ISFB Certificate
Credits
Catalog | Retail and Corporate Banking
Context
The historical activity of Swiss banks has always been credit. This credit activity is both quantitatively and qualitatively significant and varied both in terms of the clientele concerned and the different solutions that can be offered to clients.
As a key driver of economic activity, credit is also a flagship product for wealth management. With access to capital markets becoming more and more democratic and the maturation of alternative tools and techniques (participative financing, securitization, etc.), mastering credit activities is becoming a key skill for players in the banking and financial industry, but also for clients who are heavily involved in activities in which financing plays a pivotal role (trading, real estate, in particular).
Key objectives
- To know the main characteristics of various forms of financing
- Analyze a file, collect the necessary documentation and manage the risks inherent to credit
- Propose to a client the appropriate financing solution according to his needs and the purpose of the credit
Target audience
- Private client advisor or asset management assistant wishing to broaden their skills (corporate loans, promotions, guarantees, recovery, Lombard loans, etc.).
- Financial advisor in France who wishes to adapt his knowledge to Swiss practice and legislation
- Employees in credit administration (private and commercial) who want to understand customer relations, situation analysis, financing arrangements (choice of collateral), argumentation and product selection.
Stakeholders
ISFB lecturers have been working in the banking and financial world, or in their respective fields, for many years and are recognized as some of the best experts in our ecosystem in French-speaking Switzerland.
Organization
Program director: Jérôme Piguet
Product Manager: Joseph Baud-Grasset
Certifications
- Recognised by the financial centre(Geneva Financial Centre)
- 7 non-consecutive days
- In person at the ISFB premises
- Weekdays, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
- Language : French
The certificate is composed of 8 one-day modules:
Module 1: Credits - Introduction (J. Piguet)
- Banks' financial intermediation function and credit securitisation
- Types of credit, including consumer credit, leasing, Lombard credit, commitment credit
- Nature of the covers and their purpose
- Financing of companies according to their stage of development
- Aims of the funding, criteria for granting and monitoring
Module 2: Mortgages (Fr. Menzel)
- Buildings according to the Civil Code
- Individual or collective ownership
- Types of financing and interest rate variants
- Land Registry, Mortgage Schedule and Easements
- Required documentation
- Financing plan
- Valuation of buildings
- Credit demand analysis and effort rate
- Rating and credit monitoring
Module 3: Mortgage credits - case studies (G. Magnin)
- The elements necessary for a valuation of a property acquired for own use
- Using the2nd pillar to purchase real estate
- The valuation of a yielding property
- Financing the acquisition of investment properties
- Rules to be respected when buying a property
Module 4: Financial statement analysis (Ch. Kramer)
- Balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement
- Balance sheet structure and balance - key elements, ratios
- Profitability, the concept of EBITDA - key elements, ratios
- Financial statement comparison
Module 5: SME financing (Ch. Kramer)
- Understand the needs and define the type of financing
- What information should be obtained?
- Analyze documents: identify obstacles & find solutions.
- Case studies
- Calculating debt capacity
- Writing a credit application
- Monitoring credits
Module 6: Business succession and recovery (Fr. Menzel)
Module 7: Syndicated credits (N. Defago)
- What is a syndicated loan?
- Roles, interests and responsibilities in a syndicated loan
- Type of syndicated loans
- Syndication process and monitoring
- Specific application to the commodities sector
Module 8: Real estate development (G. Magnin)
Module 9: Bank guarantees (A. Robert-Tissot)
- Definition & uses of guarantees
- Types & characteristics of guarantees
- The rules associated with financing via guarantees
- Risks related to guarantees
Price
CHF 4'250.00 (member price)
CHF 5'670.00 (non-member price)
The member prices apply to all ISFB member institutes and their employees.
This Certificate can be financed by the State of Geneva up to CHF 750 via the Chèque Annuel de Formation (annual training voucher). To check your eligibility for this funding, go to Apply for an annual training voucher | ge.ch
Registrations
Please complete the online application form.
Your registration will then be considered as firm and definitive. 3 weeks before the beginning of the training, you will have access to our ISFB collaborative space, then a few days before the beginning of the training to the specific space reserved for the participants of this training.
The general conditions of the ISFB apply as soon as you validate our offer.
Opening of the next session
Kick-off: 09.09.2025 at 4.00 pm
The next session will start on 17.09.2025 at 8:30 am
The full training schedule will be available here.
Examination information
Exam - open book - 14.01.2026 at 2.00 pm
"Through the courses given at ISFB, I'm pleased to be able to share some thirty years of technical and human experience with the new generation of bankers."
