About us

We have over 40 finance market specialists as faculty members and consistently rank within the top 50 business schools worldwide.

UNSW School of Banking and Finance offers a diverse range of courses in the fields of Finance, including Banking, Corporate Finance, Investment Management, International Finance, Financial Analysis, Risk Management and Insurance. As the largest finance school in Australia, we cultivate an enthusiastic and exciting research and teaching culture and maintain close ties with industry, both in Australia and internationally. 

Welcome from the Head of School 

Our more than 40 faculty specialise in various fields of finance and are from diverse international backgrounds with PhDs from global top institutions such as INSEAD to NYU, UCLA to UT Austin. We’re committed to consistently producing first-class theoretical and empirical research in Finance. We are opinion and knowledge leaders in local and regional financial markets. 

UNSW School of Banking and Finance is Australia’s top ranked finance school in research and among the top five in the Asia-Pacific region. We are ranked 23rd in the ASU-FMA Rankings (2015-2019); 36th worldwide, and 1st Australian university in the UT Dallas  Rankings (2017-2020) for contributing publications to the top finance journals; 15th  and 5 stars in QS rankings in Accounting and Finance (2020); and received an ERA rating of 5 in FoR1502 Banking, Finance and Investment (2018). 

We maintain close ties with industry, both locally and internationally, and aim to cultivate an enthusiastic and exciting research and teaching culture. A diverse range of degrees in banking and finance is offered, including coursework programs leading to Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and BCom (Hons); a Master of Commerce (MCom) with specialisations in Banking, Finance, Funds Management and International Finance; Master of Finance; Master of Financial Analysis; Master of Financial Planning and; a Master of Financial Technology.  We also maintain strong research programs from honours to doctorate degrees, resulting in high employability rates internationally. 

The UNSW School of Banking and Finance has strong ties to many major international business schools, which is highlighted by the depth of expertise represented in our seminar series and the breadth of distinguished researchers visiting the school. 

We’re committed to espousing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in all our activities as we continue to drive debate and provide expert advice to address the integrity of financial markets as a global challenge. 

We warmly welcome you to our School. 

Associate Professor Francisco Barillas Bedoya
Head, School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business School 

Industry associations & accreditations 

The School of Banking and Finance offers courses that are accredited with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Financial Planning Association. The courses we offer meet the training requirement in ASIC's Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). Our accreditation with ASIC and the Financial Planning Association ensure our graduates find employment and achieve Certified Financial Planner (CFP) status.  

Employment opportunities

Our students are offered tutoring and Peer Assisted Support Scheme (PASS) leader opportunities annually. Applications open in November and successful applicants are supported with relevant training. 

Banking and Finance are unique within business. It combines rigorous research with a practical mathematical foundation. By studying Finance, you become part of an ever-changing, fascinating field that can profoundly impact the way we live. 

At UNSW School of Banking and Finance, our course instruction reflects an important mix of theory and practice, with a growing emphasis on computer applications in the computing laboratory. UNSW Business School is Australia’s top ranked school in research and our members conduct research over a wide range of topics. 

 At UNSW, a student may specialise in Finance or combine Finance with other disciplines in the Business School, Mathematics, Law, Arts, Science, Social Science or Engineering. A Banking and Finance qualification can take you anywhere. Perhaps you’ll enjoy a challenging and vibrant career with the world’s biggest businesses or achieve academic success. 

What do our banking & finance courses cover? 

Our cutting-edge courses cement us as the leading finance school in Australia. 

You’ll learn about: 

Corporate finance 

  • How organisations make financial policies and decisions. This can involve capital structure, investments, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, security issuance, dividends and ownership structure 
  • What organisations can do to benefit their shareholders 

Asset pricing 

  • How security prices evolve and are determined 
  • How prices are determined in equilibrium 
  • The ways rational agents attempting arbitrage can link prices in different markets 
  • How market makers in exchanges match buyers and sellers (market microstructure) 
  • How agents use financial information to trade and how this enters the pricing mechanisms 
  • The ways intermediaries (such as money managers and hedge funds) affect markets and prices 
  • Whether observed prices and investment decisions can be rationalised by models of optimising agents 

Banking & finance iLab 

Launched in 2019, our world-class interactive learning laboratory (iLab) provides a learning environment consisting of both a physical space and data platform that helps students learn how theory should be applied in practice. Serving as a true pedagogical resource, the iLab complements courses by providing for group-based, flipped learning activities. These activities integrate live financial data, allowing students time to explore markets in real time.  

Activities are designed to provide students with tangible, marketable skills and familiarity with industry standard software packages. This state-of-the-art offering helps increase our students’ employability by equipping them with the skills needed for tomorrow’s challenges.