ShareKUWAIT: Boursa Kuwait Group organized a training program in collaboration with the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), targeting asset management companies in an effort to further its commitment to contributing to the development and education of brokers and asset management firms through sharing the latest updates of financial instruments and products implemented across the world.
Boursa Kuwait has been a member of ICMA since 2017. The not-for-profit association has been working together with its members over the course of 50 years to promote the development of the international capital and securities markets, pioneering the rules, principles and recommendations which have laid the foundations for their successful operation. Currently, ICMA has around 600 members active in all segments of international debt capital markets in 64 jurisdictions globally.
Among their members are private and public sector issuers, banks and securities dealers, asset and fund managers, insurance companies, law firms, capital market infrastructure providers and central banks. The initiative forms part of Boursa Kuwait's efforts to create a lasting meaningful impact on the communities where it operates as part of its Corporate Sustainability strategy and ongoing efforts under its 'Education' pillar to equip all market participants with an in-depth understanding of the functioning of capital markets and various tools and techniques required to make informed investment decisions and effectively meet investors' needs.
It is also in line with Goal 4 - Quality Education - and Goal 17 - Partnership for the Goals - of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the National Development Plan for the State of Kuwait, "New Kuwait 2035". ICMA's mission is to support resilient well-functioning international and globally coherent cross-border debt securities markets. Through its training and education programs, designed and delivered by industry professionals, ICMA promotes high professional standards in the industry.
This course, delivered over the course of two weeks days from May 29 to June 9, covered several concepts associated with portfolio management, such as fixed income, equities, inflation, and portfolio construction and was taught by Mr. Neil Schofield, a freelance training consultant based in the United Kingdom with over twenty years of experience in financial markets.
From 2001 to 2008, Mr Schofield was global head of financial markets training at Barclays Capital in London. He was responsible for the design and delivery of a large number of seminars in a variety of different asset classes to many different audiences. Previously, he was a director at Chisholm Roth training in London and has also held positions at Chase Manhattan Bank as well as Security Pacific Hoare Govett (now trading as Bank of America).
Commenting on the occasion, Mr Schofield said: "This is an intensive ten-day course that tries to explain a variety of concepts associated with portfolio management. We discussed several elements such as fixed income, equities, inflation, and portfolio construction as well as learning about the experiences of the participants. At the end of the day, this course is all about sharing knowledge. I would like to thank Boursa Kuwait for giving us this opportunity and look forward to building on this long-term strategic partnership in the future."
Boursa Kuwait's Corporate Sustainability strategy stipulates ensuring initiatives apply and fall in line with the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR), industry best practice standards and investor expectations, creating strong and sustainable partnerships that ultimately achieve success and allow Boursa Kuwait to leverage the capabilities and strengths of other companies or organizations that have experience in different fields, and integrating sustainability efforts with the company culture, in order to achieve longevity and an ongoing impact that is carried on and instilled in the day-to-day operations of the stock exchange.
As part of the strategy, Boursa Kuwait has launched many initiatives in partnership with local and international organizations, focusing on support for nongovernmental organizations and charity programs, financial literacy and capital market awareness, the empowerment of women, environmental protection as well as safety and preventive measures against COVID-19.
