Transactions

Every time money moves between parties, something in the transactions sector makes it happen. Payment processors handle the infrastructure behind card payments and transfers. Stock exchanges and trading venues match buyers and sellers. Clearing houses sit between counterparties in a trade and guarantee that both sides deliver. Corporate finance advisors help companies raise equity or debt and execute mergers and acquisitions.

The daily work depends on the type of firm. At a payment company, quantitative work focuses on fraud detection, transaction monitoring, and risk modelling. At an exchange or clearing house, it involves market surveillance, risk management, and ensuring the stability of the system. In corporate finance, the work is more analytical and advisory, involving financial modelling and valuation.

The main tools are Python and SQL for data analysis, Excel for financial modelling, and specialised risk platforms depending on the type of firm. Regulatory knowledge is important across the sector, as these firms are closely supervised by authorities like the AFM and the European Securities and Markets Authority.

In the Netherlands, the sector includes payment infrastructure companies and the Dutch operations of exchanges and clearing houses. The sector connects closely to Banking, FinTech, and Trading, and roles here overlap with Risk Manager, Data Analyst, and Quantitative Analyst roles.