The biggest misconception is that banking & finance is primarily about money and returns , it is not. It is about managing risk.
From the outside, banking often appears to be driven by sales, products, and profits. In reality, the core of banking is risk judgment, discipline, and trust stewardship.
Over three decades, I’ve seen that what distinguishes great institutions is not how aggressively they grow, but how prudently they assess, price, and manage risk across cycles.
Profits are an outcome. Resilience is a choice.
Banking is about understanding risks , managing and mitigating these risks so that we operate within a well defined risk appetite and tolerance levels. Importantly, Banking is also about not taking those risks that one does not understand.
That nuance is often invisible from the outside, but it defines long-term success.