Chartered Banker MBA | Asian Banking School

Overview
Programme Delivery
Study Routes
Programme Modules
About Bangor University
Faculty

Overview
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In association with:
DATE
New Intake - April 2024

TRAINING PLATFORM
Online Learning
The Chartered Banker MBA (CBMBA) is the 4th largest executive MBA programme in the UK (Sunday Times, 2017). This ground-breaking qualification allows you to gain a Top MBA and the coveted ‘Chartered Banker’ status - the highest professional designation available to bankers worldwide. The programme curriculum is a combination of general MBA disciplines and specialist subjects with an emphasis on professional and vocational development; enhancing the understanding and application of those skills required in modern day banking and finance. The diverse CBMBA experience for bankers also makes this dual award of wider interest to any professionals concerned with or interested in global banking and financial services.
Programme Fees include:
Online seminars, tutorials, discussion groups and support
All course materials
Personal Tutor
Access to Bangor University’s online library and learning portal
All assessments
PROGRAMME FEE
Accelerated Routes
MALAYSIAN PARTICIPANTS
MYR
86,000
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS
GBP
14,750
Super Accelerated Routes
MALAYSIAN PARTICIPANTS
MYR
73,000
INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS
GBP
12,500
PAYMENT OPTIONS
STF claimable
HRD Corp – Skim Bantuan Latihan (SBL)
Payment in instalments for individuals
There are several payment options available for corporate-sponsored and self-sponsored students. This information is given in the Information Deck which you can download.
download Leaflet
download brochure
download information deck
Programme Delivery
There are two semesters per year - October and April.
The programme will be delivered fully online and allows for self-paced study.
Access to modules will be through the Virtual Learning environment Blackboard with a Bangor University student log-in.
Resources include study guides, textbooks, online tutorials, revision workshops, and lectures.
Academic support will be provided every semester through discussion forums, live web chats and web based tutorials.
Each student will also be assigned a Personal Tutor.

Study Routes

There are a number of study route options which can be followed to achieve the CBMBA. Shorter pathways are accessible to those who join the programme with relevant prior learning and experience. These are called Accelerated and Super Accelerated Routes, which cuts the length of study from the full 24-month period programme to 18 and 12 months respectively. The Asian Banking School is offering these faster routes to Malaysian Chartered Bankers and others who meet the eligibility requirements to provide significant savings in cost and time.

Accelerated Routes
	Compulsory Modules	Elective Modules
Accelerated Programme: For Qualified Banking Professionals Entry criteria: An approved professional banking qualification Standard time for completion: 18 months	6 Compulsory Modules • Corporate Strategy • Credit & Lending • Ethics, Regulation & Compliance • People & Organisational Behaviour • Research Methods for Business Decision Making • The Customer Journey in Financial Services	Choose 2 Elective Modules • Aspects of Global Banking • Banking Technology & Fintech • Capital Markets & Treasury Management • Fighting Financial Crime • Financial Analysis for Value • Green & Sustainable Finance • New Venture Creation
Accelerated Programme: For Qualified Accounting Professionals Entry criteria: An approved professional accounting qualification Standard time for completion: 18 months	4 Compulsory Modules • Credit & Lending • Ethics, Regulation & Compliance • Financial Institutions Risk Management • Research Methods for Business Decision Making	Choose 3 Elective Modules • Aspects of Global Banking • Banking Technology & Fintech • Capital Markets & Treasury Management • Fighting Financial Crime • Financial Analysis for Value • Green & Sustainable Finance • New Venture Creation • The Customer Journey in Financial Services

Super Accelerated Routes
	Compulsory Modules
Super Accelerated Route 1 Entry criteria: • Holders of an MBA or congruent master's degree • A bachelor degree together with 10 years or more very senior banking experience held at an executive level Standard time for completion: 12 months	This is a set route where the following four modules are studied: April Semester • Green & Sustainable Finance • Financial Institutions Risk Management October Semester • Ethics, Regulation & Compliance • Credit Lending
Super Accelerated Route 2 Entry criteria: • An undergraduate degree, with a banking professional qualification and senior executive experience for at least 10 years Standard time for completion: 12 months	This is a set route where the following four modules are studied: April Semester • Green & Sustainable Finance • People & Organisational Behaviour October Semester • Ethics, Regulation & Compliance • Corporate Strategy

Those interested in entering the programme via the Accelerated Route or Super Accelerated Route but do not meet the entry criteria are still encouraged to apply and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis with factors that include work experience and number of years in a management position taken into consideration.

Programme Modules
Compulsory Module
Each Compulsory Module is assessed by assignment and examination. Assignments are submitted at set points throughout the semester with revision sessions followed by examinations held at the end of each semester. The assessment weighting is 40 percent by assignment and 60 percent by examination.
Credit & Lending
Key areas surrounding credit and lending is explored starting with the relationship between the banker and customer through business lending procedures with credit risk practices for each type of bank (retail, business and commercial) explored. Those studying this module will develop detailed and critical knowledge and understanding of credit and lending in the banking industry and will also develop a range of banking skills, techniques and practices at a professional level.

Corporate Strategy
The theory and practice of strategy formulation and implementation is considered in this module. There are many patterns, actions and business approaches which define an organisation’s strategy and students will be afforded opportunities to identify those which are pertinent for financial services firms. The financial services sector is one of the most regulated industries and the implications of this along with the characteristics of the service products will be noted throughout the module.

Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance is a key management activity with a broad range of activities to address. The understanding of the financial manager’s key decisions forms the heart of this module, with emphasis on selection of profitable investments, utilising financial instruments, choosing the best mix of funds, risk and divided policy. The importance of cash flow, and the theories underpinning dividend decisions is also emphasised.

Financial Institutions Risk Management
Risk Management function in modern, shareholder owned banks are explored. A fundamental approach adopted is that financial institutions risk management is a central element of practical bank financial management. In this context, risk management is seen practically as linking risk-taking (as essential economic role of banking firms) and financial management (managing these risks and the respective risk and return trade-offs in the most efficient way). The nature, strategic context and management of bank risk are examined.

People & Organisational Behaviour
The key issues arising from contemporary research into human resource management and organisational behaviour is explored. The module provides an integrated analysis of management, organisations and people and develops the conceptual strategic and practical skills necessary for managers.

Managerial Economics
Managerial theories of the firm including production and cost, market structures, strategic pricing and competition policy are considered in this module. These important and challenging concepts and their relevance to modern management are set in context for the students to reflect upon their own organisation’s economic behaviour and strategies.

Ethics, Regulation & Compliance
The ethical framework surrounding today’s professional bankers and the implications for the organisation’s aims and objectives is examined in this module. The module also explores issues of corporate governance and responsibility and the management and administration of companies. It examines in detail ethical concepts and behaviour, ethical decision making and resolving ethical dilemmas, with a clear focus on the code of conduct required by the Chartered Banker Institute.

Research Methods for Business Decision Making
The aim of this module is to equip students with research tools which can be used in their study of other modules in particular the elective modules which are project based courses. It starts with an introduction to research methodology and information technology tools. The main part comprises an introduction to techniques of describing and summarising data, elements of data modelling, principles of probability and inference, regression analysis, time series analysis and survey methodology.

It is recommended that no more than 3 modules are studied in a given semester (which is a period of 6 months)

Elective Modules
Elective Modules are project based and assessed by a 3,500-word research project. These modules apply the skills acquired during the compulsory 'Research Methods for Business Decision Making' module and are essentially ‘mini consultancy projects’. Elective Modules comprise the dissertation element of the programme.
Banking Technology & FinTech
This module addresses the current rapid changes in banking technology and the disruptive impact of the new ‘fintech’ start-ups challening conventional bank business models. The focus is on the integration of technology (cryptography, mobile banking, AI and machine learning), regulation (e.g. the EU PSD2) and changing business models.

Capital Markets & Treasury Management
Three core elements of capital markets and treasury management are looked at in this module including: liquidity management and capital markets, financial management and risk management and treasury operations. This module will look at the key theories and elements underpinning each section.

Financial Analysis for Value
Practical and academic issues in financial analysis are examined in this module covering financial accounting reports and the needs of the user. Building on the use of such statements as an information source, the module examines the problems associated with their use and enables students to develop an understanding of the place of such accounting analyses on the valuation of businesses.

Fighting Financial Crime
This module will consider the prevalence, form and methods of financial crime undertaken by individuals, financial institutions and their employees. Students will learn the methods through which crime is undertaken including fraud, money laundering and terrorist financing, and the global regulatory environment and professional methods in which the effects of financial crime can be alleviated and minimised.

Green & Sustainable Finance
This module considers emergent and developing fields of green finance and methods of enhancing sustainable practice in finance. It reflects the growing importance of adapting methods and the practice of finance and banking to the changing realities of climate change and growing concerns as to the sustainability of finance. On successful completion of the module, the Certificate in Green & Sustainable Finance offered by the Chartered Banker Institute can be claimed by the participant.

New Venture Creation
Entrepreneurs and small firms are the lifeblood of an economy, and make an increasing contribution to innovation, wealth creation and employment. This module will provide a detailed insight into the concepts of entrepreneurship and the role of small firms within the economy. It will encourage participants to develop critical awareness of the nature and role of the entrepreneur in the economy and society.

The Customer Journey in Financial Services
This module critically evaluates the contributions of various schools of thought in marketing and examines the relevant analytical models and management practices, with emphasis on the strategic importance of marketing to all organisations. It makes use of appropriate case studies and discussions to examine the key features of successful marketing campaigns and equips students with the skills necessary to critically evaluate the various theories and apply those most relevant within their companies / organisations.

The Customer Journey in Financial Services is a required elective module on one of the Accelerated Routes
Green & Sustainable Finance is a required elective on both of the Super Accelerated Routes
About Bangor University
The Bangor Business School at Bangor University was one of the first in the UK to offer both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Banking and Finance. In 2010, the Business School created in partnership with the Chartered Banker Institute, the Chartered Banker MBA (CBMBA). This is a unique postgraduate degree and recognised worldwide as the Gold Standard banking qualification. There are now over 1,000 CBMBA holders in 100 countries.

Bangor was one of the first UK universities to be designated a Centre of Excellence by the Chartered Banker Institute.

For more information on the Bangor University, visit www.bangor.ac.uk/
Established in 1884, Bangor University was rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF, 2017)
Bangor was one of the first UK universities to be designated a Centre of Excellence by the Chartered Banker Institute
Bangor Business School is ranked in the world’s top 10% of Institutions and Economists in the Field of Banking and is ranked highest of all UK universities (RePEc, September 2021)
The Chartered Banker MBA is the fourth largest executive MBA programme in the UK (Sunday Times, 2017)
Created in 2010, there are now over 1,000 Chartered Banker MBA graduates from around the world
Faculty
Professor John Ashton
Chartered Banker MBA, Programme Director & Module Director for Financial Crises and Regulation and Financial Services Compliance
Professor John Ashton is the Chartered Banker MBA Programme Director and Module Director for Financial Crises and Regulation and Financial Services Compliance. He is also a Professor of Banking at Bangor University. His research focuses on financial and economic regulation and the pricing of financial services.

Prof Ashton is an academic panel member of the UK Competition and Markets Authority, a Chartered Banker Fellow, Editor of the Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, has undertaken training for the Financial Conduct Authority and has made contributions to a diversity of policy fora in the UK and Europe in areas of financial regulation and payment systems. In addition to research work, he chairs the Financial Markets and Institutions group for the British Accounting and Finance Association. Prior to his Academic career, he worked in the Insurance sector. Prof Ashton has a PhD (Bournemouth University), MSc Economics (Portsmouth University) and BSc (Econ) (University College Swansea). He is Senior HEA Fellow and an Elected Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Bankers of Scotland (2016).
Professor Aziz Jaafar
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Corporate Finance
Prof Aziz Jaafar teaches Corporate Finance for the Chartered Banker MBA programme and is Head of Accounting and Finance and Professor of Accounting at Bangor Business School. He has taught at Aberystwyth University, MARA University of Technology and Henan University of Technology. Professor Aziz has audit and management consultancy experience whilst working with one of the Big4 accounting firms and his research work has appeared in many internationally recognised journals.

He is co-editor in chief of Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, associate editor of Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research and member of editorial board at Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies. Prof Aziz holds a PhD in Accounting (University of Wales, Bangor), MAcc in Accounting & Financial Management (University of Glasgow) and BSc in Accounting (Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA). He is also a member of CPA (Australia).

Ian Roberts
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Financial Crime and Credit and Lending
Ian Roberts is a Post-Graduate Researcher and Adjunct Faculty at Bangor University where he is researching misconduct in banking and finance. Ian's research approach is pragmatic and uses detailed reports of incidences of corporate and individual misconduct to better understand the drivers of misconduct and develop policy to impede such behaviours.

Before joining Bangor University Ian had a successful career in banking, holding senior management roles in European financial institutions in the areas of business development and international strategic management. His experience includes complex onboarding procedures for onshore and offshore clients involving advanced AML and CTF measures. In addition to European regulatory standards, Ian also has significant experience of international investments and engaging with bank regulators in the Middle East and Asia.
Professor Mike Lloyd Williams
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Retail Banking
After completing an undergraduate degree in Accounting at Bangor, Mike was employed by Midland Bank plc and then Libra Bank plc in the City of London where he gained substantial experience in Group Treasury and Project Management.

On leaving the Financial Services Industry, Mike returned to Bangor to study for a MA in Banking & Finance. Upon completing his studies, he was appointed a Research Officer within the Institute of European Finance and then the Nat West Lecturer in Banking & Finance. In 1998, he moved to take up a post at Sheffield Hallam University and in 2001 he moved to the Isle of Man at the operation inception of the International Business School where he was Professor of Banking & Finance and Head of Academic Programmes.

Mike has also been an external examiner at a number of UK universities. His research areas have included competition within banking markets and offshore financial markets.

Jeff Williams-Jones
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for New Venture Creation
Jeff teaches Financial Accounting and Auditing at BUIC. He is also an Associate Lecturer at Bangor Business School where he teaches several management-based topics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has over 35 years management experience in large and medium sized organisations across a variety of sectors, including ten years' service with a clearing bank gaining skills at domestic branches and at head office in the City of London. His career in banking progressed to junior management following which he took a post as the finance controller of an international group of commodity traders before creating a new venture as an importer and distributor of consumer equipment.

Having graduated with an MBA in 1995, Jeff established his own management consultancy and training practice serving, mainly, small and medium sized enterprises, but also helping public sector organisations and social enterprises. He is a qualified executive coach and leadership mentor. He has, for many years, been engaged as a specialist for the Investors in People quality standard and is appointed by the Law Society to be a Lexcel practitioner, assessing and giving advice to law firms regarding management practices. He is also, in a voluntary capacity, a director and past chairman of the board of a social enterprise engaged in teaching and promoting the Welsh language.
Professor John Goddard
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Managerial Economics
Prof John Goddard was appointed Professor of Financial Economics at Bangor University in 2005. He was previously Professor of Economics at Swansea University, and his other previous appointments were at University of Leeds and Abertay University. He also has several years’ practitioner experience in the UK life insurance industry. His research interests are in industrial organisation, banking and financial institutions, and the economics of professional sports. He is co-author of the monograph Economics of Professional Football (2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2011) and the textbook Industrial Organization: Competition, Strategy, Policy (4th edition, Pearson, 2013). Prof Goddard holds an MSc Economics, Birkbeck College, University of London and BA Economics, Lancaster University.
Dr Olga Suhomlinova
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Human Resources and Organisational Behaviour
Prof. Olga Suhomlinova is currently Lecturer in Management at the University of Leicester School of Management. She has received BA in Political Economy from Moscow State University (Russia) and PhD in Sociology from Duke University (USA) and taught organisational behaviour and human resource management courses for Duke University, University of Bath, University of Nottingham, and Manchester Business School Worldwide. She has published in the organisational behaviour and organisation theory area, including articles in American Sociological Review, Human Relations, Journal of Management and Organization, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, Leadership Quarterly, Organization Studies, and Public Administration. Her research interests focus on organisational change and leadership.
Dr Rick Audas
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Research Methods
A native of Canada, Dr Rick Audas gained his BBA, MBA and MA from Dalhousie (Canada) followed by a PhD in Economics from Bangor. His full-time teaching posts include the Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Department of Economics at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He has also taught on distance learning degrees for Manchester Business School at both MBA and DBA level.

He has a wide range of research and consulting interests and his most recent publications in referred journals include:
'Trends of Abnormal Birth weight among Term Gestation Infants '(with Nicole Edwards) Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, submitted February 2009
'Where have all the rural doctors gone?' (with Ann Ryan and David Vardy) Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine, January 2009.
'Provisionally Licensed International Medical Graduates in Canada' (with Ann Ryan and David Vardy) Our Diverse Cities, 5, 2008, p 109-114
'The effect of mid-seasons coach turnover on team performance: A commentary'. International Journal of Sport Science and Coaching, Vol 2, No 2.
Dr Rasha Alsakka
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Capital Markets and Treasury Management
Prof Rasha Alsakka is a Professor of Banking and Finance at Bangor Business School (BBS). She was appointed at Bangor in January 2010. Previously she taught at Aberystwyth University. She has a portfolio of high-quality research outputs and has developed an international reputation, with her work appearing in many internationally recognised journals such as Journal of Banking and Finance, Journal of International Money and Finance, Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization, British Accounting Review, and European Journal of Finance.

Prof Rasha is the joint leader of the Credit Ratings Research group at Bangor, which has a reputation for high quality research in the UK. The research group includes three other BBS staff and several current and former PhD students. She has also supervised several PhD students to completion and has acted as an external examiner at PhD, PGT and UG levels at many UK Universities. She has a wide teaching experience in the areas of Finance, Investment and Banking and has taught subjects linked with students’ employability and transferable skills, with a strong research-led teaching strategy.
Professor Alistair Milne
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Banking Technology & FinTech
Alistair Milne is Professor of Financial Economics at the School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University, UK. He has also been a regular visiting scholar at the Monetary Policy and Research Department of the Bank of Finland. Previously he was senior lecturer and then reader in banking and finance at Cass Business School, City University of London; and has worked at the Bank of England; the University of Surrey, London Business School, HM Treasury and for the Government of Malawi.

His principal research interests are financial infrastructures and financial technology; bank regulation and capital management; and the role of banks and credit in the macroeconomy. He has over one hundred journal publications on these and other topics. He is the author of a comprehensive account of the global credit crisis “The Fall of the House of Credit”. He holds a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics. He does regular media work and consults for a variety of public and private organisations. His research attracts the interest of both practitioners and policy makers, with frequent presentations to both central banks and industry conferences.
M. Iqbal Asaria, CBE
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Islamic Banking & Finance
M. Iqbal Asaria is a Special Adviser on Business and Economic Affairs to the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. In this capacity, he was a member of the Governor of the Bank of England's working party set up to facilitate the introduction of Shariah compliant financial products in the UK market.

He is Visiting Professor at the London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF). He is a visiting lecturer in Islamic Finance and Banking at City University Business School. In addition, Iqbal teaches the Islamic Finance, Accounting, Banking and Insurance courses at Bangor Business School. He has been a contributing tutor at Durham University’s prestigious Summer School on Islamic Finance for the last eight years. Iqbal is the co-author of the Chartered Insurance Institute’s (CII) 590 Diploma level module on Takaful.

Iqbal is the Director of Afkar Group of companies, which has been organising the annual International Takaful Summit (ITS) in London for the last fourteen years. He is the convenor of the ITS. In 2019, the Afkar Group organised the first Responsible Finance Summit (RFS) in London. Iqbal was also the convenor of the RFS 2019. He was awarded the CBE in the 2005 Queen's Honours List for services to international development.

Stephen Jones
Chartered Banker MBA Academic Director and Module Director for Marketing Strategy
Stephen Jones, as Director of Business Relations, is responsible for the Bangor Business School's links with businesses in North Wales. In addition, as senior lecturer he teaches undergraduate, postgraduate, and post-experience executive modules. Having introduced the teaching of ‘entrepreneurship' and 'e-business' at Bangor, he now focuses on the disciplines of business, management and marketing, and in supporting Small & Medium-sized Enterprises under Government-sponsored engagement projects. As well as the UK, he has taught in Dubai, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, USA and Zimbabwe.
Prof. (Emeritus) Bob Ryan
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Financial Analysis
Bob Ryan’s early career was in chemistry but after studying the economics of technology he qualified as a chartered accountant in London with a firm that later became part of KPMG. He has been in academic life since 1975 and has taught MBA’s, developed new MBA programmes and directed three business schools over his career. He is a specialist in financial analysis, equity valuation and financial management and has been actively involved with his professional body throughout his career.

Bob currently has five books in print and has published over 100 articles in the academic and professional literature. In 2000 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for his services to management education. His worldwide reputation is based upon the many thousands of executives and directors who have studied with him and read his many books on the subject of finance and accounting.

Professor Robert Souster
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Professional Ethics and Regulation
Bob is a Partner in Spruce Lodge Training, a consultancy based in Northampton. Bob has twenty years’ experience in the banking industry, initially with a professional institute and then as a divisional manager with a mutual mortgage bank in Dublin. He has worked with over eighty banking organisations in the UK and overseas, as well as numerous regulatory bodies and NGOs, including the Financial Services Authority and the British Know How Fund (a division of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office).

Bob has written numerous books for the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, including Professionalism and Ethics, Financial Crime and Money Laundering. He has also written textbooks for the IFS School of Finance on Mortgage Lending and Insurance. He has lectured on the bankers' professional course at London Guildhall University, Sheffield Hallam University and the College of Commerce, Dublin.

During the 1990s Bob worked with a joint Barclays Bank/Coopers and Lybrand team helping several newly privatised banks in Poland to introduce formal risk management processes, training systems and activity-based costing methodologies. In the same period he assisted a Singapore-based college to launch its online learning platform for students of professional accountancy qualifications.

Bob is a chief examiner for a major professional accountancy body and for the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland. He lectures extensively on professional courses on ethics, corporate governance and law throughout Europe and Asia. He lectures on programmes for Shanghai Jiao Tong University and SUFE, China.
Ian Hardcastle MBA, FCIPD, FCBI
Chartered Banker MBA Module Director for Corporate Strategy
In a career in both the Private and Public Sectors in which he specialises in Human Resources, Ian has developed in the practice of strategic management, which has led to a recognised specialism in the field of Organisational Development in both Banking and Healthcare. Ian, in addition to being a member of the Bangor University Adjunct Faculty, is a previous CBMBA student and currently works as the Chief Operating Officer for the Real- Life Options Group, with responsibility for group strategy and day to day operations across the UK.

He holds the position of Board Member and Fellow at the Chartered Banker Institute and continues to work with students in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and the US as both international assessor for the Chartered Banker by Experience Programme and strategic advisor to international banks. Ian is passionate about people development and continues to be influential, as a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development.