IFSA Network explained

The IFSA Network, formerly known as the International Finance Students Association,[1] is a global non-profit organization exclusively run by students. Based initially at the Rotterdam School of Management and founded in 2014.

History

The International Finance Student Association (IFSA Network) traces its roots back to 2014 in Rotterdam,[2] specifically at the Rotterdam School of Management. The initial purpose of the network was to create a community for individuals studying Finance, fostering connections both amongst themselves and with established figures in the financial sector.

Structure

Chapters

The IFSA Network operates under a decentralized yet cohesive organizational structure[3] designed to balance local autonomy with global coordination. Situated in educational institutions across the world, the individual chapters serve as semi-independent units,[4] each governed by their own board comprising at least a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, and General Secretary.[5] These boards manage day-to-day operations and supervise regional activities[6] tailored to meet the specific needs and interests of their local student bodies. Chapters also usually have specialized departments, such as Finance, Marketing, and Events, each headed by a department manager who oversees a team of analysts.

The Supervisory Board

Supervisory Board Members

!Tenure!Chairperson!Vice-Chairperson!Head of EMEA!Head of APAC!Head of LATAM
2023-2024Ritien Mohan (IFSA BITS Pilani)Nathanaël G. Dürst (IFSA Geneva)Ridhima Shrivastava (IFSA Rotterdam)Parinnay Chaudhry (IFSA SSCBS) / Suhani Jain (IFSA Hansraj)Francisco Gajardo (IFSA UDP)
2022-2023Nele Bredtmann (IFSA Rotterdam)Santiago Delgadillo Gómez (IFSA Colombia)Nathanaël G. Dürst (IFSA Geneva)Shrusti Singh (IFSA Hansraj)Ignacio Pinto (IFSA UdeSA)
2021-2022Ornella Gallo (IFSA UCEMA)N/AIulia Rumeus (IFSA Geneva) / Janusz Skipiol (IFSA Rotterdam)Sandesh Dholakia (IFSA Hansraj) / Aditya Mahajan (IFSA SSCBS)Pablo Torres Alarcón (IFSA Colombia)

Key Initiatives

Traders' Cup

The IFSA Trader’s Cup is the world’s largest student run trading challenge.[7] 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[8] is the world’s most prestigious case competition organized by students.[9] During the first edition, a team from HEC Paris,[10] a leading French university, won the challenge.[11] The second edition was won by the London Business School.[12]

Local Venues

The various IFSA Network chapters try to offer their communities various local events to connect with the professional world.[13] 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.

Boston Consulting Group Case Competition

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. The winning team is awarded a cash prize of 5000 South African Rand.

Current Chapters

It has established chapters in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and India among other locations. These chapters focus on providing localized resources, events, workshops, and competitions aimed at career development and knowledge acquisition in finance. As of 2023, The IFSA Network has the following chapters:[14]

!Chapter's Name!Chapter's Logo!Chapter's Region!Chapter's Country!Chapter's City!Chapter's College
IFSA RotterdamEMEANetherlandsRotterdamErasmus University Rotterdam
IFSA GenevaEMEASwitzerlandGenevaUniversity of Geneva
IFSA OsloEMEANorwayOsloBI Norwegian Business School
IFSA WarsawEMEAPolandWarsawVistula University
IFSA NES BFSEMEARussiaMoscowNew Economic School
IFSA SSCBSAsia-PacificIndiaDelhiShaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
IFSA BITS PilaniAsia-PacificIndiaPilaniBITS Pilani
IFSA HansrajAsia-PacificIndiaDelhiHansraj College
IFSA LSRAsia-PacificIndiaDelhiLady Shri Ram College
IFSA SRCCAsia-PacificIndiaDelhiShri Ram College of Commerce
IFSA St. Stephen’sAsia-PacificIndiaDelhiSt. Stephen's College, Delhi
IFSA IIT Kharagpur[15] Asia-PacificIndiaKharagpurIIT Kharagpur
IFSA UdeSALatin AmericaArgentinaBuenos AiresUniversity of San Andrés
IFSA UCEMALatin AmericaArgentinaBuenos AiresUniversity of CEMA
IFSA UDPLatin AmericaChileHuechurabaDiego Portales University
IFSA UtadeoLatin AmericaColombiaBogotáJorge Tadeo Lozano University
IFSA Finvext ClubLatin AmericaColombiaBogotáExternado University of Colombia
IFSA Finance Club UdeMedellínLatin AmericaColombiaMedellinUniversity of Medellin
IFSA Bufete CapitalLatin AmericaColombiaMedellinEAFIT University

Chapters as of 2021

Africa

South Africa

University of Cape Town

Asia

India

Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi

Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

St Stephen's College, Delhi

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Hansraj College, Delhi

Europe

Germany

Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt

Goethe University

Ludwig Maximilian University

Technical University

Lithuania

Vilnius University

Russia

New Economic School[16]

Netherlands

Rotterdam School of Management

Switzerland

University of Geneva[17]

University of Sankt-Gallen

Americas

Argentina

Universidad del CEMAUniversidad de San Andrés

Brazil

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Colombia

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana

Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano

Universidad EAFIT

United States

Harvard University

Columbia University

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IFSA Network Website . 4 November 2018 . IFSA Network . WordPress.
  2. Web site: IFSA Network: Letter to Stakeholders . 4 November 2018 . IFSA Network: Letter to Stakeholders . WordPress.
  3. Web site: IFSA Network: Who Are We . 4 November 2018 . IFSA Network: Who Are We . WordPress.
  4. Web site: Our Chapters Globally . 2023-08-29 . IFSA Network . en-US.
  5. Web site: About us . 2023-08-29 . IFSA Geneva . en-US.
  6. Web site: About us . 2023-08-29 . IFSA Geneva . en-US.
  7. Web site: IFSA Traders' Cup . 4 November 2018 . IFSA Network . WordPress.
  8. Web site: Global Case Competition Harvard . 4 November 2018 . University of Minnesota Crookston . University of Minnesota Crookston.
  9. Web site: IFSA Harvard Case Competition . 4 November 2018 . IFSA Harvard Case Competition . Harvard Case Competition.
  10. Web site: HEC Paris . 15 November 2018 . HEC Paris . HEC Paris.
  11. Web site: HEC Paris wins Global Case Competitions . 15 November 2018 . HEC Paris . HEC Paris.
  12. Web site: MiF Students from LBS Win Harvard Global Case Competition . 15 November 2018 . ONE YEAR MBA . ONE YEAR MBA.
  13. Web site: Geneva students are hungry and getting prepared to face the challenges ! . 15 November 2018 . NOTZ STUCKI . NOTZ STUCKI.
  14. Web site: IFSA Network New Website . 3 June 2023 . IFSA Network . WordPress.
  15. Web site: IFSA Network on LinkedIn: #ifsanetwork #financeeducation #venturecapital #iitkharagpur #newchapter . 2023-11-18 . www.linkedin.com . en.
  16. Web site: IFSA Network: New Economic School . NES Suits and Securities . NES Suits and Securities . 4 November 2018.
  17. Web site: IFSA Network: University of Geneva . AFU . L’Association Faîtière de l’Université de Genève (AFU) . 4 November 2018.