The course pursues the general objective of the core curriculum to provide knowledge and skills on the functions of companies operating in different sectors. In particular, the course aims at analyzing the theoretical background and the functional characteristics of financial institutions. In particular, it focuses on their management, riskiness, profitability, and relations with financial markets. Such analysis profiles are framed in the context of the financial structure of the economy and regulations on the different categories of intermediaries.
Expected learning outcomes:
At the end of the course students will be able to know the theory underlying the functioning of financial intermediaries and markets and to acquire specialist skills necessary to operate within banks, insurance companies and other financial intermediaries, as well as in financial areas of companies. In order to contribute to the training of professional figures envisaged in the core management, students will be able to hold positions that require knowledge on risk management, on the lending activity, on the management of liquidity in financial intermediaries. Students will also be able to address financial decisions in contexts characterized by an increasingly rapid regulatory evolution.
The objectives of the course aim at transmitting to the students the knowledge/skills necessary:
- to recognize the peculiarities of the management of each type of financial institution;
- to select financial instruments/products with respect to financing /risk coverage needs;
- to read bank balance sheet in terms of economic, financial and equity conditions;
- to recognize the accounting items related to prudential supervision in bank financial statements.
To this end, the course aims at transmitting the following skills and knowledge in terms of particular objectives:
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABILITY
- to distinguish the different nature, activity and functioning of the intermediaries;
- to distinguish the different nature and purpose of the financial instruments;
- to recognize in the bank financial statements the accounting items related to prudential supervision.
APPLIED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABILITY
- to apply the learned knowledge to real cases and to identify the most appropriate solutions to concrete problems concerning the functioning of financial markets and institutions.

AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT:
- to read bank balance sheet by taking critical considerations on economic, financial and equity conditions;
- to read information sheets by drawing critical considerations on the economic conditions of the loans;
- to read financial market regulations by drawing critical considerations on the risk-return conditions of negotiated instruments
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
- to express, with appropriate technical language, analytical and synthetic considerations on the fundamental aspects of the course also through interdisciplinary links.

ABILITY TO LEARN
- to carry out individual and group research on specific aspects of the course;
- to compare acquired skills with the most recent trends
(usable tools: in-depth texts, Banca d’Italia publications for updates)