Code

COMPGF01

Year

MSc

Prerequisites

This course should be taken in conjunction with the core courses for the MSc Financial Computing programme.

Term

2

Taught By

Antoaneta Serguieva (100%)

Aims

To achieve an advanced understanding of: (a) the business and IT processes and structures involved in an Investment Bank (IB); (b) how IBs relate to other financial institutions; (c) the roles and responsibilities of specific technology groups and people in relation to an IB; (d) the global nature of IB and the impact this has on technology delivery; (e) the responsibilities, challenges and processes of managing diverse teams of technical specialists in a global technology organization (GTO); (f) the practical implications of the Financial Markets (FM) business context for information systems and information technology (IT); (g) To develop an advanced level of specific Information Systems and IT knowledge and skills in the areas of business analysis, systems development, project management and FM-specific systems and architectures; and (h ) To analyse and learn from IB case studies.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module the Programme participants will be able to: (a) Demonstrate a clear knowledge of what an investment bank is, what market functions it performs, and the business processes involved in providing that function; (b) Describe several other types of financial institutions and how they relate to investment banks; (c) Demonstrate knowledge of other Investment banking Departments and how these can impact IT; (e) Describe several basic financial instruments in some detail. How they are priced, transacted and settled. And the rationale for some of those instruments, including some history; (f) Understand how to produce a Project plan for a software development project, and how to track progress against such a plan; (g) Produce a series of business, functional or technical requirements document; (h) Produce and execute a software test plan; (i) Understand how to deliver an IT system product as part of a project team; (j) Describe different methodologies for Project management, Systems Development, and Analysis; (k) Understand the regulatory framework within which applications are delivered (Security, KYC, AML etc.); On completion of this module the Programme participants will have the following practical skills: (a) Teamwork; (b) Project management; (c) Business analysis; (d) Systems Analysis; (e) Communication skills; and (f) Business awareness and delivery focus.

Banking Sector Orientation

Structure
Instruments, Markets and Execution
Clearing, Payments and Settlement

Project Management

Methodologies and Software Development Life Cycle
Development approaches
Critical analysis of good and bad Case Studies

Business Analysis

Decision Trees
Quality assurance
The business case

Financial Systems and Architectures

Front, middle and back office technologies
Real time architectures, messaging and protocols
Fault tolerance

Lecture presentations, lab self-practice and tutorial sessions.

The course has the following assessment components:

• Written Examination (2.5 hours, 100%)

To pass this course, students must:

• Obtain an overall pass mark of 50%

The examination rubric is:
Answer any 3 questions from 5, all questions carry equal marks.

Supporting materials will be available on Moodle.