CFA Institute, the global body for investment professionals, has announced the launch of the 2015-2016 CFA Institute Research Challenge. The competition is being hosted by the Indian Association of Investment Professionals (IAIP) for the eighth time, and 47 business schools from across the country will be participating in the annual global challenge.
Started in India in 2008, the CFA Institute Research Challenge is a global educational initiative, whose aim of the competition is to promote best practices in equity research among aspiring analysts. This is done through hands-on mentoring by investment industry professionals, in addition to intensive training in financial analysis.
Live environment
“The Research Challenge provides a live environment and a global platform for students in the field of equity research”, says Kishor Bagri, Director-in-Charge, Investment Research Challenge, IAIP.
“The students get exposure to many practical aspects in equity analysis at very early stages of their investment careers; they also get the unique opportunity to interact with and seek guidance from senior investment professionals in industry. This experience undoubtedly ingrains the best practices in investment and research functions, along with the utmost importance of ethics, integrity and conduct for the profession”, he adds.
Aviral Jain, Chair, Investment Research Challenge, IAIP, notes that the research challenge attracts over 700 universities globally and provides participants with a platform to network with one another.
Global recruiters
“The teams winning the local competition represent India at the APAC level and further at the global level. The competition also attracts the attention of global recruiters as they can hire the crème de la crème of future investment managers”, he explains.
This year, premier B-schools, including several Indian Institutes of Management (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Raipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Shillong, Trichy and Udaipur), Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (Pune), Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Mumbai), XLRI School of Business and Human Resources (Jamshedpur) and Xavier Institute of Management (Bhubaneswar), are participating in the research challenge. They will be judged and evaluated by a panel of high-profile industry experts. Bloomberg is corporate partner for the Indian portion of the competition.
Teams from universities across five zones – East, West, North, South and Central – will compete at the national finals in January 2016. Two winners will advance to the Asia-Pacific finals. The regional champions from Asia-Pacific, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), and the Americas will then face off at the tenth annual CFA Institute Research Challenge Regional Competitions and the Global Final in Chicago in April 2016.