The program begins with course overview and banker introduction (In this case Hemant Jai), followed by career paths at an investment bank before moving on to the deeper financial modeling and corporate valuation sections that include M&A and LBO modeling. We motivate and guide students and all those who interact with us in order to enable them to excel in their finance careers..

Imparting the most difficult topics in the simplest way, our institute guarantees the success and development of the students. The classroom environment of the International Finance Institute keeps the students focused and motivated. Our banker experts are great motivators and mentors who are ready to help the students as and when required. We also limit classes to 18 students so there is always one-on-one attention.

The IFI program prepares students to enter finance field with a solid understanding of the best practices in investment banking, private equity management, corporate finance and strategy with ideal course content with a special focus on the real-world experience. Students leave our certified investment banking training program with a deep understanding of financial markets, modeling and career opportunities.

Please contact one of our offices for more information.

Why Sydney for Finance Careers?

Australia in general is of the most stable political and regulatory environments in the world which provides an excellent setting for doing business. While not completely immune to international financial woes the nation’s economy has proven to be quite resilient, boosted by the continent’s abundant natural resources. The close proximity to Asia and the economic ties with China, Australia’s most important trading partner, have also made the country an attractive destination for multinational companies. Are you ready for investment banking in Sydney?

Sydney on the other hand is the nation’s major financial centre, with the Reserve Bank of Australia having its headquarters in the city. Sydney is also the home to the Australian Securities Exchange, created in 2006 through the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange. So, it is no wonder that a number of international financial institutions have chosen the city as their regional headquarters.

The Finance Industry in Australia

With Sydney being Australia’s primary financial centre, it is only natural that it is also the nation’s investment banking hotspot. It is the home of local heavyweight Macquarie Group which provides banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services. Westpac and Commonwealth Bank of Australia are some of the other major Aussie banks headquartered in Sydney.

Moving on to international banking giants, Deutsche Bank has been operating in Australia since 1974 and now has around 1,000 employees in its offices in Sydney as well as Melbourne.

J.P. Morgan is another major international institution with deep client relationships and broad product capabilities in Australia where it also provides commercial banking, asset management, treasury services and investor services, as noted on the bank’s website.

Credit Suisse, which opened an office in Sydney in 1982, forecasts that the region will continue to be an important financial engine due to its vibrant financial services sector, large pool of superannuation funds and history of innovation.

Other international banking giants with offices in Sydney include Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, HSBC and UBS.

Being Australia’s most important financial centre, Sydney has also turned into an attractive location for private equity and mostly, venture capital. According to an October 2014 article in The Sydney Morning Herald, the city’s financial services and new technologies – or fintech – sector is experiencing strong global growth; in 2013, financing activity in the industry was estimated to be $3 billion, with the number forecast to rise to between $6 billion and $8 billion.

The Aussie Lifestyle

Looking beyond the job opportunities in investment banking, as well as in the broader financial sector, Sydney has also established itself as a favored destination for investment bankers on account of its much more relaxed lifestyle in comparison to Wall Street or the London City.

Warm temperatures, palm trees, spectacular beaches with beautiful white sand as well as the abundance of waves suitable for surfing make for a much less stressful lifestyle. As suggested in a Wall Street Journal article, it is not uncommon for investment bankers in Sydney to kick off their day surfing the waves.

In addition to brushing up on financial modeling skills, bankers considering relocation to Australia will have to get used to the change of seasons which comes with passing over the equator. Still, the cultural adjustment is likely to cause much less stress in comparison to Hong Kong or Singapore for instance.

At the End of the Day

While there are certain downsides to working Down Under, such as the lengthy trips and the high cost of living on account of the strong Aussie dollar, Australia and its top financial spot do have a lot to offer in terms of both job opportunities and lifestyle to those who have chosen a career in investment banking. Or to put it in other words, there are a lot of things in Sydney well worth the trip other than the famous Opera House.

New York, The Finance Capital of the World

Represented by Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York is often referred to as the finance capital of the world. NYC’s economy is the largest regional economy in the United States with the finance industry being one of the biggest contributors to the city’s coffers.

New York’s dominance as a global financial center dates back to the early 20th century. The New York Stock Exchange, located on Wall Street, and the NASDAQ, the world’s first electronic market, are the world’s biggest stock exchanges in terms of market capitalization and average daily trading volume, respectively. In addition, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, also based in the city, is considered the most influential of the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks.

The Financial Careers Mecca

New York is a favorite spot for bulge bracket banks, being the home of giants such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, all of which usually occupy the top spots in charts measuring M&A activity. International investment banking groups such as UBS, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Barclays also maintain a significance presence in the city. While for the aspiring investment banker those names have a near-mythological status, landing a job in one of them is a real possibility, given the right set of finance skills. Sure, the bar is very high, but it’s still designed to be passed.

And yet, bulge bracket firms are not the only thing that New York has to offer for those seeking an investment banking career. Breaking into the finance industry can also be done via landing a job in a smaller, boutique investment bank, of which NYC has plenty.

Yet, the appeal of New York’s finance industry is not strictly limited to investment banking. With the city being one of the most important financial centers in the world, it is logical to assume that it is also attractive for the private equity industry. It is enough to mention a couple of names such as Blackstone which is headquartered in the Big Apple, and KKR which keeps several offices in the city, according to its website.

Prospective venture capitalists can also make it in New York; while San Francisco is often the preferred spot for those looking to kick off their career in the venture capital industry on account of its proximity to the Silicon Valley, New York has always attracted budding entrepreneurs and, by implication, venture capital companies wishing to invest in them.

Another factor which makes NYC stand out for those looking to pursue career in finance are the unparalleled exit opportunities which the city offers after investment banking. Networking opportunities are also aplenty on account of the number of people working in the finance industry.

New York State of Mind

The appeal of New York for investment bankers, however, lies way beyond the boundaries of Wall Street and lower Manhattan. It would hardly be a surprise that NYC is one of the best cities in the world to live in if you work in finance assuming you’ve had the right exposure to financial modeling and investment banking training. Despite the lengthy commutes and the notorious traffic jams, the Big Apple features some of the best shopping, dining and nightlife in the world.

If You Can Make It There…

Despite the financial crisis, NYC remains one of the most important centers of the financial industry worldwide and that is reflected in the career opportunities available. The downside? Just like New York is known as the city that never sleeps, its investment bankers are known for pulling all-nighters and generally, are said to be working more on average than their peers elsewhere. Still, the city remains the ultimate destination for those seeking to pursue the investment banking career path and climb the corporate ladder, and for a good reason; there’s no other place in the world where investment bankers feel more at home than on Wall Street.

Some Facts about Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s popularity as an investment banking destination is a logical consequence of the city’s location as a natural gateway to China, which in October 2014 regained the title the world’s biggest economy in purchasing-power-parity terms, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Historically, Hong Kong was ceded by China to the British in 1842, and as a colony became a regional hub for trade with China and south Asia. While the British returned the colony to China in 1997, Hong Kong has since remained a favored place for many financiers to do business with the Mainland.

The country’s British-style legal system and the number of fluent English speakers as a result of British rule are also among the factors that have made the city attractive for the international finance industry. Add to that favorable low-tax regime and it is no wonder why Hong Kong has become the preferred gateway for foreign companies seeking access to the Mainland, including investment banking giants.

According to InvestHK, a government agency which offers free support services to companies seeking to expand in Hong Kong, the finance industry is one of the region’s four pillar industries, which employed 230,000 people in 2013, accounting for 5.9 percent of the city’s entire workforce.

Hong Kong as an Investment Banking Hub

Hong Kong government data suggest that at the end of May 2014, there were 159 licensed banks in the city, 20 restricted license banks and 23 deposit-taking companies in Hong Kong, together with 61 local representative offices of overseas banking institutions. These institutions come from 36 countries and include 70 out of the world’s 100 biggest banks.

Looking at some of those banks, Citi for example opened its first office in the region as early as 1902 and has since become Hong Kong’s largest foreign financial institution, serving more than one million clients, as noted on the bank’s website. Citi is strong on all fronts in corporate banking, investment banking, retail banking, consumer finance, wealth management, transaction services and trading/treasury activities. Another US bank with notable presence in Hong Kong is Morgan Stanley, having set up shop in the region in 1987, which now serves as the bank’s Asia-Pacific headquarters, excluding Japan.

Moving on to European giants, Deutsche Bank’s presence in Hong Kong dates back to 1958, with the bulge bracket group currently keeping 1,400 staff in the region, according to its website. HSBC, which started out as The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, has significant presence in the city, as does Asia-focused Standard Chartered, while Australia’s Macquarie Group has chosen Hong Kong as its main hub for the Asia-Pacific region.

Beyond Investment Banking

Hong Kong’s appeal has not escaped the attention of the private equity industry either. According to the website of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the region is the largest private equity center in Asia, managing about 18 percent of the total capital pool in the region, trailing the Chinese mainland. The HKTDC notes that “an overwhelming majority” of PE funds in the city come from overseas, investing in companies in the region including Australia, Singapore, India, Korea, Japan and, of course, the Chinese mainland. TPG Capital, Blackstone, Bain Capital and KKR are among the international firms with offices in Hong Kong, alongside China-focused Fountainvest Partners and Boyu Capital.

Hong Kong is also betting on venture capital in a push to become a true “tech town”. June 2014 data from the Hong Kong Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (HKVCA) suggested that between 2009 and 2014, the number of venture deals within Hong Kong companies reflected an encouraging uptrend. Hong Kong is also a key initial public offering market for many venture-backed businesses on account of its proximity to the mainland and tight relationship with the Shanghai market.

When in Hong Kong…

So the good news about kicking off your investment banking career in Hong Kong is that with the finance industry on the rise, the supply and demand ratio for finance jobs is extremely favorable. The bad news: you might have to learn some Chinese. While not an absolute necessity, not having local language skills might hinder you from performing certain tasks. Additionally, though the job market is hot, it’s important to ensure you have the financial modeling skills to pass the rigorous investment banking interview process. One way to ensure you’re not left behind is with an investment banking training course. Still, the plentiful career opportunities in finance as as well as the lifestyle, largely suited to the needs of the financial community, make the effort worthwhile.

BACKGROUND

As noted above, London is often crowned as the finance capital of the world alongside New York, with nearly all of the large international banks and brokerage firms maintaining a significant presence in the city.

Finance is the largest and most important industry in the UK’s capital, and its financial exports make it a large contributor to the UK’s balance of payments.London is home not only to investment banks, but also to various brokers, asset managers, pension funds, hedge funds, private equity firms, venture capital groups as well as insurance companies. It is also home to the London Stock Exchange (LSE), one of the world’s oldest stock exchanges, tracing its history back more than 300 years, as well as the LSE’s Alternative Investment Market for growing companies.

CITY VS. CANARY WHARF

The City of London, commonly referred to as the City, is London’s most famous financial district, with many banking and insurance institutions having their headquarters there. The Bank of England is also based in the City, as is the LSE. UBS, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank are some of the biggest banks with offices in the Square Mile.

In the past few years, however, the City’s domination as London’s most important financial district is being challenged by Canary Wharf which has managed to attract local banking giants such as Barclays, HSBC, as well as the investment banking operation of Credit Suisse with much more favorable rents as compared to the City. US banking groups with presence in the challenger financial district include JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Citi.

INVESTMENT BANKING HUB

As already noted, pretty much any bank you can think of has established presence in London. JPMorgan for instance provides services in the fields of asset management, private, corporate and investment banking under both the JP Morgan and JPMorgan Cazenove brands, as noted on the lender’s website. Citi on the other hand has chosen London as the headquarters for its Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region which consists of operations in 54 countries and does business in another 61.

London is also Credit Suisse’s EMEA operations centre, with the group’s London offices housing a total of over 7,500 employees working across the bank’s investment banking, asset management and private banking business, as well as support functions, according to the Swiss bank’s website.

Then, there is also London-based Barclays whose investment banking division provides a full range of financial advisory, capital raising, financing and risk management services to corporations, governments and financial institutions worldwide. HSBC, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, employs some 8,000 people in its Canary Wharf offices.

The multitude of investment banking groups maintaining significant presence in London logically translates into a variety of finance job opportunities for both seasoned bankers wishing to transfer to the UK capital, as well as for those who are yet to kick off their investment banking career. While landing a job in the City or Canary Wharf is by no means an easy affair, it is doable given the right set of skills and dedication. Investment banking training and classes are a good place to start if you’re looking to brush up on your financial modeling skills to prepare for an investment banking interview. Barclays for instance also has spring and summer programs for aspiring investment bankers, as well as off-cycle internships. Citigroup admits graduates on a rolling basis, while JPMorgan offers various internship programs in areas such as Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, as well as UK Product & Industry Coverage under its JP Morgan Cazenove brand.

OTHER FINANCE JOBS

If we look away from investment banking in London for a moment, London also has a lot to offer in terms of asset management and private equity. Blackstone is one of the most famous private equity names with an office in the UK capital. Asset management job opportunities are also aplenty, with local giants Aviva, Prudential, and Brewin Dolphin being just a few examples. When it comes to the insurance industry, Lloyd’s of London, known simply as Lloyd’s, is the most high-profile name in the sector.

As for venture capital, London tech firms attracted a record $1 billion of venture capital investment in the first nine months of 2014, according to a report in UK newspaper City A.M. The newspaper also notes that in 2014 alone new VC funds worth more than $1.5 billion set up shop in the UK capital with Google Ventures, Santander, and Balderton Capital creating new investment vehicles in the City.

LONDON CALLING

While NYC’s Wall Street might seem as the most glamorous location for aspiring investment bankers, London offers just as many opportunities. Regardless of whether you head out to the City or the Wharf, the UK’s capital is a top spot for an investment banking career, worth even putting up with Britain’s ghastly weather.

More mergers and acquisitions are naturally good news for investment bankers– both incumbent and prospective – since they translate in higher turnover, bigger profits and higher demand for investment banking jobs.

M&A FRENZY RETURNS

While it’s obvious for anyone who’s been following financial news this year that there’s been a lot of M&A buzz, it’s a good idea to take a look at some numbers to get a grasp of how big exactly the buzz has been.

The Financial Times recently quoted data from Thompson Reuters as showing that in the first three quarters of 2014, the value of mergers and acquisitions had hit as much as $2.66 trillion, with the amount marking a 60 percent increase year-on-year. Reuters reports that the second quarter in particular was the highest in deal volume since the second quarter of 2007 with M&A deals totaling $1 trillion.

November alone saw two of 2014’s biggest deals – Activis’ $66 billion bid for Botox maker Allergan and Halliburton’s $34.6 billion offer for rival Baker Hughes which is set to merge two of the world’s biggest oil services firms.

What is even more impressive, however, is that the M&A boom has not been limited to the healthcare or the energy sector, but is visible in almost every sector of the economy, unlike in the past few years when consolidation deals only emerged in certain industries.

BEHIND THE M&A TREND

While the M&A boom might seem somewhat sudden to some, it can be interpreted as a logical development which follows the post-crisis period of caution among businesses. Some experts attribute the surge in activity to the strategies adopted by companies since the financial crisis.

“We have been through a period where costs have been cut and a lot of the straightforward organic expansion has been done, so companies naturally turn to M&A as a way to keep growing”, Peter Tague, co-head of global M&A at Citi, recently told the Financial Times.

Adding that to an environment of low interest rates and monetary easing programs which have supported equity markets worldwide, it is no wonder that a lot of companies feel that the time has come to pursue M&A deals and substitute cost cutting for expansion in their strategies.

Gregg Lemkau, co-head of global mergers and acquisitions at Goldman Sachs, earlier this year told Reuters that what was notable about the deal activity in the first half of 2014 was that it was blue-chip companies that were doing the acquiring.

“We have finally seen the return of the strategic acquirer,” Lemkau pointed out.

NO SLOWDOWN IN SIGHT

With 2014 already points to levels unseen since the financial crisis, there is optimism that this is not a one-time phenomenon but rather the beginning of an uptrend.

The USA Today in November quoted Jeff Golman, head of Mesirow Financial’s investment banking practice, as seeing the pattern continuing in 2015.

“M&A is all about underlying confidence in the economy and business,” he commented. “CEOs and corporate boards would not embark on large transactions if they didn’t have confidence in where things are headed.”

GOOD NEWS FOR INVESTMENT BANKERS

The steady improvement in global M&A activity over the year is expected to result in an increase in advisory fees for investment banks. Forbes noted in a recent article that Thomson Reuters data point to an increase of 12 percent in fees for the industry as a whole in the third quarter as compared with the previous quarter.

Looking at November’s mega-mergers, the five Wall Street banks which advised on the Actavis and Halliburton deals are set to reap $316 million in fees, according to an article in Bloomberg Businessweek.

While the advisory fees are the main reason for investment bankers to cheer, the surge in merger deals is also good news for those who are yet to kick off their career in finance. More M&A deals mean more work which is likely to result in more positions opening up with investment banks looking to handle the increasing workload, assuming the applicants have the required investment banking and financial modeling training to perform the jobs.

NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT

While even the best analysts cannot give 100 percent-accurate forecasts how long the M&A frenzy will continue and whether we have already seen its peak or it still lies ahead, the current deal activity is beneficial for the bankers’ paychecks and is also likely to provide more finance job opportunities for those looking to start their investment banking career.