Investment banking is a vast field of knowledge that this article will give you a brief on. If you are one of those professionals who has been yearning to join this domain and in search of relevant information on how to do so, this piece of writing shall be highly beneficial for your career.
Let us have a glimpse at what Investment Banking is about.
Investment Banking – How it Works
Investment banking is a facet of banking operations where capital is raised for corporations and governments and consultancy is provided concerning financial affairs. Apart from these services, they also offer advice to disparate clients on how to handle the financial assets (Real Estate, Equity Funds, and Debt Funds etc.) owned by them.
Fundamentally, they act as a mediator between the investors and security issuers. They also persuade new companies to go public. So, they either buy every share at a price recommended by their specialists in order to resell to the public. In other cases, they sell shares on behalf of the issuers and charge a solid commission on every share.
Investment banks are known for supporting organizations associated acquisitions and alliances along with providing supporting services like Market Making, Foreign Exchange, Derivatives Trading, Fixed Income Instruments, Commodities as well as Equity Securities.
Background of Investment Bankers
Investment banking is definitely not every professional’s cup of tea. Though they come from dissimilar backgrounds, it is a prerequisite for investment bankers to be strong in mathematical skills. In general, anyone who is in this field has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting, finance, math together with a certification in Investment Banking.
It is a well-known fact that the work that takes place in investment banking is as serious as it can get. After all, the industry revolves around juggling with other people’s money which can get stressful in an obvious way. Therefore, bankers who are newcomers in this realm have to go through extensive training till they are entirely aware of what, when and how to go about things.
Most freshmen begin their career in IB as an analyst and are given a detailed description of the principles related to the market, accounting, financial modeling as well as the risk involved. There are a bunch of other qualities which are expected to be incorporated by an investment banker into their personalities which, include decent communication skills, giving excellent presentations in addition to being good at negotiating.
Certifications in Investment Banking
There is a growing trend of earning investment banking certifications. For some, they are helpful in instigating a prosperous career while for others, it is a way to upgrade their knowledge on the subject. And, with a myriad of institutes offering relevant certifications in investment banking, getting a job in IB is not a catch-22 anymore. Moreover, with relevant skills and experience, anyone can become a valuable part of the IB world.