I chose to do my placement at SMBC Group because…
Of the bank’s highly regarded reputation, as one of the leading banks in Japan and on a global level. The bank is also committed to creating a ‘sustainable society’ through its environmental initiatives and social value creation. As well as this, the hybrid working system allows me to work flexibly, have a work-life balance and exhibits the bank’s focus on improving their employees’ health & mental wellbeing.
SMBC’s collaborative culture really stood out to me, everyone is incredibly supportive and willing to answer any questions I throw at them.
My job involves…
Working within the Credit Solutions Group, as part of the Transportation Department. Sitting in a Front Office department means I have direct exposure to our aviation/maritime clients and any financing deals we are working on. My team’s focus is on credit monitoring/advisory, and I support them by creating weekly CDS spread/bond price/share price reports on our customers, which I send out to the global department. I also support Aviation Capital by using our internal system to analyse financial statements and produce a model credit grade. Along with many ad-hoc tasks, I also have exposure to the other teams in the department including Internal Control & Portfolio Management, where I track covenant information including compliance certificates and financial statements.
On a typical day…
I will receive grading pack requests from Aviation Capital, a global aircraft leasing company. As well as this, I set up new aviation clients in our system, update the tracker spreadsheet every time a trigger monitoring alert is sent out, create the weekly KPI reports, and take our team meeting minutes. I am also able to attend our deals calls, to further understand the clients we work with and what deals the origination teams have set up. Connecting with members in different teams, such as Air Finance Group EMEA, has also given me the opportunity look through credit papers, and attend different courses such as financial modelling, ROE and pricing models.
What I enjoy most about my internship…
Is working in such a diverse team. I’ve had the opportunity to work in a department with a variety of different cultures and backgrounds (there’s always delicious, international snacks on the table). On top of the technical work, I’ve been able to organise our team building activities/lunches and participated in volunteering days including the Bright Network Festival, furniture upholstery and a careers morning for students looking to enter the finance sector. Taking the lead on our ‘Team Story’ was an extremely rewarding moment for me since my team won the competition and our video was presented at the Town Hall, as well as winning a lunch with an executive member of the bank.
Top tips for future interns considering a placement at SMBC Group…
Ensure your knowledge of the bank is up to date (it’s values, culture, heritage, and latest initiatives). Think about how you have demonstrated the core values and what key skills you have that would allow you to fit into the bank. Industry and department knowledge is also crucial to succeeding at SMBC, as well as showing a genuine interest in the work you do. Excel is an application I work with every day, so knowing key tips and tricks would be extremely beneficial to your role. Finally, being yourself is the most important part. Let your personality shine through and always have a willingness to learn new things.