Blueprints 2.0: Not your average business competition
NSU Finance Club has launched the second instalment of their national financial modelling competition, IDLC presents Blueprints 2.0, in association with Dhaka Bank Ltd. The competition is the first and only one of its kind, bringing new flavour to the competition scene dominated by marketing competitions.
Finance majors are limited to their books and theories learned in class. Up until last year, they did not have a platform to display their financial knowledge outside the classroom. This time, over 150 teams spanning 15+ universities participated from all over the country. The club reached out to participants with the help of insightful videos starring faculty from renowned business schools in Dhaka, champions of Blueprints 1.0, motivational speaker Ayman Sadiq and, CEO of IDLC Finance Ltd. Arif Khan. The Daily Star is the youth engagement partner and Next Step is the media partner of this event.
In the fall of 2015, NSU Finance Club established their flagship event, Blueprints 1.0, targeting business students, not limited to just finance majors and enthusiasts, by providing them with the opportunity to get a taste of real-world finance. The competition was initiated with the intention of focussing young minds on the potential opportunities in the financial sector of the country. Placing them in the shoes of a finance professional, participants were asked to evaluate company financial statements, and an entrepreneurial investment decision in the finale. The number of participating teams was above 140, a remarkable response for this competition being the first of its kind in Bangladesh. Through comprehensive workshops facilitated by professionals from financial institutions for every round, candidates were taught how to approach the given cases.
The first workshop of the second instalment was conducted on October 28, 2016. The Faculty Advisor of NSU Finance Club Shahran Abu Sayeed and Group CMO of IDLC Finance Ltd. Jane Alam Romel initiated the workshop with the Management Trainees of the Structured Finance Dept. of IDLC Finance Limited. IDLC professionals Tanveer Kamal, Tanvir Bashar and Samiul Islam then expanded on the Round 1 case and taught the participants how to tackle it.
This time, over 500 participants from over 15 universities were present at the workshop. The main purpose of this workshop was to give the participants an idea about what the judges expect from them in Round 1. The discussion session was followed by a quick Q&A session, where the professionals tackled all the queries and confusions the participants had.
Blueprints is a unique platform that aims to help young finance enthusiasts become the future leaders of finance in Bangladesh. Providing students with an out-of-the-box competition and the unique opportunity to showcase or test their skills, Blueprints stands out from the crowd as it is not just a competition, it is a stage to develop your skills related to financial modelling, an increasingly important skill-set in the world of finance.