Financial Sector · Subsector

Banking

Banking covers commercial banks, investment banks, and central banks. Commercial banks take deposits and provide loans. Investment banks help companies raise capital and advise on mergers and acquisitions. Central banks manage monetary policy and supervise the financial system. In the Netherlands, the banking sector is supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank.

In this sector you might build credit risk models for a loan portfolio, analyse the impact of interest rate changes on a bank's balance sheet, or develop stress tests for regulatory reporting.

Background

Banks are at the centre of the financial system. They move money between people and organisations, provide credit, and manage the risks that come with doing so. Regulators require banks to hold enough capital to absorb losses, which creates a large and ongoing demand for quantitative risk work.

The daily work depends on the role and the type of bank. At a commercial bank, quantitative work is concentrated in risk management, where teams measure credit, market, and liquidity risk. At an investment bank, quants and analysts work on pricing, trading, and structuring financial products. At a central bank like DNB, the work is more research-oriented and focused on monetary policy, financial stability, and supervision.

The main tools are Python and R for modelling, SQL for data, and Excel for reporting. Knowledge of financial products and regulatory frameworks like Basel IV is important in risk roles. For more trading-oriented roles, familiarity with derivatives pricing and market microstructure is relevant.

The banking sector in the Netherlands is concentrated in Amsterdam. It connects closely to the Asset Management and Trading sectors, and roles here overlap with Risk Manager, Quantitative Analyst, and Data Scientist roles.

Project types