Our master in finance, a program for international students, with the Specializations in Financial Markets and in Risk Management, will turn you into a professional in the financial area that today's market needs. Prepare yourself to be an investment fund manager, bank manager, personal advisor, or expert in the new disruptive platforms in the sector.
The previous masters offered by the school in Financial Markets and in Banking and Finance have been transformed into the Master in Finance and Banking, to respond to an essential training need for professionals and students who want to develop their careers in the corporate finance sector.
The Master in Finance and Banking at the UPF Barcelona School of Management trains professionals in financial markets, in a changing environment marked by digital disruption, capable of applying both classical valuation techniques and new data management techniques, and even adapt to possible disruptions that may come in the future.
The structure of the new master links the analysis and management of the different financial markets (Monetary, Fixed Income, Variable Income, Derivatives, and Currencies) with the study of current platforms and products, such as Fintech or blockchain, all based on the analysis of data, such as big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
Professionals trained in the master in finance will not only have a deep knowledge of the financial system, but also an adequate knowledge of the possibilities offered by data processing today and the strategic aspects of the current financial environment.
The Master in Finance and Banking offers its students an adapted financial training that will allow them to position themselves as privileged interlocutors between programmers and financial analysts or managers.
The 3 training itineraries (Markets, Risk Management and customized itinerary) correspond to the new needs of financial institutions in a changing environment, and allow us to respect the concerns and learning desires of our students.
The market moves and we move with it, so by focusing on each student and their specific skills, we help them grow and achieve their personal goals, as well as providing rigorous training.
The objective of the Master in Finance and Banking is to train professionals capable of:
- offering professional financial advice
- managing portfolios and investment funds
- analysing all types of financial products
- analysing and managing the risks associated with financial products
- analysing and understanding the economic and financial environment
- using the latest techniques, platforms, and products for risk assessment, study, and management
- analysing and understanding banking strategy
- detecting, adapting, and managing disruptive platforms present in the sector
- managing data analysis tools
Why choose this program
International recognition
Master ranked number 48 of the Top 100 in the world in financial markets by the Eduniversal Best Masters Ranking. Study at a school accredited by EQUIS, an international distinction that guarantees the quality of our institution and makes us the 1st school of management linked to a public university with this accreditation in our country.
Trains versatile professionals who are up to date with current market needs
New technologies have transformed the financial sector. This master will provide you with, in addition to the necessary financial knowledge, knowledge of the new business models, technology, and products that have burst onto the sector, training you to develop your profession in this changing environment.
Learn from experts in the sector
You will be trained, for the most part, with recognized active professionals who will contribute the knowledge and experience acquired in their day to day work, as well as with UPF professors, whose Department of Economics and Business has been classified as first in Spain, third in Europe and 46th in the world, by Times Higher Education.
Carry out your internship in top-level entities
The master offers you the possibility of doing professional internships in leading entities of the first level in the financial sector such as BBVA, Banco Sabadell, Criteria Caixaholding, or the Governing Society of the Barcelona Stock Exchange, among others.
Recognized by the CNMV: allows you to act as a Financial Advisor
The master (Market Specialization) is approved and published in the list of the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) which certifies that its completion facilitates the knowledge and skills of staff who provide financial advice and information, in accordance with the provisions of the European MIFID II.
Students of the Risk Management specializations or of the customized itinerary who communicate it, can also obtain this homologation by completing an additional training course.
CFA Accreditation
The Master's is a member of the University Affiliation Program of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute. At the end of the Master you will be ready to take the exam to obtain the CFA accreditation, a prestigious international recognition in investment management and financial analysis, and for which there are two scholarships offered in each course.
You can also take part in the CFA Research Challenge, a team competition in which more than 1,000 universities and Business Schools participate from all over the world.
Specializations
The master offers 3 possible training itineraries. Two itineraries with specializations and a third customized itinerary.
Market Specialization
You will specialize in advising clients within private banking and in financial market analysis in research services of financial entities (banks, companies, and securities agencies).
Risk Management Specialization
You will specialize in global knowledge of the financial sector and credit institutions. It offers specific training in risk analysis, both credit (essential as a core business of banking) and in the management of cash and liquidity risks, and markets.
Finance and Banking (customized itinerary)
This itinerary allows you to customize the program, choosing the subjects that interest you the most and which to suit your professional concerns and goals from among all the optional subjects offered.
Who is it for?
The master is aimed at both young graduates in the field of Social and Legal Sciences or Engineering or other disciplines in the quantitative field who want to develop their professional career in the financial or banking sector.
The program will also welcome qualified professionals who currently work in the sector and want to deepen or update their knowledge in the area.
Accreditations
UPF Barcelona School of Management is the management school of Pompeu Fabra University, the 1st Ibero-American university and the 16th placed university in the world, among those under 50 years of age, according to the Times Higher Education ranking.
UPF Barcelona School of Management has EQUIS accreditation, the most prestigious institutional recognition for business schools globally, and places itself among the top business schools in the world.
The Master in Finance and Banking is ranked, for the third consecutive year, among the best master's programs in finance in the world, according to the QS Business Masters Ranking 2025, one of the most prestigious and consulted rankings in the sector.
The Master in Finance and Banking is an official master's degree and has the academic recognition of the Ministry of Education of the Government of Spain. This accreditation certifies all the official university master's degrees that we teach and recognizes the quality of our educational model in accordance with the criteria of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
Curriculum
The Master in Finance and Banking allows you to obtain the title with specialization (Markets or Risk Management) or without specialization.
All participants must take all the subjects of Fundamentals of Finance and Banking during the first quarter (24 ECTS), and in the second and third quarter 30 optional ECTS, in addition to the Master's Final Project (6 ECTS), which will be developed throughout the course.
Courses with specialization: the student must take the 5 optional subjects of the chosen specialty plus 10 ECTS chosen from all the optional subjects offered (including Professional Internships and optional subjects from the other specialization).
Courses without specialization: the student will choose 30 ECTS from all the optional subjects offered.
Optional subjects (30 ECTS)
Master's Final Project (6 ECTS)
Complementary activities
Those students who have not completed the main subjects recommended for following the master in their previous degree may take supplementary training prior to the start of classes in the following subjects:
- Accounting and Finance
- Economy
- Quantitative methods: Financial Mathematics and/or Introduction to Python
The Master in Finance and Banking also includes the possibility of participating in practical activities and activities for personal and professional growth such as:
- UPF-BSM Inside: is a group of interdisciplinary subjects (applied data, communication, creativity, innovation and project management, sustainability and leadership among others) that, if you take this program, you can access at no additional cost. They are 100% online and you can take them throughout the academic year at your own pace, as they have been designed as self-study subjects.
- International mobility: The UPF Barcelona School of Management offers you the possibility of expanding your training and international vision through different programmes and activities:
- International mobility programme: extend your studies extracurricularly, during the academic year following the completion of your Master's, at a top-level institution. Limited places.
- Study Trip: optional trip to a European city in which conferences and visits to companies will be scheduled so as to expand knowledge and acquire a global vision.
Qualification obtained
After completing the program, and depending on their specialization, students will be awarded with the following degrees:
- Màster Universitari en Finances i Banca / Master of Science in Finance and Banking - Máster Universitario en Finanzas y Banca / Master of Science in Finance and Banking, issued by the Pompeu Fabra University.
- Màster Universitari en Finances i Banca / Master of Science in Finance and Banking. Especialitat en Gestió del Risc - Máster Universitario en Finanzas y Banca / Master of Science in Finance and Banking. Especialidad en Gestión del Riesgo, issued by the Pompeu Fabra University.
- Màster Universitari en Finances i Banca / Master of Science in Finance and Banking. Especialitat en Mercats - Máster Universitario en Finanzas y Banca / Master of Science in Finance and Banking. Especialidad en Mercados, issued by the Pompeu Fabra University.
Issuance of official Master's Degrees: The amount stipulated in the DOGC (Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia) must be paid for the rights to issue the title. This rate varies annually and the rate in force at the time of application for the degree will be applied.
Faculty
The teaching team brings a dual approach to the program. On the one hand, professors from the prestigious UPF Department of Economics and Business, who contribute their theoretical knowledge. On the other hand, recognized active professionals, who contribute their experience on how to apply knowledge to the daily reality of today's companies.
Academic directors
Faculty
Collaborating faculty
- Francisco Albuixech Micó
Delegate at the CNMV in Barcelona
Bachelor´s degree in law from the University of Valencia.
Master in Legal Practice by IE Law School. - Ramon Alfonso Mata
Fiancial Analist at Gar Investment Managers.
Master in Business Administration from Ramon Llull University (Barcelona).
Bachelor in Philosophy and Humanities from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. - Ramón Amargant Arnau
CEO of Family Office.
Previous professional experience of 23 years at Banco Sabadell, assuming responsibilities in the real estate and regulatory areas. Postgraduate degree in Economics and Finance from CEMFI in Madrid. Graduated, with the honor "Extraordinary End-of-Studies Award", in Economic and Business Sciences from the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona. Professor of Banking Regulation, Real Estate and Financial Markets at UPF-BSM. He was a fund manager for both equity and real estate, and head of the Real Estate Exposure Analysis Department at Banco Sabadell Group. In his last professional banking stage at Banco Sabadell, he was the Director of Regulation and Internal Control Evaluation in the field of Sustainability. He is currently the CEO of a prominent Family Office located in Barcelona. - Silvia Baron Gómez
BBVA Real Estate Business Unit.
Master in Banking and Finance from Pompeu Fabra University.
Degree in Actuarial and Financial Sciences from Universitat de Barcelona) and a
Degree in Business Administration from Rovira i Virgili University. - Tomàs Casanovas Martínez
Master of Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde - Glasgow
President of the company ENERSIDE and CEO of Open Learning Spain S.A. Economist and Business Professor. - Francisco Javier Dueñas Selma
Vice-president of Forética and member of the Spainsif Board of Directors.
Delegate of the Cajamar Cooperative Group for the Sustainable Development Agenda
Management Program (PADE) at IESE Business School. - Albert Martí Poyo
Commercial and Business Development Manager at Assurances Credit Mutuel Group in Spain.
MBA in ESADE Business School. - Miquel Perdiguer Andrés
Director of the Catalunya Caixa Foundation.
PhD in Economics and Business Sciences from the University of Barcelona.
Lecturer of Financial Marketing at Pompeu Fabra University. - Josep Maria Raya Vílchez
PhD in Economics from the University of Barcelona.
Degree in Economics from the University of Barcelona. He is lecturer of the TechnoCampus Mataró-Maresme Foundation at Pompeu Fabra University and associate lecturer at the School of International Trade. - José B. Sáez Madrid
PhD in Economics from the University of Barcelona.
Lecturer of the Department of Economic, Financial and Actuarial Mathematics at University of Barcelona.
Coordinator in Barcelona and Andorra of the course for obtaining the international accreditation of financial analyst (CIIA) - Pere Serra Bartolí
Founder and owner of Ganimedes Consulting.
Bachelor in Biology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. - Mireia Sitjas
Director Global Head of FX, Barclays Wealth.
Master of Business Economics and Financial Management from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
Degree in Economics and Businesses Sciences from Pompeu Fabra University. - Albert Soler Rubio
Executive Director Credit Risk at Caixabank
MBA from ESADE.Degree in Economics and Businesses Sciences from the University of Barcelona. - Jordi Viladot
President and General Director at Gesiuris SGIIC.
Degree in Economic Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Methodology
The Master of Finance and Banking program has a very practical and professional approach.
Theory and practice are combined with a very participatory methodology. In addition to the presentation of theoretical concepts by the teachers, there is the interaction and intervention of the students.
Connect with the professional world
Throughout the course, practical, real, and current cases will be presented and discussed which will allow you to apply the concepts learned and thus face the situations that you will find in your company or professional activity.
Team building
The experience of group activities will allow you to share visions, knowledge, and opinions with students not only from Barcelona but from all over the world, enriching your academic experience and strengthening your network of contacts.
Tutored final project
The experience of group activities will allow you to share visions, knowledge, and opinions with students not only from Barcelona but from all over the world, enriching your academic experience and strengthening your network of contacts.
Evaluation
The evaluation of the program is continuous and will be carried out on the basis of:
- Practical cases, exercises, and work
- Tests of the different subjects
- Class participation and presentations
- Class attendance (the face-to-face modality requires a minimum of 80%)
- Master's Final Project
The student's evaluation activities will be carried out individually and in groups, in order to encourage teamwork.
Tools
Project-oriented learning and the combination of lectures and active methodologies such as case studies, flipped learning, solving real problems and professional simulations allow the student to connect theory and practice, acquire advanced skills and achieve learning which is transferable to work.
You will have:
- Master's Final Project or Postgraduate Final Project
- A personal mentor to monitor your final project
- Digital resources to achieve transversal skills
- Interdisciplinary activities and workshops
Professional Future
The program is aimed at all those young professionals who want to focus their professional career on the current financial sector and seek strategic training that, in addition to providing them with solid financial knowledge, trains them to carry out their work in a sector strongly transformed by the emergence of new technologies.
Upon completion of the master, students will be able to exercise the management of financial products and services, from a perspective of financial advice, as well as the analysis of credit risk and other market risks in a changing environment due to new technologies and ways of working.
Student profile
The master brings together young professionals from various fields (Economics, Business Management, Law, Engineering or other quantitative disciplines), and students who come from different countries with a common goal: accessing quality and up-to-date training, in addition to living an academic experience that provides them with the knowledge and tools to face the challenges of their professional future.
Average age
Years of professional experience
International students
Career opportunities
The main areas covered by the Master in Finance and Banking are risk management, portfolio management and investment funds, financial advice, private banking, and corporate finance.
The program also offers the possibility of choosing the optional subject of Professional Internships, an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in corporate finance, financial accounting, etc. in the professional environment.
Portfolio agencies and companies:
- Portfolio manager
- Financial advisor
- Risk analyst
- Backoffice
- Department of studies
- Broker
Financial entities:
- Personal banking managers
- Private banking managers
- Bank office
- Risk department
- Settlement and clearing of operations
Financial entities. Companies or offices:
- Business managers
- Directors
- Positions in bank offices
Financial entities. Central services:
- Risk analyst
- Social work of the bank
- Personal banking managers
- Marketing
Other entities:
- Financial planning
- Family office
- Corporate finance
- Venture capital
- Insurance companies
- Business consultant
- Central Bank employee
- Commercial Bank manager
- Corporate finance services
- Investment banker
- M&A Advisor
- Wealth manager
- Financial advisor
- Private banking
- Socially Responsible Investment
- Wealth manager
- Financial advisor
- Private banking
Fintechs:
- Crowd funding
- P2P lending
- Roboadvisors
- Payment systems