Institute of Financial Studies: Over 2,200 final year students participated in financial education courses within the SmartFIN @ ISF project
Bucharest, May 18, 2021 - The Institute of Financial Studies has completed the first series of vocational training seminars, part of the SmartFIN @ ISF project, within the academic year 2020-2021. Through this project, ISF aims to, in academic partnership with Romanian universities, to support financial education efforts by attracting students in their final year, bachelor's or master's degree. The objective is to improve the skills and knowledge of students who will become consumers of financial services but also potential employees in the financial markets (insurance, banks, private pensions, investments).
"Launched in February 2021, the SmartFIN@ISF project generated an impressive presence among students - we registered requests for additional sessions, based on the remarkable feedback received from both students and guests from the market. The ISF initiative joins the series of financial education initiatives started by the authorities and the actors of the non-banking financial markets among the young generations - consumers of financial services and future employees in these fields. The obtained results give us hopes to continue this program in the autumn season, in the next academic year "said Mr. Prof. Marian Siminica, PhD, executive director of ISF.
Between February 22 and May 14, 2021, 33 seminars were held within the SmartFIN @ ISF project, in which 44 speakers, experts in the field, from the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Institute of Financial Studies and members of professional associations in the field were involved. financial, ISF partner.
These seminars were attended by 2,217 students who received certificates of participation issued by the Institute of Financial Studies and recognized by institutions operating in the field of non-bank financial markets.
Also, six of these seminars were held in partnership with SmartFIN and the ASF Academic Laboratory, in the university centers of Bucharest, Alba Iulia, Galați, Pitești. Among the special guests at these financial education sessions were: Valentin Ionescu - President of ISF, Adrian Marin - President of UNSAR, Gerke Anno Witteveen - Vice President of UNSAR, Alexandru Ciuncan - Director General of UNSAR, Anita Nițulescu - CEO Eurolife FFH, Carmina Dragomir - CEO Metropolitan Life, Cristian Ionescu - Chairman of the Asirom Management Board, Mihai Popescu - Chairman of the Ergo Life Insurance Management Board, Cristina Anculescu - member of the UNIQA Life Insurance Management Board,, Paul Zarzara - member of the UNIQA Insurance Management Board, Ștefan Prigoreanu - CEO MILLENIUM Insurance Broker and Vice President of PRBAR, Daniela Șerban - President of ARIR, Mihnea Bărbulescu - Executive Director of Erste Asset Management, Bogdan Tudosie - member of the Board of Directors of BRD Asset Management, BVB, UNSICAR.
The presentations included career topics (recruitment, personal development), starting from the requirements of the market / companies and continuing with the difficulties faced by future employees, especially in a pandemic context, as well as case studies, technical and practical aspects in the field of insurance. , capital market, private pensions.
The SmartFIN@ISF project - Vocational training seminars will continue in the academic year 2021-2022 in the partner university centers.
About the Institute of Financial Studies
The Institute of Financial Studies, founded by the Financial Supervision Authority, is a center of excellence in the field of market research and financial education programs to ensure the skills, abilities and knowledge of financial institutions and ASF staff and to increase the level of financial education of consumers of non-banking financial services and products. In the long term, ISF aims to align its activity with European requirements, move from knowledge accumulation to skills accumulation and assessment, provide training programs for the non-banking financial field adapted to new organizational processes, determined by legislative requirements, market dynamics and of the European framework, contributing to the maturation of the non-banking financial market in Romania, to the creation of its capacity to face the competition induced by globalization or the effects of the economic crises.
