In 2026, the CFA Institute launched its first AI Investment Challenge, a national competition where university teams apply artificial intelligence to real-world investment problems. It helps students build practical skills in investment analysis, data, and responsible AI use.
The CFA Institute AI Investment Challenge is designed to simulate how investment teams use technology to analyze data, generate insights, and present recommendations. Students participated in teams, working through a structured, multi-stage competition to develop an AI-enabled solution to a real investment problem. Throughout the challenge, participants received guidance from faculty advisors, industry professionals, and judges with expertise in investment practice and technology.
In our first AI Challenge, we fielded 28 teams and had to make difficult decisions, as all of the competitors submitted interesting and innovative solutions. The competition culminated in a final round where five top teams presented their solutions to a panel of judges to win a spot on the podium.
Over three consecutive weeks, we are showcasing our top three finalists. This AI innovation comes from our second-place winners from University of Exeter: Maksim Kitikov, Harrison Maxwell and Kirill Papka.
