For a few years now, professional and skill-based courses have been in demand. Students are willing to hone their skills and become career-ready. After all in the 21st century, it’s not enough to just get your knowledge updated, you must be excellent at implementing your knowledge into practical skills. Among them, Investment Banking has been a popular course and its roots trace back to the 19th-century European era, when merchant banks established their first trading houses. If you are someone willing to pursue an Investment Banking course, then this article brings you a comparative analysis of the IIM SKILLS vs CFI Investment Banking Course.

 

IIM SKILLS VS CFI INVESTMENT BANKING COURSE REVIEW-compressed

 

Deciding on a course that is perfectly suited to your preferences and has the right approach to the subject can be quite a tedious task. Thus, we have selected the two best institutes providing Investment Banking and related courses and compared them to help you explore them in-depth. Read on, to learn more about the IIM SKILLS vs CFI Investment Banking course.

We also recommend you read, IIM SKILLS vs The Wall Street Investment Banking Course 

IIM SKILLS vs CFI Investment Banking Course Review

 

IIM SKILLS vs CFI Investment Banking Course – Introduction

 

IIM SKILLS

This Ed-tech company was initiated in 2015 and was founded by Mr Vaibhav Kakkar. The company has been proudly serving its students with affordable online courses on various in-demand courses. Each course is designed after researching the latest industry trends and after discussions with industry leaders.

As a student at IIM SKILLS, you are entitled to get yourself a dedicated faculty and a wide range of course options to choose from including Content Writing, Digital Marketing, and Investment Banking. The courses are equipped with live interactive classes, doubt-clearing sessions, opportunities to participate in interactive programs, and master certificates after completion.

The company has a wide network of students across the globe and has trained more than 35,000 students, meanwhile, the overall training provided has crossed 90,000 to date.

 

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Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)

CFI is a private institute that serves its students with courses related to the Finance Education domain. It was established in 2016, with branches being Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada. The institute serves a wide student base from across the globe, serving them with online education and training programs.

The courses cover the domains of Financial Modelling and Valuation Analyst, Commercial Banking and Credit Analyst, Capital Markets and Securities Analyst and Business Intelligence and Data Analyst. The institute has the trust of over 1 million professionals and allows you to start your journey with them for free. You are open to exploring more than 20 free courses and hundreds of cheat sheets and templates.

 

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IIM Skills vs CFI Investment Banking Course – Overview of the Course

IIM SKILLS

The Investment Banking Course at IIM SKILLS provides the learners with over 50 hours of intensive training. The major takeaway is the experience that you will gain from it. You get an opportunity to spend your time learning from the experienced faculty and clear all your doubts regarding the course. The course is self-paced, allowing the student to learn at their own pace but if you ever feel lost while doing so, you can reach out for help from the faculty. Special attention and support is given to every learner.

Corporate Finance Institute

Here the Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst Certification Program engages you to learn practical skills required for the finance industry. The Financial models provided are crucial for any business or decision-making processes that can still confidence in the learner.

The course focuses on providing a comprehensive approach to the career path, enhancing your skills in modelling, streamlining budgeting and forecasting along the way. You will be familiar with real-world scenarios more than ever and the flexible, self-paced learning will help you maintain a balance in your schedule.

 

IIM SKIlls vs CFI Investment Banking Course – Features

IIM SKILLS

  • You can be granted a master’s certificate after completion of the course, and the certificate is recognized by the Govt of India.
  • Support is provided for 24 hours, students are allowed to reach out to the faculty in case of queries and difficulties.
  • Students are given a scope of participating in projects, to help them boost their confidence and experience.
  • The training sessions are live and interactive.
  • Support for Interview preparation and Resume is included with the course.
  • Access to the course along with all study materials and resources is granted to the student after purchase. The LMS remains accessible as long as the student has an account there.

 

Corporate Finance Institute

  • Students can learn this course and earn standard industry credentials, making them stand out from others.
  • There are around 41 courses on Financial Modelling and Valuation Analyst that are equipped with hands-on experience.
  • The choice of a course is in your hands as you are only required to complete 17 courses to earn the certificate of merit.
  • You are taught important skills required to top the industry. Some of those are Excel, PowerPoint, Accounting, Budgeting and so on.
  • The students are provided with the best that they can get and the course features over 200 interactive exercises for all-round learning.
  • The instructors are experienced and you can learn from the best.
  • The courses are updated frequently and new topics are covered and updated monthly.

 

IIM SKILLS vs CFI Investment Banking Course – Fees and Duration

IIM SKILLS

The Ed-tech company provides their Investment Banking course at the rate of 39,900 INR with an additional 18% GST, for 3 months.

Corporate Finance Institute

The prices of the course vary according to self-study and full immersion. For self-study, you pay $497 (approx 41,000 INR) per year and get high-demand experiences. For full immersion, you can get the experiences, as well as, work with real-world finance tools for $847 (approx 70,000 INR) per year. The course can take up to 4 to 6 months to complete.

 

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IIM SKILLS vs CFI Investment Banking Course – Curriculum

 

IIM SKILLS

  • Module 1 – You are introduced to MS PowerPoint and start with the basics for a clearer base later on. Similarly, you are taught the creation, designing and management of slides and learning to add animations to each slide. The slides can be used to present a variety of information by inserting links, editing, and adding pictures and students are made to understand illustrations and shapes.
  • Module 2 – Students attain knowledge of MS Excel and get introduced to some keyboard shortcuts. They can learn more important aspects of numbers font formatting and crucial formatting guidelines. MS Excel tools can be used for formulas, further validating and filtering information. Charts and graphs can be created to represent data namely line graphs, waterfall graphs, bar graphs histograms and pie charts. Sensitivity analysis for data tables is taught, and functions for time values like PV, PMT, FV, RATE and NPER are included.
  • Module 3 – In this module, the foundations of financial system and market regulations are covered in detail. Learning types of financial markets and differentiating characteristics of exchange-traded securities are tactfully embedded in the course structure. With this module, you’ll be attaining more information on preference shares and equity, meanwhile, concepts like yield, bond price and interest are touched upon.
  • Module 4 – The presentation of derivatives and ways to trade long and short are necessary aspects of Derivative Market and should be taught to the learners. They get to understand the forwards, futures and options. Concepts like speculation and hedging are cleared, along with default swaps, swap concepts and types. Moreover, students greatly benefit from the discussions of different calls and putting options and get a clear understanding of different categories of price structures.
  • Module 5 – After investment banking and the functions of investment bankers are introduced, students are made to explore the types and make comparisons between the terms merchant banks, investment banks and commercial banks. The course takes the initiative to discuss stages of investments including private placement, right issues, seed rounds and initial public offering (IPO). When students are familiar with the concepts of Venture Capital, Mergers and Acquisitions, Capital Raising, and Joint Ventures, they can relate better and perform well in the real world. Other aspects of the module include the principle of diligence, the principles of book-building strategies, underwriting and the knowledge of Corporate Turnaround with restructuring.
  • Module 6 – This module simply deals with the concepts of Investors, Buyers, Non-Disclosure contracts and Teaser. Other necessary aspects include financial models and a memorandum of confidential information. These are some common terms in the Investment Banking domain, thus understanding them is necessary.
  • Module 7 – By further diving into the technical side of financial modelling, students gain an understanding of financial model construction or they get to work on the development of scenarios such as choice and index. Similar to other investment banking courses, this one includes the creation of schedules, fixed assets, and working capital debt, and includes revenues and cost drivers for businesses. Students are also encouraged to participate in projects for a better resume.
  • Module 8 – This is the last module in this course where you learn to perform calculations alongside linking FCFE with FCFF. Your understanding of terms like CAPex variation, NOPAT and Working capital changes will be deepened. You’ll learn computations on multi-factor models and CAPM along with navigating risk concepts and ways through which Valuation calculations are included. You can use multiple ways to calculate Terminal value while learning methods of beta determination and unleveraged and Leveraged Beta concepts. Models like the H model or the Gordon growth model are included.

 

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Corporate Finance Institute

The skills and learning objectives that students can learn from Financial Modeling and Valuation are listed below:

  • Accounting – Students gain an understanding of key items in financial statements and learn to describe relationships between components. Through elaborate instructions, students can master the explanations of fundamental principles behind detailed accounting standards. Moreover, I learned to identify the accounting standards that are more likely to be encountered in a real-world scenario.
  • Excel – It is always important to start with knowing the basics and the keyboard shortcuts, which can come in handy during work and reduce the time spent on elaborate procedures. Learning to conduct data analysis using data tables, pivot tables and other common functions can increase productivity. Some advanced formulas and functions enhance the utility of financial models, and knowing them is beneficial.
  • Finance – Here the important parts are the key concepts related to capital investments, different forms of financing, the capital-raising process and the optimal capital structure. Students learn that with the use of financial ratios, they can assess the profitability, efficiency and returns of a business. Using key statistical measures, one can determine trends and relationships within sets of data.
  • Financial Modelling – Students learn to build a dynamic and logically designed a well structured financial model. They are provided support with creating multi-year forecasts regarding income statements, balance sheets and cash flow. Additionally, they are taught to perform sensitivity analysis that helps strengthen the robustness of the financial model.
  • Valuation – Discussions on the pros and cons of Valuation are made along with identifying its different methods. Valuation analysis is performed by using comparable company transaction methods. Students are presented with knowledge of weighted-average calculations of capital. Likewise, they can learn to construct a DCF model in Excel.
  • Budgeting and Forecasting – On a slightly lesser scale of importance, some forecasting techniques are taught and their applications help develop a standard financial forecast. Performance against budgeted amounts can be tracked by using Variance Analysis and other methods. Similarly, students are made to understand that analyzing the impact of Variance Analysis on Financial statements can fetch results that further boost the budgeting process.
  • Presentation and Visuals – In this category, students are encouraged to create dashboards that can be used to communicate the results of financial analysis and represent advanced data visualization techniques. They can create aesthetically pleasing charts, tables and graphs in Excel and design impactful presentations to communicate their messages to a wide audience.
  • Strategy – During the strategy programme, students focus on differentiating between company strategy levels and assessing the impact on the company’s competitive advantage by performing an in-depth analysis of external and internal competition. The ultimate goal is to generate, evaluate and select optimal strategic alternatives that improve the company’s vision, mission and objectives.

 

Earning a certificate in Financial Modelling and Valuation Analyst is not very difficult if you can follow these steps carefully:

The optional Prep Courses include 9 courses that students can study to gain more experience.

  • Accounting Fundamentals
  • Reading Financial Statements
  • Excel Fundamentals and Formulas for Finance
  • Corporate Finance Fundamentals
  • Math for Finance Professionals
  • Analyzing Growth Drivers and Business Risks
  • The Role of the FP&A Professional
  • Capital IQ Fundamentals
  • Excel Fundamentals: start guide

 

The Core Courses consist of 14 different modules, each important to build a strong foundation for the course.

  • Financial Analysis Fundamentals
  • Introduction to 3-statement modelling
  • Introduction to Business Valuation
  • Accounting Principles and Standards
  • Operational Modelling
  • DFC Valuation Modelling
  • Comparable Valuation Analysis
  • Budgeting and Forecasting
  • FP&A Monthly Cash Flow Forecast Model
  • Scenario and Sensitivity Analysis in Excel
  • Data Visualization and Dashboards
  • PowerPoint and Pitchbooks
  • Professional Ethics

 

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The Elective Courses allow you to choose 3 modules out of the 19 available modules, and explore advanced modelling and specialized financial analysis topics.

  • Mergers and Acquisitions Modelling
  • Startup and E-Commerce Financial Model and Valuation
  • Mining Financial Model and Valuation
  • Real Estate Financial Modelling
  • The Amazon Case Study
  • Leveraged Buyout Modelling
  • Renewable Energy: Solar Financial Modelling
  • Corporate and Business Strategy
  • Presentation of Financial Information
  • Advanced Excel Formulas and Functions
  • Excel VBA for Finance
  • Fundamentals of Data Analysis in Excel
  • Power BI Fundamentals
  • Power Pivot Fundamentals
  • Power Query Fundamentals
  • Power BI Financial Statements
  • Modelling Risk with Monte Carlo Simulation
  • Regression Analysis: Fundamentals and Practical Applications
  • ESG Integration and Financial Analysis

 

The Final Exams are held after the completion of the required courses. You can easily earn the certificate if you have a minimum passing grade of 70%.

 

Lastly, upon completion of the course, you are credited with a blockchain digital certificate. This certificate contains your credentials and a physical copy is available for mailing to your address.

 

Popular Industry Trends in the Investment Banking Domain

 

Industry trends in various domains are dynamic and are susceptible to change in every era. When there are new technologies and techniques in the market, companies are required to adapt to them or they will not survive the competition. Some modern trends of the 21st century, in the Investment Banking domain, are listed below:

  • The emergence of Capital Markets – There are plenty of advancements in the technological sphere and these have helped to shape the future of companies working with capital marketing. Capital markets are a type of financial market that forms a strong connection between sellers and buyers. Their role is to bring them closer to trading stocks, currencies, bonds and other financial assets. Development in automation has created scope for operational efficiencies and an overall reduction in capital expenditures.
  • Special Purpose Acquisition Companies – In just a few years, SPAC managed to gain a strong ground in the investment banking industry. These companies are a shell that prioritizes its role of raising capital through Initial Public Offering. They serve the essential purpose of merging a company with another existing company. These are included in courses that update frequently and with classroom discussions students gain a deeper understanding.
  • Artificial Intelligence Technologies – The introduction of technological advancements in Investment Banking has enabled companies to enforce different working laws. Investment Bankers can be more productive and leave the time-consuming, repetitive work to the AI technologies. The same work done previously can be done now but with a much smarter approach, thanks to the technological additions. Investment Banks have been able to gather profits from the present work schedule and Investment banking courses recently started including such advanced tools in their curriculum so that students can understand how they work. Learning about these tools can help you be at the top of the game.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

Q) What does Investment Banking mean?

 

By Investment banks, we mean the financial institutions that aid individuals and businesses to safely maintain their funds and raise capital. The other functions that investment banks can perform are working as intermediaries between a corporation and the financial markets. They can provide services like Mergers and Acquisitions which transfer ownership of a business by acquiring them or let themselves be acquired by other big businesses.  Thus it can be said that without the important tasks overlooked by Investment Banks, the financial sphere would hardly function.

 

Q) How do you become an investment banker in India?

 

To proceed down the path of Investment banking you must follow important guidelines. You should qualify for the minimum 10+2 criteria and you should pass college with any degree of your preference. If you are going for an MBA you should appear for either GMAT, NMAT, SNAP or CAT. After this you can qualify for a BA degree or MA in Finance or courses related to Investment banking that can earn you a certificate. It is also advisable to get an investment banking internship experience before applying for a full-time job position because the experience can help you prosper.

 

Q) What is the difference between Investment Banking and Merchant Banking?

 

Investment banks differ from Merchant banks in their primary functions, although they both aid individuals and companies through their financial services. Investment banks mostly focus on IPO and underwriting services for large public and private companies, meanwhile, Merchant banks focus on advice on financing for Mergers and Acquisitions in small-scale companies. Thus, Merchant banks can face higher risks with their investments than Investment banks. But on a long-term basis, they prove to be more profitable than Investment Banks due to their primary take on risks.

 

Conclusion:

We believe this article IIM Skills vs CFI Investment Banking Course provided you with the required information to guide you well. We tried collecting all the necessary information that we help you decide to choose the right platform for upgrading your skills in investment banking. In case you are looking for something more feel free to leave your query in the comments box below.

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