Dubai Financial Market (DFM) today inaugurated its Educational Trading Floor at the American University in Dubai (AUD). The 5th floor reaffirms the exchange’s pioneering position amongst regional financial markets in educational initiatives as part of its firm commitment to social responsibility. The new facility builds on the overwhelming success of the first educational trading floor, inaugurated at Dubai Men’s College early 2012 and the similar floor at the American University in the Emirates (AUE), inaugurated last December. Additionally, DFM has supported 2 similar floors at Sharjah University in collaboration with the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). All of these floors have been widely praised by students and lecturers for its key role in promoting financial knowledge and merging theoretical studies with real life experience.
The educational trading floor has been inaugurated in the presence of HE/ Essa Kazim, Chairman of DFM, and Dr. Lance E. de Masi, President of the American University in Dubai as well as other senior representatives from both organizations. On the sidelines of the ceremony the two sides have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which outlines key areas of cooperation and ways to strengthen the existing relations through the development of programs and mechanisms that enhance the understanding and knowledge of financial markets in practice and theory to serve the educational efforts of AUD.
As a micro version of DFM’s main trading floor, the new educational facility at the School of Business Administration at AUD includes screens and tickers directly linked to DFM's trading engine to display trading activity and real time market data. The walls of the trading floor have been designed to reflect the precise look and feel of DFM's trading floor. As part of its plans to enhance the effectiveness of the educational trading floor DFM plans to regularly organize interactive workshops in cooperation with renowned experts to train students and deepen their knowledge of financial markets.
Essa Kazim, Chairman of DFM said:"DFM has pioneered the concept of educational trading floors regionally which demonstrates our full commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility on various levels and particularly through high level collaborations with educational institutions in the UAE to fully support their efforts and provide the necessary training for students to prepare them for the job market. This initiative is a key pillar of the DFM educational program aimed at preparing the new generation of investors. The students can follow live trading and participate in the DFM Stock Game and win competition prizes. Most importantly, the planned workshops and seminars will provide them the opportunity to directly interact with financial experts”.
DFM is planning to establish new educational trading floors at other campuses within the coming period. The enormous success and warm welcome of these educational trading floors by students and the academic community in general and its outstanding contribution in linking theoretical studies with practice and introducing students to stock market sector have been the key drivers to plan for new educational trading floors.
"In fact, the efforts of DFM would not have had such phenomenal success without the concerted efforts of various educational institutions in the UAE in general, and the AUD in particular. I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to this leading institution for its cooperation to see this initiative accomplished.” Mr. Kazim concluded.
Dr. Lance E. de Masi, President of the American University in Dubai said: “The establishment of the DFM Educational Trading floor greatly advances AUD's agenda for excellence in business education. We are grateful to the DFM and commend the Dean of the School of Business Administration – Dr. Mohammed Abu Ali – and other faculty for their efforts in establishing the floor. Bringing a financial exchange into the university will, above all, facilitate the application of financial market theory. The Trading floor isn't business simulation. It's real world business – right on our campus.”