical skill-based programmes to help achieve this.
The solution
We designed a very practical two day programme, delivered in small groups, built around real-life case studies to explore different approaches, and to offer a suggested best-practice technique. Participants were encouraged to share their existing knowledge and to offer examples of what worked (and what didn’t).
The result
The client was delighted with the response to the programme. Participants engaged fully with the hands-on nature of the course, and came away feeling that they’d picked up useful new skills that would be of immediate benefit at their desks. OTC was asked to design and deliver a series of follow-up advanced modelling workshops, all of which were over-subscribed.
Advance Excel modelling Training
The Challenge
A successful US investment bank was moving from one generation of Microsoft Excel to another, and wanted to ensure that its analysts had a practical understanding of the new and improved features of the software, and how these could be practically applied in their day-to-day work.
The solution
We designed a very practical workshop, built around exploring the key new features and tips on how these could be applied in real-life situations. The exercises were all tailored to be highly relevant to their day-to-day work.
The result
All of the programmes were fully subscribed within 15 minutes of being offered to participants. The client was delighted with the response: participants came away with very practical ways to use the new software to get their work done more effectively and efficiently. They are keen for us to deliver more training for them in this area.
Applied Excel training
The Challenge
A successful US hedge fund had a fairly new team that needed to brush up on their Excel modelling skills. They had heard about OTC’s work with other clients in this area and approached us to design and deliver a practical workshop to help people build their skills and use Excel more effectively at their desks.
The solution
We designed a very practical one day programme delivered in small groups, to encourage participation and interaction, and built around solving real, practical problems rather than artificial/theoretical exercises.
The result
The client was delighted with the response to the programme, with participants being able to put the learning into practice almost immediately. They asked us to do further Excel training work – on a one-to-one basis with some of their managers.