Introduction

I am a final-year FARM student currently completing my sixth co-op term, with past experiences across banks, a regulatory body, and a pension. Through these roles, I have gained exposure to different parts of the financial system, ranging from regulation and long-term investing to day-to-day banking operations. I am currently working as a Student Analyst at CIBC in the Alternate Solutions Group (ASG) within Capital Markets, where I support FX Conversion, a global foreign exchange and payments product.​

What is your role?

​I work on the FX Conversion team within ASG. FX Conversion is a market-leading product that helps financial institutions efficiently convert cross-border payments at competitive FX rates. In my role, I work with transaction data to track payment volumes, FX rates, and automate reporting processes. I also support the monitoring of conversion accuracy across payments. Overall, my work helps provide the team with visibility into product performance and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.

How did you find this job? What made you want to pursue it?

I discovered this role through WaterlooWorks. I was drawn to the position because it combined finance with global markets. ASG stood out to me in particular because it operates like a fintech within a large bank, combining the scale of a major financial institution with innovative thinking. Working on FX Conversion, a product used by over 50 global clients and processing millions of payments each year made the role especially appealing. I saw it as a strong opportunity to learn how global payment solutions operate in practice.

How would you recommend others break into this field?

My biggest piece of advice would be to apply broadly and remain open-minded. When I was applying for co-op roles, I never expected to end up working in ASG until I came across the job posting. Being curious and willing to explore new areas can open doors to opportunities you may not have previously considered.