ICMA Centre Blog

Taking ‘Topics in Finance’? You’ll want to read this… (Don’t worry. It’s good!)

Topics in Finance: The secret prize you didn’t know existed As another Spring Term sets off, flashbacks of last year come to mind. I was in the third and final year of my BSc in Finance and Investment Banking degree at the ICMA Centre. ’Twas the year of incredibly high expectations, stress like you’ve never…

No more culture shock: Adjusting to life in the UK as an international student

My name is Gao Tingting and I’m currently studying MSc International Securities, Investment and Banking at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School. I chose to study in the UK because I wanted to have an enriching study experience. Since starting I have seen so many new and different things here as an international student, such as the…

Getting through to the UK Investment Banking Series finals

By Brandon Rodrigues, third year BSc Finance & Investment Banking student at the ICMA Centre I had the opportunity to participate in this year’s UK Investment Banking Series (UIBS) event, and I must say it was a fun ride. UIBS is an annual competition organized by 5 finance societies of various universities. It consists of…

Still fretting about re-hypothecation

There is a widely quoted paper re-use and re-hypothecation by Egemen Eren — Intermediary Funding Liquidity and Rehypothecation as Determinants of Repo Haircuts and Interest Rates (Institute of Global Finance, 2015) — which provides another example of the danger for researchers of disregarding the difference between the re-use of collateral sold in repo (re-selling) and…

Academics, you re-hypothecate at your risk!

In a blog in May 2015, I tried to explain that, outside the US repo market, it was incorrect to use the term ‘re-hypothecation’ to describe the use of collateral purchased in a repo by its buyer. Such use is usually termed ‘re-use’ but would be better called ‘re-sale’. The crux of the matter is…

My unforgettable first week in a brand new environment

By Xuefei Zhu, China, MSc International Securities, Investment and Banking When I first arrived in the UK, almost everything was new to me. I came from China to study here and it was my first time studying in a new country. But despite that I had an amazing first week, and several things impressed me…

Career switch: From International Relations to a Masters in Finance

My name is Martin and I’ve just started studying MSc International Securities, Investment and Banking at the ICMA Centre, part of Henley Business School. Making the switch I previously studied European Studies and International Relations but (as many people do) I decided that I needed a career change. Even though I don’t have an academic…

Kind of a big deal: AT&T and Time Warner acquisition

– by Nikolaos Antypas, ICMA Centre PhD student There is a major acquisition in the making, which may have dominated your business news stream: AT&T (2nd largest mobile network provider in the U.S.; acquirer) has reached an agreement with Time Warner (4th largest content provider in the U.S.; target; also, Na na, Na na Na…

3 tips for getting a career in Finance – by alumnus Ben Deverell

My name is Ben Deverell, and I’m a career commercial banker with roles spanning operations, risk, strategy and business management. I’m currently a senior member of our Financial Institutions business, supporting clients with their financing, investment, risk management and banking needs. To any current students looking to start a career in finance: the financial industry is a great place to work and I…

Emailing the CEO of Deutsche Bank and asking for a hug… – by Cameron Pfiffer

Cameron Pfiffer, studying MSc Corporate Finance at the ICMA Centre, blogs about his first weeks at the ICMA Centre and using the Bloomberg Terminals for good and evil. One of the reasons I chose to come to the ICMA Centre was the facilities – the building and the neighboring Henley Business School (which the ICMA Centre…