2026–2027 Fall Term
Financial Management Course — Banking Graduate Programme
| Course Information | |
| Course Code | |
| Course Title | Financial Management |
| Course Type | Compulsory |
| Programme | Banking Graduate Programme |
| Academic Year | 2026–2027 Academic Year |
| Term | Fall Term |
| Credits | 3 hours per week |
| Language of Instruction | Turkish |
| Instructor | Güven Sayılgan |
| Notes | Classes are held between 09:30–12:20 and 13:30–16:20. |
| Importance of the Course Professionals working in the banking sector need to be able to assess firms’ financial structures accurately, analyse credit and investment decisions soundly, and manage financial risks effectively. This course is important because it teaches students aiming for a banking career the fundamental and current topics of corporate finance within a theoretical framework. The knowledge and analytical skills gained will provide students with a significant professional foundation for evaluating customers’ financial positions, reviewing credit applications, identifying business risks, determining financing needs, and developing appropriate financial solutions. |
| Course Objective |
| The objective of this course is to equip students who aim for a professional career in banking with the fundamental knowledge and methods needed to analyse firms’ financial decisions, financing needs and risks. Topics covered include the concept of value in firms, financial analysis, business risks, working capital management, interest rates, the time value of money, the cost of capital and capital budgeting. The course thus aims for students to gain competence in interpreting firms’ financial statements, analysing creditworthiness, evaluating cash flows, comparing financing alternatives, and developing systematic solutions to financial problems encountered in banking practice. |
| Course Contents | |
| Week 1 | The Purpose and Importance of Financial Management, and the Role and Functions (Decisions) of Financial Managers within the Business Organisation |
| Week 2 | Why Value Maximisation Rather Than Profit Maximisation? Accrual Basis, Cash Basis and Cash Concepts |
| Week 3 | Financial Markets and Interest Rates |
| Week 4 | Analysis of the Balance Sheet and Income Statement in the Context of Cash Flows and Risk |
| Week 5 | Degrees of Leverage |
| Week 6 | Credit Analysis, Ratings, Financial Distress and Credit Default Swaps |
| Week 7 | Working Capital Management |
| Week 8 | Theoretical Aspects of the Time Value of Money |
| Week 9 | Midterm Examination |
| Week 10 | Time Value of Money (Problem Solving and Applications) |
| Week 11 | Cost of Capital and Calculations |
| Week 12 | Theoretical Aspects of Capital Budgeting |
| Week 13 | Capital Budgeting (Problem Solving and Applications) (Submission of Student Assignments) |
| Week 14 | Final Examination |
From the fourth week onwards, four students will each give a six-minute presentation in the last session of every week. Topics will be selected from the presentation topics list.
| Teaching Methodology |
| Topics are explained by the instructor. Students are also expected to participate in discussions. Within the scope of this course, students are expected to conduct research on various topics and present in class. |
| Textbook |
| Güven Sayılgan, Soru ve Yanıtlarıyla İşletme Finansmanı (Corporate Finance with Questions and Answers), 10th Edition, Seçkin Publishing, 2026, Ankara. |
Student Research Assignment Topics
Financial Management Course — Banking Programme
Notes:
- Each student should examine the conceptual framework of the chosen topic, its application in Türkiye, current data, relevant regulations, risks and policy recommendations.
- Assignments must be at least 5 pages or at least 2,000 words, in 12-point Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing.
- Preparing an assignment is voluntary. Students who wish to do so must notify the class representative of their chosen topic from the list no later than the end of the Week 3 class session.
- Depending on assignment and presentation performance, 10–20 points may be added to students’ final grades. (Naturally, a student scoring 90 can receive at most 10 additional points.) Students who present but do not submit an assignment will not receive extra points.
- Students who prepare an assignment will present in class for approximately six minutes in the designated week. Assignments must be submitted to the instructor on the day of class in Week 10.
| No. | Thematic Area | Research Topic |
| 1 | Monetary Policy, Interest Rates and Bank Profitability Week 4 |
The impact of the CBRT’s tight monetary policy on Turkish banks’ net interest margins |
| 2 | Banks’ deposit costs and loan pricing behaviour in a high-interest-rate environment | |
| 3 | Asset–liability maturity mismatch and interest rate risk in Turkish banks | |
| 4 | The impact of inflation on banks’ balance sheet sizes and real profitability | |
| 5 | Costs and consequences of the FX-protected deposit scheme for the Turkish banking system | |
| 6 | Loans, Household Borrowing and Credit Risk Week 5 |
Effects of consumer credit growth on financial stability in Türkiye |
| 7 | Household credit card indebtedness and repayment capacity | |
| 8 | The relationship between mortgage interest rates and housing affordability | |
| 9 | Developments in non-performing loans and loan restructuring in the Turkish banking sector | |
| 10 | SMEs’ access-to-credit problems and alternative financing methods | |
| 11 | Deposits, Savings and Dollarisation Week 6 |
Causes of deposit dollarisation in Türkiye and its effects on the banking system |
| 12 | Effects of policies encouraging a shift to Turkish lira deposits on banks’ funding structure | |
| 13 | Effects of shortening deposit maturities on banks’ liquidity and interest rate risk | |
| 14 | Competition between deposit interest rates and investment fund returns | |
| 15 | Savers’ preferences among bank deposits, gold, foreign exchange and investment funds | |
| 16 | Digital Banking and New Banking Models Week 7 |
Competitive impact of digital banks on traditional banks in Türkiye |
| 17 | Evaluating the branchless banking model in terms of costs and customer experience | |
| 18 | Comparing revenue models of neobanks and traditional banks | |
| 19 | Contribution of digital banking to financial inclusion in Türkiye | |
| 20 | The future of bank branches: impact of digitalisation on branch numbers and bank employment | |
| 21 | Open Banking and Payment Systems Week 8 (Week 9 is Midterm Week) |
Development of open banking practices in Türkiye and their impact on interbank competition |
| 22 | Benefits of account aggregation services in open banking for customers | |
| 23 | Impact of the FAST system on money transfer habits in Türkiye | |
| 24 | Comparing FAST, EFT and remittance systems in terms of speed, cost and security | |
| 25 | The strategic importance of TROY in Türkiye’s payment systems | |
| 26 | Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Banking Week 10 |
Use cases and risks of generative AI in banking services |
| 27 | Comparing AI-supported credit assessment models with traditional credit scoring | |
| 28 | Use of big data analytics in predicting customer behaviour by banks | |
| 29 | Impact of AI-based personalised banking services on customer loyalty | |
| 30 | Discrimination, algorithmic bias and explainability problems in AI models | |
| 31 | Cybersecurity and Financial Fraud Week 11 |
Methods and prevention mechanisms of mobile banking fraud in Türkiye |
| 32 | Threats posed by deepfake technology to identity verification processes in banking | |
| 33 | Banks’ responsibility in social engineering and phishing attacks | |
| 34 | Evaluating biometric authentication in terms of security and personal data protection | |
| 35 | Banks’ operational resilience against cyber attacks and crisis management | |
| 36 | Digital Currency, Crypto-Assets and Blockchain Week 12 |
Potential effects of the digital Turkish lira on commercial banks’ deposit and payment services |
| 37 | Opportunities and risks of banks offering crypto-asset custody services | |
| 38 | Effects of bringing crypto-asset service providers under CMB supervision on the banking sector | |
| 39 | Potential of tokenised deposits to replace traditional bank deposits | |
| 40 | Use of blockchain technology in trade finance and letter-of-credit transactions | |
| 41 | Sustainability, Regulation and Türkiye-Specific Risks Week 13 (Week 14 is Final Week) |
Impact of climate change on Turkish banks’ loan portfolios and collateral values |
| 42 | Green loan practices in Türkiye and banks’ role in sustainable transformation | |
| 43 | Turkish banks’ Basel IV compliance process and capital adequacy | |
| 44 | Impact of earthquake risk on banks’ housing, commercial real estate and SME loan portfolios | |
| 45 | Evaluating export rediscount credits for exporting firms and the Turkish banking system |