Banking and finance students at the University will be able to opt for an elective in fund administration under an agreement with the Malta Fund Industry Association in collaboration with the Malta Institute of Financial Services (Ifs Malta).

The elective will be available to students reading for the Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialisation in Banking and Finance. Delivered by industry experts, the sessions will provide an excellent opportunity for students wishing to pursue a career in the fund industry by providing them with access to in depth knowledge on the main facets of the fund business.

On completing the elective, banking and finance students will have the opportunity to qualify for exemptions from the Diploma in Fund Administration which is awarded by the University of Manchester in collaboration with Central Law Training, offered locally through Ifs Malta.

“Malta is internationally regarded as a growing centre of excellence for the servicing of investment funds and one of the key factors of this success is the maintenance of high standards by both practitioners and operators in this field,” MFIA chairman Kenneth Farrugia said.

Ifs Malta president Simon Grech described the Diploma in Fund Administration as the premier qualification in its field. It has proved to be a solid professional and academic qualification which is highly regarded by fund administrators, custodians and other service providers to funds domiciled in Malta and other overseas jurisdictions.

“The Fund Administration elective course fulfills the institute’s objective of continuously raising the educational standards in diverse areas of the financial services sector,” he said.

Joseph Falzon, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy at the University of Malta, hoped such cooperation and collaboration between professional institutes and associations and the University in specialist areas would continue.

The Malta Financial Services Authority has also supported this initiative. The Educational Consultative Council, of which the regulator is a founding member, has been particularly helpful in this project.