The Characters

The Bankey

The Bankey as a figure encompasses a set of quite different bankers, from the fundamental analyst Warren Buffet to the investment strategist George Soros, the financial philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb to the ex-corporate raider Asher Edelman (also known as Gordon Gekko) whose traits occasionally emerge within every banker, analyst, quantitative engineer, trader, economist, advisor, risk & performance manager, legal & compliance, hedge fund manager or investment officer – all entangled together in this diffuse and eccentric industry.

The Apprentice

This character is a typically curious and smart young Bankey, inquisitive, very often unnerving, who in his naive and inquisitive way never failing to point out the obvious and painstaking realities in finance. At times the apprentice is bold and even wise in his conclusions about economic intricacies as well as fundamentals. So seasoned Bankeys are often either cautious or over-anxious when our favourite apprentice is on the prowl and needy for knowledge and financial enlightenment.

The Reporter

The reporter is a frequent companion of The Bankey. He is constantly trying to understand his motives, the mechanics, products and processes of the financial industry. The reporter is quite eloquent, very polite but nevertheless at times critical of the Bankey, never ceding to ask point blank questions on any financial topic. The reporter’s name is Abe and is the Bankey’s subtle conscience and as a friend always ready to understand and at times guide him with a hint in a sensible direction.

Head of Compliance

She is the ultimate manager, great expertise, very strong minded with acute organisational, interpersonal and intercultural skills. From MiFID to Basel, from FIDLEG to Dodd Frank, she knows them down to the last paragraph. The classic execution-orientated, attentive to details executive and proven alpha player! She questions everyone and everything, is highly motivated and formidably admired by all Bankeys, while at the same time in awe of her.

(This character was inspired by a Legal & Compliance analyst of a traditional Swiss bank – Thank you Ramona!)

The Client

The client, like The Bankey comes in various forms: the naïve client, the sophisticated, the family office, the elderly client and more. The client represents any person or institution owning or interested in financial products or services, basically most people in our society. The client is highly dependent on the bankey to simplify the often complicated regulations, risk and return characteristics of investments and is at his professional mercy for his financial wellbeing.

The Silver Bankey

The Silver Bankey is the wisest of all Bankeys. His viewpoints do not merely focus on yearly returns but also consider long-term macro-economic implications of financial actions. Unlike most of his colleagues, The Silver Bankey lives in his own socio-economic reality, dwelling in a true and higher perception of space-time. His wisdom has manifested itself in the form of a monetary surf board, on which he surfs in and out of cosmic markets, in search of universal intrinsic value, repealing banalities of quarterly profit & loss, illusions of gravity or even the idea of past & future. His oracular words are never taken lightly as his insights have proven themselves all too often with surprising accuracy.