The new institute intends to become a central research hub tackling the crucial issues facing the industry, finews.asia discovers.
Banks, insurances and other institutions can take advantage of something entirely new in Zurich. As finews.asia has learned, a new think tank has opened its doors in Switzerland's largest city, which is also the home to its main finance hub.
The Swiss NextGen Finance Institut (SNFI – website in German only) partners with key exponents when it comes to training, education, research and general consultancy. As part of that, it intends to ask and answer the hard questions related to digital transformation and the larger issues surrounding the exponential tech revolution.
«The world of financial services will potentially look completely different tomorrow than it does today. The pace of change requires managers who can quickly assess and evaluate technological developments and work out the relevant strategic implications,» says Teodoro Cocca, a long-tenured professor of finance and a digitalization expert who is also one of SNFI's partners.
Digitale Finance Industry
Those kinds of questions will be extensively scrutinized by industry and academic experts at the think tank, helping them manage all the present and future challenges that the industry is facing.
Institutions will be able to take advantage of an integrated platform that combines research, training and consultancy, giving them a clearer path in the ongoing secular shift towards a digital finance industry.
New Developments
«We intend to pass on the newest science and research findings to clients and provide them with the necessary support by way of training and consulting, helping them in an increasingly digitalized future,» says Bernhard Koye, SNFI co-founder and leader.
Koye comes to SNFI after heading the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences. His background includes stints as the head of executive education at both the Swiss Finance Institute (SFI) and UBS wealth management. He was also previously the managing director of the Zurich Wealth Forum.
German Support
The other co-founder is Norman Stuertz who started his career as a securities trading, asset management and private banking consultant.
From 2007, he held various positions at Credit Suisse, including that of chief of staff and head of application development. In 2016 he was promoted to chief data officer for the bank's Swiss division.
The Zurich think-tank was established last year as a result of the tech-driven change currently being seen in finance as a Lichtenberg institute, which is based in Berlin. According to its website, it is an internationally active umbrella organization for applied research that is both market and client-focused.
In Switzerland, it intends to research solutions that can be implemented in business practice while developing suitable, up-to-date education and training offerings, helping finance industry employees better prepare their organization for new developments while future-proofing their careers.
The Launch Program
The institute will employ digital learning methods and tools that help participants determine much of their own training paths autonomously. At the same time, they will be given close and constant guidance to ensure that graduates are in a position to use what they have learned in practice.
The SNFI intends to start this summer with three Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) programs:
- CAS in Data Management & Digitalization
- CAS in Digital Transformation
- CAS in Sustainable Finance
All further SNFI education offerings are built as modules and can be combined in a number of ways to allow students to pursue various different types of degrees.
