Module overview
This module is one of the core units of the MSc International Banking and Financial Studies. It is also the module that is most directly focusing on banking, as opposed to financial market or accounting and finance-related courses otherwise on offer.
Students learn the ‘micro’ side of banking, including , the lending activities, the interaction between banks and financial markets, bank investment activities , bank liquidity and money creation, bank risk, bank performance, as well as bank regulation.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- learn to evaluate data, and use it in order to act upon it.
- develop skills in critically assessing and using official statements.
- develop analytical skills using an evidence-based approach.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the risks, stability and performance of banks.
- the role of banks in credit, liquidity, and money creation.
- the role of regulations in banking and the influence of the central bank.
- the function of banking in financial markets and the economy.
- the institutional structure and uses of financial markets with emphasis on banking.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- assess the role and impact of banks and the central bank, and the need for appropriate regulation and supervision.
- Understand the key lending products and technologies of banks as well the role banks play in the markets of other financial instruments.
Syllabus
- The micro-side of banking and regulation
- The need for financial intermediation and the activities of banks
- The loan market: Lending, Lending technologies and syndicated lending
- Bank industry structure and competition
- Banks as participants in other financial markets (e.g. money, bond and mortgage markets).
- Bank Investment activities
- Bank credit, liquidity, and money creation
- Bank risk and performance
- Bank supervision and regulation
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
The course takes place over two semesters. Teaching mainly takes the form of lectures, with recommended supplementary reading. There will be handouts for parts of the programme, but students are encouraged to take careful notes of the lectures. Depending on class size, there is the possibility (rarely implemented) of adding group presentations based on case studies. The course should offer ample stimuli for MSc dissertation topics.
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Independent Study | 126 |
Teaching | 24 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Financial Times.
Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin. Journal / Working paper series
Journal of Banking and Finance. Journal
Journal of Financial Intermediation. Journal
Journal of Financial Services Research. Journal
Textbooks
Matthews and Thompson (2014). The Economics of Banking. Wiley.
Casu, Girardone and Molyneux (2015). Introduction to Banking. Pearson.
Saunders and Cornett (2019). Financial Markets and Institutions. McGraw Hill.
Hubbard and O’Brien (2018). Money, Banking and the Financial System. Pearson.
Mishkin and Eakins (2015). Financial Markets and Institutions. Pearson.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Questions and answers
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback:
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Examination | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Examination | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Examination | 100% |