Graduating from the MSc in Global Central Banking and Financial Regulation

Graduate of the MSc in Global Central Banking and Financial Regulation, June Otigba, reflects on her experience and learnings. 

It has been a phenomenal experience being a student on the MSc Global Central Banking and Financial Regulation. I joined the programme at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnessing the global shut down and the implementation of virtual work definitely made it easier to study long hours without interruptions. With a bachelors’ degree in Economics, an MBA from University of Warwick and over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, I was in a comfortable terrain and could easily grasp a lot of the concepts around ‘Money, Banks and Macroeconomics’, financial conduct, and monetary policy framework.

A key aspect of the programme that I enjoyed was the opportunity to focus on one module at a time, as this gave me sufficient time to study, ask questions and fully understand each topic. The most interesting part of my studies would be researching and understanding unusual monetary policy tools like quantitative easing, which we have seen the Federal Reserve deploy even most recently to manage the effects of the pandemic in the US economy.

Overall, this programme has helped deepen my knowledge of monetary policy tools and frameworks. It has enabled me to develop core competencies that have given me the platform to attract opportunities in the financial services industry and also in economic policy framework formulation. This programme has also allowed me to further understand and analyse monetary policy and financial markets, exposing me to the concept of behavioural finance and big data that is driving the future of payment solutions and digital banking products. The tools and knowledge I have gained during the programme have supported my position to deliver in my current role as the Head of Retail Banking for a commercial bank in Nigeria.

The flexibility of the programme made it possible for me to study while also pursuing my career. This was a major reason in considering undertaking the programme. In addition, the Bank of England being a foremost Central Bank in the world definitely provides the programme the required boost to attract the right talents across the world.

My plan is to use the knowledge and experience acquired from the programme to advance my career, taking advantage of more opportunities in the financial services industry and contributing my quota through developmental agencies like the IMF, World Bank etc.