Emanuele Visentin, Finance Officer, Amina Bank

To help current students and recent graduates navigate the world of work, several USI Alumni shared their career paths and career story. Here the story of Emanuele Visentin, Finance Officer at Amina Bank in Zug (CH). USI Degree: Master in Finance, 2021.

How did you start your career?

I started my career at SEBA Bank AG in Zug as a Chief Finance Office intern (9 months), but I was able to get the promotion to Finance Officer one month earlier. The bank went through a rebranding in December 2023 to AMINA Bank AG.

Why did you choose a career at Amina Bank?

I chose to work in this bank given it's one of the two fully FINMA licensed crypto native banks in Switzerland. Zug is the center of the crypto valley and I am passionate about this field since 2017.

What is your current role/duties?

My role is very extensive/flexible/various, as you can imagine working in a startup.
My tasks are mainly: regulatory reporting (LCR, CaR, NSFR, Supervisory Reporting, etc.), month-end activities (accruals and deferrals, reclassification of balance sheet and income statement movements analysis, etc.) as well as quarterly/yearly production of various reports. I also send automated emails (using Python) on a daily/monthly basis with PnL/AuC/open options info.

In your opinion, what are the qualities necessary for a successful career at Amina Bank?

It seems easier if you are very talkative, soft skills are really appreciated, sometimes hard skills are less relevant, but it depends from various factors and it is a very dynamic environment with high turnover (I am there since almost 3 years and I saw more than 50% of the workforce leaving, fired or voluntarily). I am building a lot of knowledge which makes me proud anyway and open for a brighter future.

What positive aspects and qualities meant most to you during the study programme you attended?

The study programme at USI has been fantastic. Choosing Digital Finance gave me the chance to learn programming (mainly in Python) and experiment with Machine Learning, as well as more traditional courses like Asset Management (it was very practical with a portfolio management competition, which my group won :) using Bloomberg Terminal on a daily/weekly basis). I chose this path because there is Blockchain and Digital Currencies too, of course. I also had the chance to go to HSG during the last semester (Swiss Mobility).

What competences and/or skills acquired in your USI Study Program have been useful/are useful to your professional career?

• Programming
• Statistics
• Accounting
• Asset Management
• (all courses are really useful to be honest)

What is your advice to USI students entering the job market?

Be aware that Finance jobs are really competitive, never think to be better than someone else, even if you are. Learn as much as possible from experienced colleagues, communicate less with very extrovert colleagues with little hard skills, unless you want to progress like them. Time will tell you how much you are worth, and I believe you will be valued correctly in the long run.