KARACHI: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), in collaboration with Unilever Pakistan, is organising National Finance Olympiad (NFO) for the sixth consecutive year. It is the flagship event of the institute and is one of the biggest Finance Competitions in the country. The competition attracts finance professionals participating as teams, from industry, firms and educational institutes from across Pakistan.

The competition is divided into three rounds spread over two weeks beginning with the Qualifying Round where teams attempt a 2-hour competitive online test, revisiting their concepts and technical knowledge. The top successful teams then progress to the Assessment and Simulation Round based on Harvard Business Review case studies in collaboration with Karachi School of Business & Leadership and a role play segment competing to secure position in the top 6 teams advancing to the Grand Finale.

This year, incorporating the 'new normal' and adhering to the SOPs for the Covid-19 pandemic, ICAP transformed the Qualifying Round and the Assessment and Simulation Round into Virtual rounds, allowing teams the comfort of participating remotely through a transparent and effective proctoring system while also experiencing for the first time the thrill of competing against other teams virtually.

The Finale features top 6 teams as they go through a Debate Round evaluated by a senior jury panel and a Buzzer Round testing their agility and knowledge. The team with the best performance in these Rounds is crowned National Finance Champions for the year. The winning team is recognised both within Pakistan and internationally.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020