Second-year master's students in the Financial Management program, along with several interested younger colleagues and colleagues from other programs, visited some of the most important financial institutions in the Republic of Croatia on April 25, 2024. The study trip covered various areas of finance, and the group of interested students had the opportunity to visit three financial institutions: the Zagreb Stock Exchange (ZSE), the Croatian National Bank (HNB), and the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (Hanfa).
The first destination was the Zagreb Stock Exchange, where students, organized by the Zagreb Stock Exchange Academy, had the opportunity to learn the basics of the concepts that shape the market and to familiarize themselves with the centralized trading system used at the Zagreb Stock Exchange. However, the entire lecture also had a broader goal of highlighting the importance of financial literacy for every individual and the role of trading and investing in that context.
A lecture at the Croatian National Bank addressed the current topic of cashless payment transactions, a topic chosen by the students themselves so they could get a firsthand look at market trends. In addition to the basic aspects of this part of the Croatian National Bank's operations, such as its legal framework and functioning, the lecture covered the important aspect of supervising payment service providers, which is certainly a significant role of this institution carried out with the aim of maintaining financial stability. Students were introduced to the activities the central bank conducts on the domestic and international level, including the potential introduction of the digital euro.
The final destination was the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (Hanfa). There, students learned about Hanfa's central role as the regulatory body in the non-banking segment of the financial market. The lecture was in the spirit of raising awareness about the importance of financial literacy, and a very interesting discussion was held about the acceptable level of state (regulator) intervention in the activities individuals carry out in the financial market. At the end of the lecture, the students were introduced to the useful area of licensing and certification, specifically the training and exams that Hanfa conducts for professionals in the financial industry. This was followed by an engaging quiz, and the top performers even left with small prizes from Hanfa.
Once again, thank you to the hosts for the useful and interesting lectures! The students gained valuable insights and hands-on experience in the world of finance that will surely benefit them in their future careers.
