Finance for Professionals – serie

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of essential concepts and advanced strategies in the grain industry. Authored by professionals with decades of experience in grain trading, this book introduces core concepts such as hedging, basis trading, arbitrage, and counterparty risk, making it an essential read for novices. The topics covered include storage, futures trading mechanics, and the path of grain from farm to end-user.Unlike other resources, this book goes beyond introductory concepts, addressing real-world scenarios and advanced strategies in detail. The methodology employed in crafting this guide combines practical experience with academic rigor, ensuring that readers gain actionable knowledge. The book covers a broad range of topics, and its impact is profound, bridging the gap between theory and practice and empowering market participants to make informed decisions. This book contributes significantly to both research and practice, offering a holistic understanding of the physical grain trade and its broader market implications. It is intended to be used primarily by early-career practitioners and as a comprehensive text for University commodity risk management courses.

Callable mortgage bonds are utilized by individuals and companies to finance the purchase of real estate, and this asset class therefore plays a crucial role in modern society. Callable mortgage bonds constitute an enormous asset class and often offer long-term stable investments that are very attractive for pension funds.  This book focuses on the pricing and calculation of risk numbers of callable fixed-rate mortgage bonds. Owing to the, from a financial perspective, irrational behaviour of borrowers, the pricing of these instruments usually requires the use of numerical solutions. Traditionally, it has been either a Monte Carlo simulation or a Finite Difference method. This book covers both methods and, in addition, the relatively new Fourier technique. This latter technique also creates a link between the interest rate derivatives market and the market for callable mortgage bonds. Finally, a chapter presenting a model for the valuation of a mortgage credit institute’s loan book is included.

Callable mortgage bonds are utilized by individuals and companies to finance the purchase of real estate, and this asset class therefore plays a crucial role in modern society. Callable mortgage bonds constitute an enormous asset class and often offer long-term stable investments that are very attractive for pension funds.  This book focuses on the pricing and calculation of risk numbers of callable fixed-rate mortgage bonds. Owing to the, from a financial perspective, irrational behaviour of borrowers, the pricing of these instruments usually requires the use of numerical solutions. Traditionally, it has been either a Monte Carlo simulation or a Finite Difference method. This book covers both methods and, in addition, the relatively new Fourier technique. This latter technique also creates a link between the interest rate derivatives market and the market for callable mortgage bonds. Finally, a chapter presenting a model for the valuation of a mortgage credit institute’s loan book is included.

This book presents cutting-edge methodologies, including AI techniques, for corporate credit analysis as developed for the in-house credit assessment system (ICAS) of Banca d’Italia. The first part illustrates the methods, applications and use cases of the existing system, that is employed to evaluate a large sample of Italian non-financial companies. The second part presents the rating systems in use at commercial banks and provides a benchmarking exercise of the latter systems against the ratings produced by ICAS. The third part presents new developments of the system, including the evaluation of climate transition risk, climate physical risk, social and governance factors, cyber risk, sentiment analysis. The book illustrates all state-of-the-art AI applications developed for ICAS, providing practical examples and empirical results."Scalia and colleagues at the Bank of Italy (BOI) provide a well written and important commentary report that shows that a  blend of classical, statistical models for corporate credit analysis combined with modern technological additions, such as AI, machine learning and ESG variables can promote value-added coverage and accuracy. We have also tested these credit enhancements using large language AI models, especially when analyzing global SME, privately owned firms -- so important to the health of most economies. Also, the blend of such techniques to the more opaque, growing private debt market can be a major analytical addition. BOI's extensive and unique databases and a talented group of analysts have made these enhancements possible."— Dr. Edward I. Altman, Professor Emeritus at the NYU Stern School of Business and Co-Founder of Wiserfunding, Ltd.

This book offers an in-depth exploration of the rapidly evolving landscape of banking in the era of cryptocurrencies. The authors shed light on the pressing financial security challenges that traditional banks confront as cryptocurrencies continue to gain traction. Furthermore, the book provides a nuanced analysis of the dual-edged nature of cryptocurrencies, exposing both the risks and opportunities they present to banking institutions. On one hand, the book reveals the significant disruptions that cryptocurrencies cause to the traditional financial system, threatening to upend the status quo. On the other hand, it highlights the vast potential benefits that cryptocurrencies can bring to banks, from increased efficiency and reduced costs to new revenue streams and innovative business models.The book serves as a guide for traditional financial institutions, providing a roadmap for navigating the uncharted waters of the crypto market. It offers practical advice and strategic insights on how banks can adapt to the new norm, mitigate the risks associated with cryptocurrencies, and capitalize on the opportunities they present. For policymakers, the book provides a valuable framework for developing informed and effective regulations that can help traditional financial institutions survive and thrive in a crypto-dominated landscape. The book offers a timely and authoritative analysis of the challenges and opportunities presented by cryptocurrencies, providing a valuable resource for academics, practitioners, and policymakers alike. By understanding the implications of cryptocurrencies on the financial system, policymakers can create mechanisms to mitigate the risks and unlock the potential benefits of this emerging technology.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the validation of models used in fraud detection and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance for financial professionals. Focusing on the critical aspects of data quality, transaction monitoring, and customer risk rating, this book equips readers with the knowledge and tools to ensure that their models meet regulatory standards and effectively mitigate financial crime risk.As financial crimes become more and more sophisticated, there is a growing need for a specialized resource that addresses both the technical and regulatory challenges financial managers are facing . Offering a framework, tools, and case examples as well as incorporating the role of AI, this book helps readers ensure that their models are robust, reliable, and capable of detecting and preventing financial crimes effectively.