Help financial institutions prepare for future developments

Banks play an important role in our economy. The recent crisis has taught us a lot about the challenges that these institutions and their regulators now face. How should banks be managed? What is the real purpose of banks? How should we regulate the banking sector? 

The Banking and Regulation track provides you with the theoretical foundation to analyse these key issues and formulate your own motivated opinions on developments in banking, risk management, ethics, and financial regulation.

If you are interested in the fast-moving world of high finance and become a specialist in financial regulations, banking and international corporate governance, then this is the track for you.

Why choose the Banking and Regulation track?

1. Beside the 6 general courses of the MSc Finance in your curriculum, you will have 4 courses with focus on risk management and developments in banking.
2. You will be lectured by professors and experts working in a wide range of financial organisations and fields. Therefore, you have access to up-to-date cases and learnings from the field of financial regulations and banking.
3. After graduation, you have an excellent job prospect at e.g. regulatory agencies at the national and transnational levels.

Track-specific courses

Real-life case: Run on DSB bank in October 2009 

DSB, named for its founder Dirk Scheringa, was famous in the Netherlands for its sponsorship of football champions AZ, but mostly for its cutting-edge loans, mortgages and connected insurance policies. During the Financial Crisis, it experienced a run by depositors following a call from a consumer group to pull money out of the controversial institution. The Dutch government decided against nationalising the failing bank; it was not considered too big to fail. What was the impact of DNB’s failure on its deposit holders? Did government policy help insure clients? What was the governance structure of DNB, and did that play a role in its demise? These issues and more are discussed in class.

Contemporary issues

• Basel IV and related regulations: What are the implications for bank capital holdings and the cost of market-making services? How will recent regulatory changes affect bank profitability and business models?  
• The term structure of interest rates at the zero lower bound: Many banks are now charged fees (in the form of negative interest rates) to hold reserve funds. How does this affect bank financials and risk-taking?
• FinTech and new lending platforms: How do the challenges faced by peer-to-peer lenders compare to traditional banks? How much FinTech innovation is in response to recent regulatory changes? What are the implications of blockchain and cryptocurrencies for lending and financial services?

Career prospects

Graduates of the Master's in Finance/Banking and Regulation track have excellent job prospects for positions at regulatory agencies at the national and transnational levels, or in banking and consulting at Dutch or international companies, such as:

• ING
• ABN AMRO Bank
• Rabobank
• Central Banks
• Authority of Financial Markets