Ateneo - UPO

The course deals with topics related to standard banking and finance
undergraduate courses, such as the structure and regulation of the
financial system, the organization, structure, and performance of the
financial markets and institutions, the typologies and contractual features
of the main typologies of financial products and services. The emphasis
of the course is both on the theoretical understanding of key concepts
and on computational issues related to the different financial instruments.

-"Economia del Sistema Finanziario" (2021) by Elisa Bocchialini, Beatrice Ronchini, Lucia Poletti e Giulio Tagliavini.
- Strumenti finanziari" (2025) Create McGraw-Hill ISBN 9798219008047
- The instructors will provide other compulsory teaching material by the course official web page at the following link: https://eco.dir.unipmn.it.
The login to the web page requires a password. Please contact the
instructors to get the password.
- Other suggested reading:
Mishkin, Eakins, "Financial Markets and Institutions", 8th Edition, Pearson,
2015.
The instructors are willing to indicate a study plan in English for Erasmus
and free mover students.

1.Knowledge and understanding: the basic knowledge necessary to
understand features and development of financial system and financial
supervision, the role and the economics of financial intermediaries, the characteristics of financial needs and of financial instruments.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding: the ability to evaluate and selects the financial instruments best suited for specific financial needs
(payment, investment, fundraising and risk management), by applying
theoretical knowledge.
3. Making judgements: the ability to choose the right instruments to
satisfy financial needs and to judge its risks.
4. Communication skills: the ability to use an appropriate technical
language
5. Learning skills: the ability to analyze characteristics and risks of
financial instruments and services for future personal or professional
financial needs and to recognize and understand the changes in the
financial systems.

Students must have passed the exam of Business Administration.

1. knowledge and understanding: face-to-face lessons.
2. applying knowledge and understanding: exercises.
3. making judgements: face-to-face lessons.
4. communication skills: during the course the lecturer applies and
explains terms commonly used in the financial community.
5. learning skills: after theoretical lectures the lecturer provides questions and exercises that are subsequently illustrated during the course.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

One compulsory written exam (closed books and closed notes)
constituted of 6 questions (open questions, multiple choice questions and exercises) with a 60 minutes duration, covering the whole course
program.
During the period of teaching at the end of the course all students may
sit for a partial test covering, respectively, the firs and the second part of the course contents
1. knowledge and understanding: by written open questions.
2. applying knowledge and understanding: through exercises
3. making judgements: by written open questions.
4. communication skills: by written open questions.
5. learning skills: by mid term exams during the course. Self-assesment
tests on the course official web page.

- Course Introduction: teaching goals, contents, teaching methods, course
evaluation.
- The financial system: pillars, actors, and functions.
- The financial instruments: technical and contractual features; risk-return
profiles.
- The financial markets: major segments and distinctive features.
- Theory of financial intermediation: information asymmetries, transaction
costs, agency costs.
- Banks and financial institutions: business models, products and
services, performance measures.
- Direct and indirect finance: competitive and complementary relationship between capital markets and banks
- Regulation and supervision of financial markets and institutions
- Checking accounts, repurchase agreements and other bank liability
contracts.
- Domestic and international payment instruments: from legal currency to
virtual currency.
- Short and medium-long term lending facilities: unsecured credit lines,
mortgage loans, mezzanine finance.
- Issuing securities in the primary. capital market: the role of investment
banks.
- Trading securities in the secondary capital markets: the role of brokers,
dealers, market makers.
- Government and corporate bonds: valuation, yield and rating.
- Mutual funds and principles of asset management strategies.
- Insurance companies and pension funds.
- Derivatives contracts and risk management strategies.

KNOWLEDGE
To be aware of the major pillars of the financial system (regulation,
financial instruments, intermediaries and markets), their functions and
operations.
COMPETENCES
- To be able to select and evaluate on a comparative basis the financial
tools best suited to meet a given financial need.
- To be able to identify the financial institution or segment of capital
markets to get access to achieve a given financial goal.
TRANSVERSAL SKILLS
- To be able to interconnect among each other’s topics faced in different
chapters of the course.
- To be able to present a set of clear and structured arguments dealing
with the selection and valuation of financial tools.
- To know the technical terminology used by professionals and bank
managers at both the domestic and the international level.
- To be able to read, comprehend and comment technical material from
books, financial journals or other source.