End-of-Year Summary | December 2025

As 2025 comes to a close, we would like to pause and reflect on a year that once again confirmed the importance of practical, experience-based banking education. In an environment shaped by regulatory pressure, digital transformation, and ongoing uncertainty in financial markets, bankers increasingly need more than theory — they need clarity, structure, and the ability to interpret real balance sheets and risks.

From Bearning ’s perspective, several themes clearly dominated discussions and learning needs in 2025. We observed a marked increase in interest in professional Asset & Liability Management (ALM) and balance-sheet management, particularly in the context of interest-rate volatility and changing funding structures. This naturally brought renewed attention to proper Funds Transfer Pricing (FTP), realistic balance-sheet planning, and the role of structural profit in bank performance. Across institutions, it became evident that spreadsheet-based approaches are no longer sufficient — quantitative ALM and planning tools are increasingly seen as a necessity, not a luxury. Closely related to this was the need for better financial risk interpretation at ALCO level, enabling informed discussion of IRRBB, liquidity risk, and scenario impacts rather than purely regulatory reporting.

At the same time, digitalization of the banking sector remained a core topic throughout the year. Beyond operational efficiency and AI use cases, a significant part of the discussion shifted towards digital money. The approval of the GENIUS Act in the United States and the implementation of MiCA regulation in Europe triggered growing interest in stablecoins, tokenized money, and their potential implications for bank funding, liquidity management, and customer behavior. Banks increasingly asked not only what is allowed, but what this means for their balance sheets and risk frameworks. In parallel, particularly within the EU, we experienced heightened demand for Fit & Proper preparation at board level, with strong emphasis on financial risks (interest-rate and liquidity risk), AML/KYC governance, and ICT and operational resilience, reflecting evolving supervisory expectations.

In this end-of-year summary, we look back at what 2025 brought for Bearning : live workshops, executive and board-level consulting, growth in expert e-learning, strong engagement from the banking community, and meaningful collaborations with partners and practitioners. We also briefly outline what lies ahead.

1. Bearning in 2025 – Key Highlights at a Glance

During 2025, Bearning delivered 32 live workshops and courses for banking professionals. Most of these were 1-day formats, typically delivered online or in-house at client institutions. In addition, several activities were designed as multi-day education programmes, allowing participants to build deeper expertise over a longer period, while others were shorter, focused sessions (such as half-day workshops) dedicated to specific regulatory or technical topics.

Across these formats, the courses consistently focused on the following core areas:

• Asset & Liability Management (ALM)
• Treasury and capital markets
• Bank performance, Funds Transfer Pricing (FTP), and balance-sheet interpretation
• EU regulation (MiFID II, MiCA)
• Digital bank transformation and the use of AI in banking

The overall quality and relevance of these courses was reflected in the average participant feedback score of 4.84 out of 5, confirming strong appreciation for their practical orientation and real-world applicability.

Participant feedback consistently highlighted three aspects:

• strong practical orientation
• lecturers with real market and supervisory experience
• clear links between regulation, balance sheets, and daily banking decisions

Examples of feedback from participants included:

“Excellent presentation, very practical content usable in daily work, with real-world examples across different areas.”

“It was very valuable that the lecturers come from the market and have real insight into how processes actually work.”

“High-quality content and presentation, clearly explained with practical examples — it helped me understand the full end-to-end picture.”

This feedback reflects Bearning’s long-term focus: bank learning grounded in reality, not slides alone.

2. Executive & Board-Level Consulting: Fit & Proper in Practice

A notable development in 2025 was the growing demand for individual consulting and mentoring aimed at top management and members of supervisory boards. During the year, Bearning delivered 18 Fit & Proper consulting sessions, typically structured as one-to-one or small-group discussions tailored to the specific role, responsibilities, and experience of each participant.

These consultations focused on strengthening the ability of senior decision-makers to understand, interpret, and challenge key financial, risk, and regulatory topics relevant for their supervisory and managerial duties. Rather than transferring theoretical knowledge, the sessions were designed to connect regulatory expectations with the bank’s own balance sheet, risk profile, and governance structure.

The core focus areas of Bearning Fit & Proper consultations included:

• Interpretation of ALM, liquidity, and interest-rate risk positions using balance-sheet mapping, IRRBB metrics, and ALCO dashboards
• Understanding financial performance through FTP, structural P&L drivers, and key ratios (RoE, RORAC, EVA)
• Ability to evaluate and challenge risk reports and management proposals
• Oversight of ICT, cyber risk, and operational resilience, including outsourcing and third-party risks
• Strengthening AML/KYC oversight in a digital environment, including governance of AI-supported AML processes

These sessions were not designed as formal training, but as interactive, senior-level discussions aligned with current supervisory expectations and the realities of decision-making at board and top-management level.

3. Expert E-Learning: Steady Growth and Long-Term Value

Bearning’s expert e-learning platform at study.bearning.com continued to grow in 2025:

• 147 new participants enrolled during the year
• Strong interest in ALM and Treasury fundamentals, Funds Transfer Pricing (FTP), bank performance and quantitative planning, as well as regulation and risk management.
• Participants particularly value structured explanations, extensive quizzes with detailed solutions, and the availability of certificates with lifetime access.

E-learning remains an important complement to live courses, allowing bankers to refresh, deepen, and document their expertise without time pressure.

4. Knowledge Sharing on LinkedIn: Reaching the Global Banking Community

LinkedIn remains our primary channel for sharing expert commentary and practical insights from banking practice.

LinkedIn 2025 – Key Numbers

• Bearning company page: +324 new followers in 2025, reaching a total of 1,738 followers by year-end.
• Martin Macko (Bearning founder): follower base grew to 6,100, representing an increase of more than 1,000 followers during the year, driven primarily by expert banking content, articles and explanatory posts.
• Content reach: Martin Macko’s posts generated 132,000 impressions, and together with Bearning posts, total impressions reached 142,000 in 2025.

The most-read and liked posts focused on:

• Modelling of non-maturing deposits
• Structural profit and FTP
• Four Pillars of successful bank ALM
• A reflection on BPI article on Treasury Market Resilience and Large Banks' Balance Sheet Constrains
• Several ECB and supervisory publications
• Market development posts and their impact on banks' balance sheets

The consistent engagement confirms that bankers value clear, technically sound explanations of complex topics.

5. Partnerships & Collaboration in 2025

1️⃣ QuantPlan / QuantALM

In 2025, we strengthened our cooperation with QuantPlan (QuantALM), a quantitative ALM and planning solution for banks.

• Joint free live webinar on FTP and quantitative planning
• 190+ registrations, 102 live participants
• Strong participation from ALM, Treasury, Risk, and Controlling professionals

This cooperation naturally connects ALM policy design with real analytical tools and dashboards, something banks increasingly require.

3️⃣ Planixs

We were also pleased to contribute to a Planixs podcast focused on bank liquidity. Planixs is a leading provider of real-time liquidity management solutions, and we look forward to continuing discussions and cooperation around liquidity, technology, and regulation.

2️⃣ AML, KYC & ICT: New Collaboration with Lenka Fronková

In 2025, we also started a new and very valuable collaboration in the area of AML, KYC, ICT, and related financial regulation with Lenka Fronkova (Czech Republic). Lenka is a senior regulatory and compliance expert with over 16 years of experience in European and financial law. She spent more than 12 years at the Czech National Bank, where she worked as Chief Inspector, and later as Head of the Consumer Credit Supervision Unit. She currently focuses on EU financial regulation, including payments, MiCA, DORA, and fintech innovation. This collaboration significantly strengthens Bearning’s expertise in AML, compliance, and ICT-related supervisory topics, especially in a digital and AI-driven banking environment.

6. Spotlight: Live Workshops in Slovak or Czech Language

Bearning je Bank Learning aj pre slovenských bankárov!

V roku 2025 sme realizovali viaceré verejné aj inhouse kurzy v slovenskom jazyku. Na mieru pripravené inhouse Bearning vzdelávanie využila Národná banka Slovenska a viaceré slovenské banky, ale aj komerčná firma z pôsobiaca v krypto segmentte. Naše kurzy boli zamerané najmä na, riadenie aktív a pasív (ALM), digitalizáciu bánk a využitie umelej inteligencie, regulácie MiFID II a MiCA, a individuálne Fit & Proper konzultácie pre top manažment.

Nadchádzajúce Bearning kurzy v slovenskom jazyku (2026)

• 📅 28. 1. 2026 – Regulácia MiFID II
• 📅 29. 1. 2026 – Digitálne peniaze
• 📅 4. 2. 2026 – Banková regulácia
• 📅 13. 2. 2026 – AML a KYC v digitálnej ére
• 📅 26. 2. 2026 – Riziká a zlyhania bánk
• 📅 12. 3. 2026 – Kapitálový trh
• 📅 24. 3. 2026 – Kryptoaktíva a regulácia MiCA
• 📅 14. 4. 2026 – Úrokové riziká a regulácia IRRBB

Aktuálny kalendár a možnosť prihlásiť sa na Bearning kurzy je na bearning.sk

7. Looking Ahead to 2026

Looking forward to 2026, Bearning will continue to focus on areas where we see the strongest and most persistent demand from banks, combining education with practical implementation support.

• Within Asset & Liability Management, Treasury, and balance-sheet management, we expect further acceleration towards quantitative planning and scenario-based decision-making. Beyond education, Bearning is prepared to actively support banks in selecting, implementing, and setting up appropriate quantitative ALM and planning solutions. This includes translating ALM and FTP policies into working models, dashboards, and scenarios that support real ALCO and management decisions. Based on our experience, the ability to combine sound methodology with the right tools will be a key differentiator for banks in the coming years.
• We also anticipate continued growth in Fit & Proper education and individual consulting at board and top-management level. Supervisory expectations in areas such as financial risk oversight, AML/KYC, and ICT governance are increasing, and banks are responding by strengthening the practical competence of their decision-makers. This trend is already visible, with two Fit & Proper engagements for 2026 confirmed at the time of writing, and further interest expected.
• Finally, digitalization of banking will remain a central theme of our activities. We will continue to follow developments in AI usage in banking, digital money, and fintech innovation, together with the evolving regulatory framework. Education in this area will consistently link technology with governance, risk management, and regulation, including topics such as MiCA, DORA, and AI-related supervisory expectations.

As in previous years, Bearning will combine live education, individual consulting, and structured e-learning into a coherent learning and advisory journey, tailored to the specific needs of banks and financial institutions.

Thank You for 2025

We would like to sincerely thank all participants, clients, partners, and followers for their trust and cooperation throughout 2025. Your feedback and discussions help us continuously refine what we do.

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