Base sector
Financial Sector
The financial sector covers all organisations involved in managing, moving, and growing money. This includes banks, insurers, pension funds, asset managers, trading firms, and the regulators that supervise them. It is one of the most data-driven sectors in the economy.
In this sector, you work with financial data to measure, price, or manage uncertainty. That might mean building a model to estimate credit losses, running analysis to support an investment decision, or checking whether a risk model meets regulatory standards.
Financial organisations make decisions under uncertainty. A bank does not know whether a borrower will repay a loan. An insurer does not know how many claims it will receive. An asset manager does not know how markets will move. The common challenge is to measure that uncertainty, price it, and manage it. This is why the sector relies heavily on quantitative methods and data.
The work varies significantly between subsectors. Banking focuses on credit, market, and liquidity risk. Asset management focuses on portfolio construction and investment research. Trading focuses on pricing and executing positions in financial markets. The actuarial sector focuses on the long-term liabilities of insurers and pension funds. FinTech companies apply data and technology to deliver financial services. Each subsector draws on different tools and domain knowledge, and the same role can look very different depending on where you work.
Across the sector, regulation plays an important role. Banks operate under frameworks like Basel IV. Insurers fall under Solvency II. Pension funds are supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank under Dutch law. Models need to be documented, validated, and explainable. This shapes how quantitative work is done in practice, and it is something you encounter early in most financial roles.
The shared tools are Python and R for modelling, SQL for data extraction, Excel for reporting, and Bloomberg for market data. Statistical knowledge, familiarity with financial products, and the ability to communicate results clearly are relevant across all parts of the sector.
Subsectors
Financial Sector divides into 6 distinct areas, each with its own focus and character.
Companies
A selection of organisations active in this sector where graduates typically find roles.
Deloitte · Amsterdam
At Deloitte, it’s all about people, each of whom has something unique to offer. We work closely with our clients and make great things happen. In doing so, we create real change.
Oliver Wyman Actuarial · Amsterdam
The Actuarial Practice at Oliver Wyman (OWA) provides high-end actuarial advisory services covering a broad range of insurance and actuarial topics including insurance M&A, reinsurance, financial…
Zanders · Utrecht
Zanders is a global financial consulting firm focused on Treasury, Risk, and Technology.
IMC Trading · Amsterdam
A global trading firm powered by research and technology.
STX Group · Amsterdam
As the leading global environmental commodity trader and climate solutions provider, we’re building a business fit for the future – where financial growth and environmental responsibility go…
MavenBlue · Utrecht
We supercharge actuaries and financial risk professionals with cutting-edge technology-based solutions for mastering capital and risk management, forward-looking assessments of the balance sheet,…
WTW · Amstelveen +5 more
WTW is een vooraanstaande wereldwijd opererende consultant, broker en solutions provider die organisaties helpt om risico om te zetten in groeimogelijkheden.
Sprenkels · Amsterdam
Sprenkels is marktleider in het vormgeven van het pensioen van de toekomst.
MarketResponse · Utrecht
Our company is all about understanding the customer/citizen/employee. In a strong combination of using company data, open data and classical surveys we want to discover what is really going on and…
Da Vinci · Amsterdam
Da Vinci is a proprietary trading house founded in 2015, specialising in volatility arbitrage, delta1 strategies, and market making. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the home of the world's first stock…
Triple A · Amsterdam
Triple A - Risk Finance is een onafhankelijk en innovatief consultancybedrijf gespecialiseerd op het gebied van actuariaat en risicomanagement.
Note: this list is an approximation. An organisation's actual work, roles, and terminology can differ from the categories shown here.