Accreditation and MQF/EQF level
The accreditation status of this programme is a ‘‘Higher Education Programme’’. A CPD Award accredited with 6 ECTS credits (MQF/EQF Level 6) by the Malta Further & Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) in Capital and Risk Management will be presented to delegates who successfully attend all modules and obtain a minimum pass in the written assignment.
Target Audience
- Directors
- CEOs
- Chief Risk Officers
- Chief Financial Officers
- Risk Managers
- Risk Analysts
- other risk management professionals working within the Financial Services Sector
Entry Requirements
- Diploma or Tertiary level education within risk management or banking and finance subject OR a sound basis of risk management backed by a minimum of 5 years work experience in this field..
- This course welcomes individuals from the legal age of 18 onwards.
- Maturity Age is set at 23 years
Duration & Mode of Attendance
This part-time course is made up of 11 live online evening webinar sessions which are spread over a period of 11 weeks.
Course Delivery Mode – Live Webinars
This course will be delivered via live online webinars. The course trainers will be visible on screen via a professional webinar platform through which students can follow the trainer presenting live whilst also using a PowerPoint presentation and sharing other resources as necessary. Students will be able to interact with the trainer by sending questions or comments through the same webinar platform. Our student support team will assist all students with simple instructions on how to access the webinar online. A support line will also be made available to communicate with a student support officer in case of technical difficulties encountered during the live webinar.
All webinars will also be recorded and uploaded on the student online resources portal for future reference during home study. Trainers will also dedicate very regular Q & A times during the webinar to ensure all students can have the chance to ask questions and reach the intended learning objectives. The email and contact details of the trainer will also be made available in case students would wish to get in touch with the trainer throughout the course period.
How You’ll Learn
This course will be delivered via live online webinars. The course trainers will be visible on screen via a professional webinar platform, through which students can follow the trainer presenting live, whilst also using a PowerPoint presentation and sharing other resources as necessary.
Students will be able to interact with the trainer by sending questions or comments through the same webinar platform.
The course will also make use of:
- Online Presentations
- Video Lecturing;
- Q&A via online course forum;
- Online Q&A with Educator (Trainer).
The above are considered to be contact hours as all of the above will be under control of the instructor.
Method of Assessment
At the end of the course, students will be presented with the assignment questions, where students have four or five questions and need to choose three. The total word count for the total assignment is 3,000 words. Students need to submit the assignment as per the submission date on the assignment questions document provided.
Grading: The assignment questions will be corrected and students must achieve a pass mark of at least 50 marks, in order to be given a certification.
Language of Course Instruction & Course Materials
The course materials and the live webinars are in English.
Course Dates
Modules |
Dates |
Time |
Module 1: Risk and Risk Management Foundations |
02/05, 09/05 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Module 2: Quantitative Risk Analysis |
16/05, 25/05 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Module 3: Advanced Market Risk Management |
30/05, 06/06 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Module 4: Capital and Risk Management and Basel III |
13/06, 20/06 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Module 5: Advanced Credit Risk Modelling and Management |
27/06, 04/07 |
17:30 – 20:30 |
Please note that as per terms and conditions, LEAD Training Services reserves the right to alter course dates, times and venue in exceptional circumstances beyond its control.
Total Hours of Learning
This is an accredited course, which requires students to commit themselves and to be responsible for their own studies. Below is a suggested guideline of the number of hours each student should dedicate to self-studying and preparing for the final written assignment.
Total Course Contact Hours
(Live Online Webinars) |
39 |
Total Course Suggested Self-Study Hours
(reading for interest & further knowledge) |
80 |
Total Course Supervised Placement and Practice Hours
(Work placement supervision) |
0 |
Total Course Suggested Assessment Hours
(Take home assignment) |
22 |
Course Outline
Module 1: Risk and Risk Management – The Foundations
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: Mr. Patrick Spiteri Swain
The learner will be able to:
- understand and outline the related concepts of risk and uncertainty.
- list and understand the different types of risk.
- describe various risk measurement or modelling techniques.
- categorise risks according to probability of occurrence and severity of impact.
- understand the provenance and limitations of risk computations.
- understand the difference between repeated sample outcomes and outcomes from restricted samples.
- understand the differences between situations where ordering makes a difference and those where ordering doesn’t (permutations Vs combinations).
- assess which risk classes and categories require his/her intervention and what risk mitigation techniques exist.
Module 2: Quantitative Risk Analysis
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: Mr. Andrew E. Portelli
The learner will be able to:
- understand the mathematical and statistical concepts of risk.
- distinguish between qualitative and quantitative measures of risk and to know how conversion from one to the other can take place.
- differentiate between classical and Bayesian probability.
- simulate events with ascribed risk weightings.
- describe a probabilistic distribution and to simulate it using a computer.
- describe and compute the moments of the data underlying a specific risk-related variable.
- understand integrative and differential calculus and to simulate it using a computer.
- understand Regression Analysis in the context of risk (applied in MS Excel).
- understand and use Forecasting Techniques (applied in MS Excel).
- comprehend CAPM & Black-Sholes Model (applied in excel) as well as their limitations in practice.
Module 3: Advanced Market Risk Management
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: Mr. Patrick Spiteri Swain
The learner will be able to:
- Identify and explain sources of interest rate risk in fixed income securities and compute standard measures of such risks including first and second order approximations as well as full revaluation of securities.
- Compute various estimates of volatility and calibrate model parameters to fit financial returns (applied in MS Excel).
- Apply industry standard risk measures including Value-at-Risk to linear and non-linear risk exposures.
- Evaluate computationally various metrics and understand the risks involved in using such measures (applied in MS Excel).
- Hedge equity, FX and interest rate risk using derivatives (applied in MS Excel).
- Understand the basis and apply extreme value theory.
Module 4: Capital Management and Basel III
ECTS credits: 1
Trainer: Mr. Raniero Polidano
The learner will be able to:
- understand the basic principles emanating from Basel III, with specific emphasise on those relating to capital and liquidity requirements
- calculate a credit institution’s level of regulatory capital
- understand the rationale for stress testing in the Banking Industry and the process thereof
- understand the working for the ongoing capital requirements of credit institutions, what risks such requirements cover
- The distinction between capital and liquidity requirements will be explained in detail, and the learner will also understand the objective and workings required to calculate the LCR and the NSFR
Module 5: Advanced Credit Risk Modelling and Management
ECTS credits: 2
Trainer: Mr Andrew E. Portelli
The learner will be able to:
- Identify and analyse credit risk faced by an entity.
- Describe in detail the features of a credit loss distribution and its implications on portfolio management.
- Develop advanced risk models including the Merton Model, Copula Models and Credit VaR.
- Design and calibrate the Internal Rating Based (IRB) capital allocation model.
- Calculate the PDs and LGDs in a portfolio.
Trainers
Mr. Raniero Polidano

Raniero Polidano graduated with an Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Economics in 2007 and later obtained a Masters of Arts in Economics from the University of Malta in 2009. Raniero worked for the Central Bank of Malta for almost 12 years in the Financial Stability Department in the areas of risk assessment, microprudential and macroprudential policy and crisis management. Mr. Polidano joined the Compliance Unit within APS Bank p.l.c in recent years.
Mr. Patrick Spiteri Swain

Patrick is a Certified Public Accountant and CFA Charterholder. He also holds a MSc degree in Financial Management, specialising in Financial
Risk Management, Fixed-income portfolio management and Bank Asset & Liability Management. He has twenty-five years working experience in
financial management, holding executive roles since 2008. Presently, he is the corporate treasurer of a leading Maltese bank. He taught subjects in financial management leading to the ACCA and ACA professional qualifications, for fifteen years.
Mr. Andrew E. Portelli
Andrew Portelli is an economist by training, holding a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Malta and a Master of Science in Finance from the University of York in the UK. During his studies Andrew sought to strengthen his knowledge in quantitative finance. He spent 14 years working at the Central Bank of Malta during which he contributed to different workstreams including ones leading to the development of quantitative financial and stress testing models. He then moved to the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) where he was mainly responsible for the ongoing supervision of less significant credit institutions. Andrew has represented the Central Bank and the MFSA in various ECB committees and working groups. Andrew now works within the Risk Management function of the Malta Development Bank.
Course Funding Options
For Individuals
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GET QUALIFIED SCHEME
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