The Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) is doubling down on its mission to strengthen the country’s financial talent pipeline as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Intercollegiate Finance Competition (ICFC), a nationwide contest designed to test how well students apply classroom finance concepts to real-world challenges.
Carlo Lazatin, newly elected FINEX president, said the competition—spearheaded by the FINEX Research and Development Foundation—remains a key platform for improving financial education, ethics, and literacy across Philippine universities.
Beyond academic rivalry, Lazatin noted that the ICFC serves as a diagnostic tool for schools, revealing curriculum gaps while reinforcing the importance of integrity, governance, and analytical rigor among future finance professionals.
“[It] gives us the ability to see not only the technical capability, but really start shaping how these young people can start to swim on their own once they get into the employment field in the real world,” he said.
The initiative also reflects FINEX’s broader push to rebuild confidence in Philippine institutions following a volatile economic period. Lazatin described this year’s theme as a call to “start catalyzing the confidence coming from a very tumultuous year,” emphasizing the role of capital markets, institutional integrity, and innovation in driving growth.
Technology is also reshaping the competition. This year’s ICFC featured 100 schools across seven sites, using NOAH Business Applications technology to conduct real-time testing and simulations that mirror modern finance environments increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence.
According to FINEX board director and former president EJ Qua Hiansen, the Foundation’s programs have trained more than 10,000 Filipinos over the years, equipping students and educators with practical insights into financial management and decision-making.
In the 2026 finals, De La Salle University clinched the championship and P100,000 prize, followed by University of the Philippines Diliman in second place with P60,000, and University of the Philippines Visayas in third with P40,000.
With plans to expand participation to more schools in Mindanao, FINEX is positioning the ICFC as both a talent incubator and a bridge between theory and practice—an investment in the country’s next generation of financial leaders.
