Welcome to the July 2025 edition of the Bearning newsletter! Summer is often the perfect time to slow down, relax, and recharge 🌞. It is also a great opportunity to reflect on banking strategies, prepare for the upcoming period, and invest in personal development. Whether by exploring new trends in finance or deepening your banking expertise, summer learning can bring valuable insights. At Bearning, we offer a range of e-learning courses, consulting, and workshops to help you stay ahead - because Bearning means Bank Learning.

1. Insights for Banking Professionals

Tokenization of Government Bonds: Tokenization - programmable claims recorded on distributed ledgers - has started to make a tangible impact. The BIS bulletin highlights that tokenized government bonds have already reached $8 billion in issuance, with narrower bid-ask spreads and comparable issuance costs to traditional bonds. In our LinkedIn post, we noted that tokenization could bring faster settlements, improved collateral use, and broader investor access. However, there are still challenges around regulatory frameworks and interoperability. For banks, the key will be to explore how tokenization could integrate with existing balance sheet and risk management processes.

Macroeconomic Impacts of CBDCs: The Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) study shows that an interest-bearing CBDC could reshape the monetary landscape by narrowing deposit spreads and reducing banks’ pricing power. As we commented in our LinkedIn post, this could benefit depositors but may also challenge bank profitability and lending capacity as CBDCs gain traction. Banks need to consider potential changes to their funding models and explore complementary strategies, such as diversifying revenue streams or enhancing risk-adjusted pricing.

Quantum Computing – A Threat to Financial Security? Quantum computing promises breakthroughs in computational power but also threatens current cryptographic systems. A BIS paper warns that once large-scale quantum computers become available, many existing cryptographic algorithms could be broken. In our LinkedIn post, we stressed that this is not just a theoretical risk. Financial institutions should already be preparing for post-quantum cryptography to safeguard critical infrastructure and digital assets.

Simplifying Banking Regulation in Europe: The European Banking Federation (EBF) has issued a call for EU policymakers to simplify regulatory frameworks to foster competitiveness and innovation in banking. While the existing rules are comprehensive, their growing complexity often places a heavy operational burden on banks. On one hand, we have seen that EU banks did not experience bankruptcies like SVB and other US banks in 2023, partly thanks to stricter rules such as IRRBB regulations of all banks. On the other hand, overly tight regulation can limit business development and innovation. It is always about finding the right balance between resilience and flexibility. You can read the full EBF report here: Simply Competitive – EBF Update.

2. Bearning Courses and E-Learning Updates

Funds Transfer Pricing (FTP) and Quantitative Planning - Free Bearning Webinar: 🗓️ October 9, 2025 | 🕒 3:00–4:00 PM (CET)

How can banks sharpen their internal pricing and planning in today’s volatile environment? On October 9, 2025, we are hosting a free 60-minute webinar with our partner QuantPlan, focusing on Funds Transfer Pricing (FTP) and quantitative planning. Together with Martin Macko (Bearning) and Michal Lopusan, CFA (QuantPlan), we will cover practical approaches to FTP as a tool for pricing, performance and risk management, demonstrate a model bank setup in QuantPlan, and show how scenario-based planning can drive smarter decisions. The webinar will close with a Q&A session, offering real-world applications and expert answers. Register here: Bearning FTP & Quantitative Planning Webinar (MS Teams)

🆕 New E-Learning Course: Corporate Treasury Sales 💼

We are expanding our e-learning portfolio with a brand-new course on Corporate Treasury Sales. This course provides a thorough understanding of key areas such as:

• Treasury Sales
• FX & Money Market
• Bonds & Fixed Income
• Derivatives & Hedging
• Corporate Risk Management
• Commodities
• Treasury Products & Calculations

You can find the full details here: Corporate Treasury Sales: FX, Bonds, Derivatives & Hedging. The course is part of our All Courses bundle, which is now available with a 40% summer discount. Simply use the coupon code SUMMER40 when enrolling: Bearning E-learning Courses. And of course, all Bearning users who have already purchased our bundle will automatically receive access to this new course.

🎓 Master Banking This Summer – 40% Off All-Inclusive E-Learning Bundle

Summer is a perfect time to boost your expertise. With our 40% summer discount, you can gain lifetime access to Bearning’s full e-learning suite: all our banking courses, over 1,000 expert-level questions with explanations, our popular SimBa Excel-based bank simulation, and the Bearning Certificate of Banking Expertise. This comprehensive package covers everything from ALM, Treasury, and Risk Management to Regulation, Fintech, and beyond. Use coupon code SUMMER40 at checkout to claim your discount:

👉 Explore and enroll in the course bundles here

Whether you want to explore strategic topics like FTP and planning in our free October webinar or gain a complete, structured knowledge base through our all-inclusive e-learning bundle, this summer is the perfect time to plan your professional development. By combining practical insights from live sessions with our interactive online courses and simulations, you can strengthen both your expertise and confidence for the upcoming period.

3. Kurzy v slovenskom jazyku

Aj v lete je čas myslieť na svoj rozvoj. Letné mesiace sú ideálne nielen na oddych, ale aj na plánovanie ďalšieho vzdelávania a zlepšovanie odborných znalostí. Bearning prináša sériu kvalitných kurzov, ktoré vás pripravia na aktuálne výzvy v bankovníctve a finančnom riadení.

Treasury Workshop – 25. 9. 2025

Náš obľúbený Treasury Workshop prináša praktický pohľad na fungovanie treasury v bankách a na obchodovanie na finančných trhoch. Počas tohto interaktívneho kurzu účastníci získajú prehľad o hlavných produktoch peňažného, kapitálového a devízového trhu, naučia sa základné princípy obchodovania a riadenia trhových rizík a zoznámia sa s kľúčovými stratégiami treasury. Kurz je ideálny pre pracovníkov bankového treasury, ALM, riadenia rizík a kontrolingu. Viac informácií a registrácia: Treasury Workshop.

Kapitálový trh a spracovanie cenných papierov - 2. 10. 2025

Tento kurz je zameraný na komplexné pochopenie kapitálového trhu a procesov spojených so spracovaním cenných papierov. Účastníci sa oboznámia s rôznymi typmi cenných papierov, ich emisiou a obchodovaním, ale aj s procesmi vyporiadania, zúčtovania a evidencie. Kurz je vhodný pre bankových pracovníkov, back-office špecialistov a každého, kto potrebuje detailný prehľad o fungovaní a vysporiadaní transakcií na kapitálových trhov a operácií s cennými papiermi. Viac informácií a registrácia: Kapitálový trh a spracovanie cenných papierov.

Ďalšie Bearning kurzy – prihláste sa už teraz!

Máme naplánované výborné odborné kurzy na jeseň 2025 a tešíme sa na ich realizáciu. Kompletný kalendár nájdete na našom webe bearning.sk.

• 📅 25. 9. 2025 – Treasury Workshop
• 📅 02. 10. 2025 – Kapitálový trh a spracovanie cenných papierov
• 📅 06. 10. 2025 – Umelá inteligencia (AI) v bankovníctve
• 📅 21. 10. 2025 – KYC a AML v banke
• 📅 22. 10. 2025 – Digitálne peniaze
• 📅 23. 10. 2025 – Kapitálový trh (pokročilá téma)
• 📅 26. 11. 2025 – Krypto-trhy a MiCA regulácia

Nezmeškajte príležitosť posunúť svoje znalosti na vyššiu úroveň. Jesenné kurzy Bearning poskytujú praktické informácie, aktuálne príklady z praxe a možnosť konzultovať konkrétne otázky s odborníkmi. Sledujte náš web bearning.sk a náš Bearning LinkedIn pre najnovšie informácie a aktualizácie.

4. Banking Industry Quiz

Test Your Knowledge with Bearning’s Monthly Quiz ✅❌❔

This month’s quiz looks at the differences between banking regulations in the US and Europe. While European banking regulations are often considered stricter in many areas, there is at least one regulatory measure where US standards are typically tighter. Can you guess which one?

❓ In which area are US banking regulations typically stricter compared to Europe?

• A) Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR)
• B) Market Risk Capital Requirements
• C) Leverage Ratio
• D) Interest Rate Risk in the Banking Book (IRRBB)

👨 Check our next Bearning newsletter for the correct answer and explanation.

5. Quiz Solution Corner ✅

Review and Learn from Last Month's Quiz

❓ Which of the following is NOT considered a crypto-asset under the EU MiCA regulation? (Select one incorrect option – the others are classified under MiCA.)

• A) Asset-referenced token (ART)
• B) E-money token (EMT)
• C) Utility token
• D) Bitcoin ETF traded on a regulated stock exchange

✅ Correct answer: D) Bitcoin ETF traded on a regulated stock exchange

Explanation: The EU MiCA regulation (Markets in Crypto-Assets) defines and regulates three main categories of crypto-assets:

• Asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) – stablecoins backed by a basket of assets.
• E-money tokens (EMTs) – tokens that reference a single fiat currency and function as electronic money.
• Utility tokens – tokens intended to provide access to a digital service or application.

A Bitcoin ETF traded on a regulated stock exchange is not a crypto-asset under MiCA. Instead, it is considered a financial instrument and falls under existing MiFID II and other securities regulations, since it is issued and traded within a traditional regulated financial market structure. MiCA specifically excludes financial instruments like ETFs, bonds, stocks, or derivatives from its scope, even if they are linked to cryptocurrencies.

📚 Want to practice more? Visit our Bearning e-learning platform for 1000+ quiz questions and full course bundles on treasury, ALM, and derivatives. Use now bundles with 40% summer discount!

Stay Connected with Bearning

We hope this month’s insights, updates, and quiz have helped you stay informed and inspired in your professional banking journey. At Bearning, we continue to support bankers and financial professionals through practical education, in-house trainings, and consulting - because Bearning is Bank Learning!

• 📚 Explore more E-learning & webinars at: bearning.com
• 🇸🇰 Navštívte aj náš slovenský web: bearning.sk
• 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Bearning LinkedIn
• 📧 Contact us: office@bearning.com

Let us know if you’d like to organize a workshop, explore e-learning for your team, or book a consultation.

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