An extended meeting was held at Bahrain Bourse’s premises at Bahrain Financial Harbour, in which the participating students attended the program along with the school teachers and financial advisors, who come from various banking and financial institutions in Bahrain. The financial advisors basically monitor the performance of the school teams and advise them during the trading period throughout the whole program.
TradeQuest is a simulated business-education partnership program that focuses on investment trading in world financial markets. The program aims at stimulating relevant learning through realistic experience by learning the rules and regulations implemented in financial markets, analyzing and selecting shares, and managing a portfolio of investment instruments listed at New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Bahrain Bourse.
During the meeting, the attendants were briefed about the program, its objectives and different phases that it went through since its commencement in 1996. The program’s action plan was also presented, along with a timeline containing the events, activities, and investment workshops that will be conducted over the coming 24 weeks.
Shaikh Khalifa Al Khalifa showed his appreciation on this year’s TradeQuest Challenge which entered the 15th consecutive year, assuring the bourse’s keenness to play an essential and active role in the preparation and implementation of the program, and the programs that link between the theoretical concepts that students study at school and the practical implementation of those concepts.
“Such programs will contribute to spreading financial and investment awareness among students in general, and high school students in particular. This will also enhance the students’ capabilities to collect and analyze data and information to use it in an educational and enjoyable manner,” he said.
This year’s TradeQuest program includes seven school teams, and they are Al Noor International School, Bahrain School, Ibn Khuldoon National School, Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School, Naseem International School, St. Christopher’s School, and one team representing the government schools. The total number of participants in the program is 95 consisting of students, coordinators, and financial advisors.
Various financial and banking institutions in Bahrain are participating in the program by sponsoring it and conducting lectures and workshops that are held during the program, and they are: Gulf International Bank (GIB), Securities and Investment Company (SICO), United Gulf Bank, Investcorp Bank, CFA Bahrain, Social Insurance Organization, Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF), University of Bahrain, and the Ministry of Education.