25 attendees from 5 of our local banks have competed in teams during the Battle of Banks Africa Challenge 2024 from 24 April 2024 to 5 June 2024, which was organised by the Mauritius Bankers Association, in collaboration with Mauritius Finance, and ICAPTS.
The competition, an exclusive gamified training programme meticulously designed to equip mid-senior professionals with a comprehensive understanding of risk management within a competitive and highly regulated environment, was held online, and provided participants with an opportunity to learn from industry experts during 8 live webinars, on the following topics:
• Financial Intermediation & Commercial Banks
• Interest Rate Risk Management & Capital Requirements
• Liquidity & Credit Risk Management
• Trial Run/Competition: Quarter 1 & 2 Decisions
• Quarter 1 & 2 Review/Quarter 3 & 4 Decisions
• Quarter 3 & 4 Review/Quarter 5 & 6 Decisions
• Quarter 5 & 6 Review/ Quarter 7 & 8 Decisions
Additionally, participants were given access to two supplementary training programmes: An Introduction to Basel, and An Introduction to Asset and Liability Management.
Teams engaged in a highly regulated and competitive setting, testing their strategies against other teams to optimise market share and stock prices. This competitive environment aimed to challenge participants to apply their knowledge and skills effectively. The team’s performance was measured against other teams on several metrics including Market Value, Discount Window Advances, Net Income, ROA, ROE, RWA, and Tier 1 Capital.
About the Competition
The game divides into 5 or 6 “mirror image” markets (depending on the total number of teams entered), with a minimum of 10 teams randomly assigned to each market. Teams simulated 6 financial quarters in a highly competitive and regulated environment. Teams were tasked with analysing this report and making decisions based on their interpretation of this information.
An Incentive Scheme Program (ISP) was also introduced to allow teams to undertake additional tasks within the simulation, granting them the advantage of gaining a sneak preview of crucial Quarterly Central Bank rates such as JIBAR rate, Loan Loss ratios, Bond rates, and more.