KWAP and CFRA Research Malaysia among winners of the inaugural CFA Society Malaysia-Bloomberg Hackathon

Kuala Lumpur – CFA Society Malaysia, the leading association of investment professionals in the Malaysian financial industry, and Bloomberg announced today the winners of the inaugural CFA Society Malaysia-Bloomberg Hackathon.

Close to 50 participants from Malaysia’s buy-side industry, including insurance companies and asset management firms, participated in the competition. Over 11 weeks, with weekly coaching on quantitative analysis applications and Python programming language from Bloomberg experts, participants built new investing tools across the entire equity and credit spectrum, from economic scoring models to credit peers curve analysis.

Submissions were assessed by a panel of judges from CFA Society Malaysia and Bloomberg including Mr. Faridq Ridzuan, CFA, Vice-President of the Society; Mr. Mohamad Damshal, CFA, Chief Investment Officer of Lembaga Tabung Haji; Mr. Nikin Raval, Bloomberg’s Asia Equities Workflow Specialist, and Mr. Alexandre Alexi, Bloomberg’s Quant Solutions Specialist.

Mr Faridq Ridzuan, CFA, Vice President of CFA Society Malaysia, said: “Regardless of their areas of specialisation, careers and spheres of interests, the participants have something essential in common – they love their jobs, they love this industry and have shown that they will do their best to be at the very top, and thus they are role models for all of us. Thank you to the Bloomberg team for playing a part in unleashing the hidden talent of the finance community in Malaysia.”

“This collaborative effort signifies the first initiative of its kind for CFA® Societies in the ASEAN Region, which marks a new milestone for CFA Society Malaysia in driving a digital and innovative culture for members of the society. We believe this initiative will meet our stakeholders’ growing professional learning and development needs, using an innovative format of a hackathon to bring together like-minded professionals and harnessing technology to problem solve organisational challenges,” added Ms. Caroline Ng, Executive Director of CFA Society Malaysia.

“Many asset managers across ASEAN are building out their data science capabilities to support hybrid quantitative-fundamental approaches that complement their core strategies. We are pleased to work with CFA Society Malaysia to help develop the next-generation of investment talent in the country, as we will likely see quantitative investing adoption grow exponentially in the next few years. Firms that adopt effective new technology stacks will see gains compared to their peers,” added Steven Yankelson, Head of ASEAN, Bloomberg.

About Bloomberg
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About CFA Society Malaysia
Founded in 1997, CFA Society Malaysia is part of the worldwide network of CFA Institute member societies that lead the investment profession globally by promoting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence for the ultimate benefit of society. CFA Society Malaysia represents the interests of investment professionals in Malaysia through advocacy, education, events, and professional development. CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials and is a champion of ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. There are more than 178,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in 163 markets. For more information visit https://www.cfasociety.org/malaysia/

Media Contacts
Grace Ngoh
Bloomberg Singapore Pte Ltd
gngoh2@bloomberg.net

Aina Shazea
CFA Society Malaysia
aina.shazea@malaysia.cfasociety.org