By: Majd Othman

KUWAIT: Chartered Financial Analyst Society Kuwait announced the successful conclusion of its annual CFA Institute Research Challenge for the year 2022/2023, organized by the education committee of the CFA Society that provides university students with mentorship and hands-on training in financial analysis and professional ethics.

Kuwait University was awarded the first place in this year's challenge, while American University of the Middle East came in second place. The winners have the opportunity to compete in sub-regional competitions representing Kuwait.

During the first phase of the challenge, an informational session was held, which included a presentation on the companies' activities that participated, including Mezzan Holding and Warba Bank as main sponsors, followed by a Q&A session with the five participating teams from Kuwait University (KU), American University of Kuwait (AUK), Gulf University of Science and Technology (GUST), American University of the Middle East (AUM) and Algonquin College - Kuwait (AC).

The challenge culminated in an award ceremony on Feb 15 at Four Seasons Hotel, with opening remarks by CFA President Aminah Abotalaf, followed by insightful presentations by the participating student teams. CFA Vice President Azra Mirza told Kuwait Times the CFA Institute Research Challenge is designed to promote best practices in equity research among the next generation of analysts through hands-on mentoring and training.

"The society is honored to have the opportunity to work on causes such as professional exposure and immersive training of university students, basic financial education for the general public, sustainable finance knowledge and local expertise building, and is working to bridge academia and profession," she said.