By the FinLingo Team | Capital markets practitioner, front office experience at a major European investment bank. FinLingo covers 342 lessons from bonds to exotic derivatives. About · Last updated:
FinLingo Level 1 is a complete financial markets foundation — 50 units covering every major asset class. It is entirely free. No credit card. No trial. No catch. It exists because you cannot learn derivatives or structured products without understanding what a bond is, how interest rates work, or why credit spreads move.
Equities (7 units): what a share is, stock exchanges, market cap, indices, dividends, equity valuation basics. Fixed Income (9 units): what a bond is, coupons, maturity, face value, bond pricing, yield to maturity, duration, convexity, credit risk. Interest Rates (5 units): what an interest rate is, the risk-free rate, SOFR, yield curves, forward rates, discounting and present value.
FX (7 units): currency pairs, spot rates, bid-ask in FX, FX drivers, cross rates, FX forwards. Commodities (7 units): hard vs soft, energy markets, metals, agriculture, how commodities trade, contango and backwardation. Credit (5 units): credit risk, ratings, spreads, default and recovery, loan vs bond markets. Market Infrastructure (4 units): clearing, settlement, counterparty risk, margin, regulation.
Every concept in derivatives and structured products builds on this foundation. You cannot understand a swap without knowing what an interest rate is. You cannot price a CPN without understanding zero-coupon bond math. You cannot analyse credit risk in a CLN without knowing what a credit spread means. Level 1 is not a preview. It is the foundation.
Each unit takes 3–5 minutes. Every lesson includes a hook, intuition, theory, numerical example, and flashcards. The entire level is completable in roughly 2.5 hours at 3 units per day (about 17 days). It installs on your phone as a PWA — no app store needed.
Yes. All 50 units, 8 modules, flashcards, exercises, progress tracking, and streak calendar are free. No credit card is required. No trial period. You can use Level 1 indefinitely. Pro (19.99 euros per month with 3-day trial) unlocks Levels 2 through 6 and The Lab.
You will understand the major asset classes, key terminology, and foundational concepts (duration, yield curves, credit spreads, FX forwards). You are ready to start Level 2 (derivatives) or use the knowledge for interview prep. Level 1 alone covers most of what finance internship interviews test.
FinLingo is structured: every unit builds on the previous one, with exercises to verify understanding before moving on. A YouTube playlist lets you skip around without checking comprehension. A Coursera course takes weeks with video lectures. FinLingo Level 1 takes 2.5 hours of active learning, on your phone, at your pace.
Start with the foundations. 50 units, 8 modules, completely free. No credit card required.
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