Dubai Financial Market (DFM) in partnership with the Canadian University Dubai have launched an Educational Trading Floor, within the University’s premises as part of an innovative educational initiative from DFM.
The inauguration of the Educational Trading Floor was attended by Mr. Hassan Al Serkal, –Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of Operations Division, DFM, Dr. Karim Chelli, President of Canadian University Dubai, and Mr Tariq Ebrahim Lari, Vice President & Head of Customer Services, First Abu Dhabi Bank Securities.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Hassan Al Serkal said: “The opening of the Educational Trading Floor at the Canadian University in Dubai is a great addition to DFM’s long list of accomplishments as it bolsters its efforts in promoting financial knowledge to the newer generations. It also assists students in integrating their academic knowledge with the practical side of the capital markets.”
“The DFM works to achieve this goal through partnerships with leading educational institutions in the country, chief amongst them the Canadian University Dubai. Designed to create synergy between academic knowledge and practical experience, the DFM – CUD trading floor will ultimately nurture a generation knowledgeable in the financial markets and investment sector enabling students to learn, test and develop their skills in a real-time trading environment,” Mr. Al Serkal added.
The newly launched Educational Trading Floor located at Hall D, Canadian University Dubai, which has recently undergone a massive refurbishment, is a micro version of DFM’s main trading floor and includes screens and tickers directly linked to DFM's trading engine to display trading activity and real time market data.
Through the initiative, students will also get the opportunity to interact with the stock market with the launch of the Canadian University Dubai’s Student Investment Club & subsequently a student managed investment cash fund using real money to identify, analyse and invest in stocks as they build and manage a portfolio. The Student Investment Club will be managed and overseen by a Supervisory Investment Board. The club will be open to all undergraduate students in the first phase and will then accommodate graduate students, with academic staff from the University’s renowned accountancy and finance programs providing support and guidance
Mr. Buti Al Ghandi, Chancellor of Canadian University Dubai added “The partnership between DFM and Canadian University Dubai is at its core an opportunity for our University to strengthen our ties to the community. There really is no other University in the region offering this standard of learning experience. The Student Investment Club and student managed investment fund have been given a clear directive to deploy the profits in a manner that grows the fund and helps the local community with 50% of the profits given to the students as earnings. This partnership builds on the efforts undertaken at Canadian University Dubai to transform the educational experience, strengthen our ties within our core communities while concurrently innovating our programs and investing in our students as they grow to become active citizens in the world. Most importantly this is a universal example of how to implement all aspects of the country’s vision for higher-education in the UAE as outlined by our leaders.”
Dr. Karim Chelli, President of the University, said: “This is an entirely new enterprise for our University and one we are confident will provide vast benefits to our students. The initiative is designed to give students practical experience and real-world exposure to stock investing and provide insight into the roles of professional traders, investors, equity analysts, fund managers and asset managers. It will definitely enrich their experience while developing their understanding of the dynamics of various industries, the methods for valuing stocks with the added benefit of cultivating their presentation skills as they pitch for funds to invest.”
He continued “Members of the Student Investment club will learn to monitor daily trades, measure investment return and use professional financial databases. This is also an opportunity for the University to strengthen our financial programs setting us apart from other offerings. New economies need new thinking and this will allow students the opportunity to experience the excitement of real-world stock investing. The aims of this partnership with DFM and the launch of the Student Investment Club with real cash are to ensure our students have access to the latest in financial knowledge by learning from seasoned professionals about key aspects of today’s financial markets whilst improving their lateral-thinking and developing an appreciation for the risks involved. We are extremely excited as we will be welcoming First Abu Dhabi Bank and Emirates NBD to our fold as partners in this venture.”
Mr. Al Serkal commended the DFM’s educational initiatives saying “The new Educational Trading Floor is the sixth one to be launched across a number of leading universities in the UAE cementing DFM’s position at the forefront amongst its peers regionally having launched our first Educational Trading Floor at the Higher Colleges of Technology in 2012. I am pleased to note that the DFM’s efforts are strikingly successful in achieving learning outcomes through the interactive experience it facilitates for the students and in linking the theoretical aspects and the practical aspects and methods of trading in financial markets. "
Al Serkal concluded the opening of the Educational Trading Floor with a word of appreciation for the University’s leadership & staff, praising their efforts to build and foster significant educational initiatives such as this whilst noting that collaborations with educational institutions were the cornerstone of the DFM’s success to date in its mission to promote financial knowledge to the next generation of financial experts.
Successful traders & reputable financial firms are scheduled to visit throughout the year on a weekly basis, delivering courses and guidance to the students to enable the Student Investment Club to be as successful as possible. Globally recognized industry certifications in Global Markets & Investments and Investment Operations using Mock and Live Trading modules will be available to the students and to anyone interested in the near future. The certifications are in line with the mandate provided by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and the DGCX and are recognized by the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and the KHDA.
