The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) cooperated with Sondooq Al Watan and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Academy to launch the Financial Market Pioneers training program as part of their shared vision and efforts to train and empower UAE nationals in the financial services industry in the UAE.
On this occasion, Her Excellency Dr. Maryam Butti Al Suwaidi, the SCA’s CEO, said that the UAE government looks at the youth population as its most valuable asset, and therefore the SCA was keen to launch the Financial Market Pioneers program, which is the beginning of a strategic partnership between the SCA, Sondooq Al Watan, and the ADGM Academy to create national academic cadres and equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the UAE financial sector.
Al Suwaidi indicated that the program will help participants stay abreast of the global financial and economic trends, including those involving investment and securities markets, explaining that the prospects for future cooperation between the three parties are broad and that the goal is to supply the labor market with trained and qualified cadres ready to shoulder national responsibilities, promote innovation and creativity, and contribute to achieving the welfare of the UAE people.
“We are pleased with the UAE nationals joining the first round of this training program while pursuing different majors from economics to administration to finance, which will help them benefit greatly from the learning material provided,” she said.
Al Suwaidi stressed that the program helps raise the professionalism of Emirati cadres and make them better able to compete and keep pace with the recent developments in the financial and investment sector, which in turn helps the country rank high across international indices and make significant global achievements.
For his part, His Excellency Yasser Al Gergawi, Director General of Sondooq Al Watan, said that the directives of His Excellency Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Chairman of Sondooq Al Watan, have always focused on making the services offered by Sondooq Al Watan accessible to a large segment of the UAE youth, either directly or by cooperating with local and federal entities and private institutions to plan joint initiatives and activities to train, empower, and support UAE nationals who are the future leaders of this country.
Al Gergawi said that Sondooq Al Watan has been keen to support, nurture, and prepare the Emirati youth to find success in the entrepreneurial world and the private sector, and therefore it moved to cooperate with the SCA and the ADGM Academy to launch the Financial Market Pioneers program to pave the way for UAE nationals to join this field. He confirmed that the program attracted significant participation with around 35 participants in its first round and hoped that there will be future rounds to meet the desire of the Emirati youth for such intensive programs delivered by international experts in this area.
Al Gergawi lauded the significant efforts the SCA has been making for the program to achieve its intended objectives, hoping that such collaboration between the SCA and Sondooq Al Watan will continue in the form of initiatives and activities aiming at training and empowering the UAE youth. He praised the efforts to cooperate with the ADGM Academy, which provided the foundations to ensure the success of this program, including planning practical training activities and bringing together high-profile experts.
He called on the young people selected to join the first round of the program to seize this opportunity and make their best efforts to benefit from the learning content provided and to acquire knowledge from the experts delivering the program.
For his part, Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the ADGM Academy said: “We are proud of the launch of the Financial Market Pioneers program in cooperation with the SCA and Sondooq Al Watan. This program comes as part of our ongoing efforts to improve the financial sector, which is a key driver of the UAE economy, by training national cadres that contribute to overall development.
“We, at the ADGM Academy, along with our strategic partners in the country and the region as a whole, are committed to introducing innovative programs and initiatives that meet the current and future needs of the sector while keeping an eye on the trends and changes taking place in this era of transformation in line with our national objective to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy in accordance with Abu Dhabi’s vision and the UAE’s strategies.”
Around 35 participants, from the UAE banks, public joint stock companies, and financial services companies, joined the first round of the program, in addition to fresh graduates with a bachelor’s degree and the recently employed SCA staff.
The program kicked off on November 13 and will run for three weeks. It will deal with financial market principles and their role in promoting the national economy, fundamentals of securities investing, mechanisms for management of potential risks, financial derivatives and the importance of Islamic and sustainable finance, and the UAE financial rules and regulations. It will review the future of the securities industry in light of the rapid technological advancements.
The SCA signed a memorandum of understanding with Sondooq Al Watan and the ADGM Academy to launch the Financial Market Pioneers program in an important move to train national cadres and equip them with the skills and knowledge required to carry out investment and securities activities and enhance their ability to keep pace with the developments of the financial industry in line with the local financial rules and regulations and the best international standards and practices.
