The IFSA Network is a global non-profit organization entirely run by students. Its main aim is to give students in the fields of finance, economics, management and engineering, a path to enter the professional world of finance by providing them with lectures, workshops, competitions and connecting them through a global network.
History
The IFSA Network was founded in 2014 in Rotterdam, at the Rotterdam School of Management. Its first focus was to regroup people studying Finance, and connect them both between themselves and established financial actors. It quickly spread across Europe and Asia, before opening chapters in South Africa and the Americas.
Concept
The IFSA Network is composed of different chapters throughout the world. The concept is to have semi-independent units, each composed of their own board & active members and to create synergy between these in order to provide the best opportunities to their members. The objective of the association is to build a comprehensive network that connects finance students across the globe and enable them to interact and communicate with each other.
Hierarchy
Each chapter has a board, composed of at least a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasure and General Secretary. This board manages day to day operations locally and supervises its regional activities. Chapters also typically have departments, with a department head managing the analysts. Chairmen also regularly connect to establish international strategies and overview national operations.
Current Chapters
As of 2017, The IFSA Network has the following chapters:
Ecole Polytechnique HEC Paris ESSEC Ecole Centrale Paris Supelec University ENSAE Sciences Po University Ecole des Ponts Ecole des Mines Dauphine University Telecom University ESCP Europe.
Switzerland
University of Geneva University of Sankt-Gallen
Italy
University of Pavia Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi
Russia
New Economic School
Germany
Technical University Ludwig Maximilian University Goethe University Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
The IFSA Trader’s Cup is the world’s largest student run trading challenge. All people studying in a recognised university are free to participate. The competition relies on securities trading, and aims to give students an opportunity to distinguish themselves from the competition. The competition is held once per academic year, starting in spring of 2016. For the second edition of the competition, students from more than 35 universities, located in 28 countries on 6 continents competed.
Global Case Competition at Harvard
The Global Case Competition at Harvard is the world’s most prestigious case competition organized by students. Its goal is to regroup the best students in finance & economics throughout the world for the length of a few days, in order to test their knowledge and skills and offer them a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded students, world leading institutions, and renowned guests. The competition is a unique opportunity for participants, connecting the worlds smartest academics from the U.S.A., Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Taking part in this event is also a great moment in which people can interact with the invited companies, financial institutions, guests and partners. For the first two editions this event was organized with the Harvard Extension Business Society, an official Harvard Club. During the first edition, a team from HEC Paris, a leading French university, won the challenge. The second edition was won by the London Business School.
Local Venues
The various IFSA Network chapters try to offer their communities various local events to connect with the professional world. Often, an industry professional will come to the IFSA Network events and meet students. The purpose of those venues is to give students a taste of the professional world, share tips and knowledge, and give an opportunity to network.
In 2018, the IFSA Network in cooperation with the Boston Consulting Group and InvestSoc, organised the first, three-week long International Cape Town Case Competition. The competition has a unique format where teams consisting of 2 to 4 participants, propose solutions for crises that are presented to them. In their solutions, participants are able to showcase their knowledge, creativity and problem-solving skills on a current macroeconomic issue. A jury picks the 15 best international teams and the best local teams, from Cape Town. The selected teams arrive in Cape Town, South Africa, to participate in the second round, and present in front of a select panel of distinguished professors and practitioners. The winning team is awarded a cash prize of 5000 South African Rand.
Network Creation
The IFSA Network is very selective when it comes to opening chapters and selecting board members. Striving for excellency, it will only open chapters in elite universities, and hires only the most ambitious and brightest students. The purpose of this is to ensure smooth operations and maintain a high-level of execution in all of the organisation’s activities. Ultimately, the goal is to have establishments around the world, regrouping all major academic institutions.
