Preparatory Certificate in Finance and Financial Markets

A preparatory starting point

This preparatory certificate from Corporate Finance Institute is designed to lay down the groundwork before more specialised study. It covers finance itself and the financial markets that give the subject its context, which makes it a sensible first step for anyone who finds the terminology unfamiliar.

Who should consider it

Career changers, students and people moving into a finance-adjacent job will find the framing useful. Because it is preparatory, it is best read as a map of the territory rather than a route to a specific qualification.

What you can expect to build

• A clear grasp of what finance covers as a discipline
• An understanding of how financial markets are organised
• A vocabulary that makes later courses easier to follow

If you plan to go further, use the certificate as a checkpoint: list the terms you can explain without notes and revisit any that remain vague.