Qualified quantitative analyst Mansa Aidoo dreamed of a career in academia. When an opportunity presented itself at her alma mater, the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management (AIFMRM), she knew it was the right move for her.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to redefine how we live and work. But to fully harness its potential, it is important first to demystify some of the hype and the fear around what it can and can’t be used for.

Dr Mesias Alfeus, who recently joined AIFMRM as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, has had a remarkable and inspiring academic life-journey. After a childhood spent in a small village in northern Namibia, his studies brought him to South Africa and later took him to Australia and now back to Cape Town.

With Artificial Intelligence taking over background tasks in the financial services sector, graduates need to be equipped with modern skills and mindsets to complement the machines and maximise benefits for consumers and the economy.

Student researchers from the African Institute for Financial Markets and Risk Management (AIFMRM) at UCT have challenged SA’s financial services to be more innovative in how they approach the creation of shared value to solve much needed social and environmental challenges.