A student from the African Institute of Financial Markets and Risk Management (AIFMRM) at UCT has won an elite FNB DataQuest competition – where data science was applied in a banking industry environment.

An AIFMRM team in 2020 again won the fifth annual FNB Securities Challenge. The MCom students competed head-to-head with Wits and Stellenbosch teams in a trading simulation using a live FNB Securities trading simulator. They had a hypothetical US$100 000 in real-time foreign exchange and global stock markets, with the goal of achieving the highest return over three months.

AIFMRM acted swiftly in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns of sectors of the economy at the end of March 2020. Across the board, feedback from students showed that they were surprised and impressed by how they were able to continue studying in 2020.

Dr Alex Backwell has been with AIFMRM since its inception in 2014 – first as a student and now as a senior lecturer and researcher. His career has grown as the institute has developed into a world-class centre for research and scholarship – giving him plenty of scope for international collaboration and cutting-edge research.

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.