THE SPACE 2BE: Introduction to Financial Derivatives

Jeremy Bentham’s drive to ‘elevate the lives of all’ dovetails with the Institute of Finance and Technology’s core social purpose. The SPACE 2BE aims to create a knowledge-sharing hub for business ideas and entrepreneurs that provides financial laboratories, seminars, networking breakfasts, and Back-to-Basics financial and accounting training beyond the core MSc offerings and to local and City community members.

Director: Prof Francesca Medda
[email protected]

TERM 2 (January 2025-March 2025)

Room 509, Marshgate Building, UCLEast

Introduction to Financial Derivatives

The course aims at increasing the awareness and understanding of how financial derivatives are designed and used. Whilst it includes a pragmatic review of the basic pricing principles underlying the construct of most derivatives, it is not a quantitative course aiming to teach advanced pricing formulas and advanced modelling. Rather, it proposes to simplify the pricing and design concepts of derivatives to provide the student with enough knowledge and reflexes such that (i) students can think of derivatives as a risk management tool and (ii) he can identify and evaluate the presence of derivatives in financial contract. This is why the course will use a lot of empirical observations and will draw on the common sense of the students to build a strong layer of basic understanding.

The course will be delivered by Philippe Dufournier who for the last 30 years, has been a passionate professional in the derivatives markets, both as a structurer and as a client coverage banker, at various investment banks in London. Philippe’s unique experience is in applying financial derivatives as a key technique to address corporates to financial institutions’ risk management challenges. In his course, he will help demystify and simplify the tools and their practical applications.

(Lectures: 29/01; 05/02; 26/02; 12/03; 26/03).

Host or Publisher UCL Institute of Finance and Technology