Rotman Commerce Fintech Association Challenge | January 22, 2025
Undergraduate students are invited to participate in the 2025 Rotman Commerce Fintech Association Challenge, supported by the BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab at the Rotman School of Management (Rotman FRT-Lab), hosted by Rotman Commerce Fintech Association (RCFTA).
RCFTAC brings students together to compete in a unique 1-day simulated market challenge where they test their skills in real-time from the safety of a structured learning environment.
Awards
1st Place - TBC
2nd Place - TBC
3rd Place -TBC
Registration Dates
Registration Opens
December 22nd, 2024
Registration Closes
December 31st, 2024
Fees
This competition is free to attend.
Qualification
- Participants must be current undergraduate students in a degree program as of 2024/2025 academic year.
- Students will compete individually. No teams required.
REGISTER HERE
Technical Requirements
- The software platform, Rotman Interactive Trader must be downloaded on a Windows machine.
- Mac users can install a virtual lab on their computer for free. Click Here for more information.
Competition Day Schedule
January 22nd, 2025 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm EST
- 9:00 am – 9:30 am | Introduction
- 9:30 am – 10:30 am | Case Study Practice
- 10:30 am - 11:30 am | Case Study Competition
- 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | Awards Ceremony
Please join us for a Practice Session in the FRT-Lab on January 14th at 9:00 am – 10:30 am EST. Feel free to drop in, spaces are limited.
St. George Campus
BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab
Rotman School of Management
Room 290, North Building
105 St. George St.
Toronto, ON M5S 3E6
Canada
Case Summaries
Algorithmic Market Making Case
The Algorithmic Market Making Case is designed to introduce participants to algorithmic strategies for market making, where the objective is to earn the bid-ask spread while providing liquidity for an individual stock. Participants will need to use their programming skills to develop algorithms with the RIT API to automate trading strategies and respond to changing market conditions. Throughout the case, these algorithms will submit orders to profit by earning the bid-ask spread and pursuing rebates through competitive limit orders that get filled. Given the high-frequency nature of the case, participants are encouraged to develop algorithms that can quickly adapt to rapid changes in market dynamics using their preferred programming languages
Practice Session
Prior to the competition, please join us for an in-person practice session at the FRT-Lab on the following date:
- January 14th, 9:00 am - 10:30 am (EST)
Practice Server
Once registered, your team will be given access to the Getting Started Page approximately 1-2 weeks before the competition date.
This includes:
- Case Package
- Your team’s RIT Market Simulator Access Credentials
Co-Curricular Record (CCR)
If you are a current University of Toronto student who participated in the Datathon, you may be eligible to claim CCR (Co-Curricular Record) recognition upon the successful completion of the competition. CCR are only applicable for current UofT students.
The Co-Curricular Record (CCR) is designed to help students find opportunities at U of T beyond the classroom and to have their skills and experiences captured on an official document. For more details about this CCR position, please email the lab at financelab@rotman.utoronto.ca.
Benefits of Co-Curricular Record (CCR) Recognition:
- Highlight and reflect on the skills you’ve gained.
- Get engaged in a variety of workshops and track your progress.
- Record your participation on an official university document.
- Connect with your CCR community, build your network, and enhance your resume.
If you are ready, to claim your CCR, CLICK HERE.
Take your finance career to the next level
Learn more about the The Rotman Finance Analytics and Decision-Making League (RFADML) and how you can earn qualification points for rewards to earn the prestigious title of international academic champion.
To know more about RFADML:
Dress Code
RCFTAC is a professional business competition, so participants are expected to dress in business casual or business formal attire.
Health and Safety | COVID-19
Competition participants are responsible for following health and safety measures where applicable. Individuals should report health and safety concerns to the competition committee via email at financelab[at]rotman.utoronto.ca, who will promptly review, assess and implement measures to address the concern where appropriate.
Measure to reduce risk of exposure:
- Individuals who are sick or who have COVID-19-related symptoms should stay home/hotel/accommodation.
- Isolate until there is no fever and symptoms improve for 24 hours (48 hours for gastrointestinal symptoms), regardless of testing results or no testing.
- Refer to: Ontario COVID-19 Self-Assessment and Procedures in the Event of a Confirmed Case and/or COVID-19 Symptoms.
- Avoid touching your face, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Practice proper respiratory etiquette, such as sneezing and coughing into your elbow.
- Face masks are encouraged, and we ask everyone always to respect the decisions of others, their comfort levels, and their health needs.
Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence
Equity and Human Rights
The purposes of this statement are to express the University’s values regarding equity and diversity, and relate these to the institution’s unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.
At the University of Toronto, we strive to be an equitable and inclusive community, rich with diversity, protecting the human rights of all persons, and based upon understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of every person. We seek to ensure to the greatest extent possible that all students and employees enjoy the opportunity to participate as they see fit in the full range of activities that the University offers, and to achieve their full potential as members of the University community.
Our support for equity is grounded in an institution-wide commitment to achieving a working, teaching, and learning environment that is free of discrimination and harassment as defined in the Ontario Human Rights Code. In striving to become an equitable community, we will also work to eliminate, reduce or mitigate the adverse effects of any barriers to full participation in University life that we find, including physical, environmental, attitudinal, communication or technological.
Diversity and Inclusiveness
Our teaching, scholarship, and other activities take place in the context of a highly diverse society. Reflecting the intersectionality in our community is uniquely valuable to Rotman, as it contributes to the diversification of thoughts, ideas, and perspectives that enrich our teaching, scholarship, and research activities. We will proactively seek to increase inclusion and feelings of belonging among our community members, with an aim to having a student body, teaching and administrative staff that mirror the diversity of qualified applicants. For more information, please click here.