Continuing Education
Understanding finance: a useful first step for everyone
December 17, 2025
As a non-profit professional association, the ISFB has a clear mission: to support the employability of banking and finance professionals in French-speaking Switzerland, while contributing to the long-term competitiveness of the financial center by training its talent. For nearly 40 years, this mission has been embodied by continuing education programs leading to certificates recognized by the 55 member institutions that make up the ISFB, by the certification of wealth managers according to SAQ standards, and by a range of services for HR professionals and managers active in the industry at every stage of their careers.
A short training course for non-specialists
Finance cannot be viewed as a field exclusively reserved for specialists. It is in fact present in everyday life in every individual choice made in understanding the economic world. For some professionals from other fields, its mechanisms sometimes remain unclear, technical, or even intimidating. This is precisely where the ISFB, as a recognized public interest institution, steps in to provide access to fundamental knowledge, without jargon, without pressure, and above all without any commercial or product placement objectives.
Short training course Understanding finance is fully in line with this approach. It has been designed for people who have no initial training in finance but who wish to acquire a solid grounding in the subject: understanding the role of the players in the Swiss financial system, the main principles of saving and retirement planning, the basics of investing, and financing mechanisms. The aim is not to train experts, but to provide a structured overview that enables better decision-making and understanding.
As Albert Gallegos, one of the ISFB lecturers on this program, points out, learning about finance is often like acquiring a compass. We all use financial concepts on a daily basis, sometimes without fully understanding their deeper meaning. When explained in an educational way and anchored in real-life situations, these mechanisms become understandable and useful, without ever seeking to guide or dictate choices.
The participants in this training course are a good illustration of this diversity of needs. Many work outside the banking sector: in industry, services, administration, or entrepreneurship. All find this course an accessible gateway that respects their backgrounds and expectations. The Understanding Finance training course can be a first step, which some may then choose to follow up with more specialized training, depending on their interests or the time they have available. Others will simply find the keys they need to better understand their economic and financial environment.
An offer for seniors, and an offer for recent graduates
With the same focus on serving the general public, the ISFB will launch a specific training program for seniors, in partnership with Pro Senectute, to address the financial issues specific to this stage of life.
For younger people, the ISFB Summer School, held every summer, offers a structured immersion in major economic, financial, and professional issues, tailored to those just starting out on their career path.
