Financial Institutions and Markets examines the institutional and operational aspects of the Australian financial system. It consists of three related parts: [i] an introduction to the Australian financial system and the tools of analysis and evaluation; [ii] financial markets and instruments; and [iii] the major financial services firms. Students will explore the evolving nature of the Australian financial system and the forces of innovation and change including changes in regulatory philosophy, entrepreneurial and global activity by market participants, and technological developments. This is a core unit in the Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Banking specialisation) but is relevant to any other course requiring this specialist knowledge and skills.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Outline the differences between the major participants in the financial services sector including banking, insurance, superannuation and other non-banking financial intermediaries;
2. Explain the role of regulatory authorities including their role in protecting the integrity of financial markets and that of the broader financial services sector in Australia and the payment system;
3. Describe how different financial markets function including debt markets, equity markets, currency markets and derivative markets;
4. Appraise the difference between corporate debt and government debt; and
5. Weigh the salient features of various financial products, services and instruments, including risk management of instruments traded in these markets.

Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways

Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

6386 Financial Institutions and Markets

Assumed knowledge

None.