Reply Sustainable Investment Challenge 2021: the Competition Ends With Over 14,600 Participants From 91 Countries Worldwide

With the announcement of the winners, the Sustainable Investment Challenge, the online competition created by Banca Generali and Reply in collaboration with MIP Politecnico di Milano, MainStreet Partners and CFA Society Italy, has officially come to an end.

The Challenge, created to introduce students to the world of finance and dedicated to sustainable investments has achieved record breaking results this year, involving more than 14,600 participants from 91 countries worldwide. An equivalent value of 1.965 million dollars was generated through a total volume of 76,746 trading operations executed in the best ESG-rated companies, in order to achieve a positive impact for future generations.

Before entering the "live" competition, participants had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and learn to invest in a sustainable way through the exclusive e-learning content made ad hoc by Reply, Banca Generali and MIP Politecnico di Milano: 8 sections of dedicated learning, 18 bite-sized tutorials and social content, was released during the 5 weeks leading up to the competition as part of the Test&Learn initiative.

At the end of the final round, which saw more than 2,200 transactions, each participant submitted a report providing evidence and explanations for the strategy adopted. This allowed the competition jury - made up of Replyers who are experts in both ESG and investing – to evaluate the performance of the 100 finalists who participated in the competition, considering the precise strategic decisions of their sustainable investments and nominate the winners.

About the winners:

Guido Alberto Marsico, born in Naples in 1998, is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in Economics, Management and Sustainability at the University of Suor Orsola Benincasa.

Vittorio Ranieri, born in Spoleto in 2000, is currently undertaking a bachelor’s degree in International Economy and Finance at the Bocconi University.

Vincenzo D’Amborsio, born in Avellino in 1997, is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in Economics and Finance at LUISS University.

Among the distinctive skills that enabled the winners to success was: the ability to read market contexts in the medium/long term and the identification of the best companies to invest in. These factors were complimented by an excellent ability to sum up and represent the strategies planned and undertaken.

"We are extremely satisfied with the great success of this new edition of the Reply Investment Challenge, not only for the numbers achieved and the strategies adopted by the participants, but also for the importance of the competition theme itself - explains Roberto Tognoni, Executive Partner of Reply, he adds - the Challenges allow new generations of talents to experiment with innovative training dynamics and this year we had the opportunity to bring many young people closer to the theme of ESG investments ”.

"We are happy to have been alongside an educational and fun initiative such as the Investment Challenge which started with the ambitious goal of raising awareness among European students on the issue of sustainable portfolios. Objective fully achieved, given the great success and response among the thousands of subscribers - comments Andrea Ragaini, Deputy General Manager of Banca Generali, who adds - For us who were among the first to take the path of offering ESG investment solutions for families, by concretely measuring the results not only financially but also for the environment and social implications, seeing the determination of the young people in facing this challenge with sustainable “trade” strokes was truly gratifying. The hope is that initiatives like this will raise awareness that investments build the foundations for a new horizon. From this premise comes the commitment to financial education and the responsibility to speak differently and with new tools, including ESG investments ".

Marco Giorgino, Senior Professor of Finance at MIP Politecnico di Milano: "Having participated in the Investment Challenge 21 as a partner of Banca Generali and Reply is a source of pride for MIP Politecnico di Milano. In fact, our School is aware of the strong need to educate and train financial operators who are attentive to the risk and sustainability of investments. This challenge made it possible to do it in an experiential way, thus confirming the attention that MIP places on projects based on advanced experiments like this one ".

"MainStreet Partners is very proud to have contributed to the success of this year's Reply Investment Challenge, which for the first time has combined the search for purely financial returns with aspects related to sustainability - explains Rodolfo Fracassi, co-founder and Managing Director at MainStreet Partners, who adds - We have made our proprietary ESG models available so that participants can get insights into ESG results before investing their capital. We are gratified to know that many students and particularly young people have taken part in this challenge, demonstrating that the new generations see sustainability as an essential factor in the choice of investments. MainStreet Partners has believed in sustainable investing since its inception in 2008 and seeing that today the entire financial industry is looking for solutions and tools to invest with ESG considerations makes us very confident about the role that our sector will have for a more sustainable future, for both society and our planet".

“For CFA Society Italy the training of young people and future talents in the world of finance is a fundamental value. Furthermore, sustainability is one of our basic principles and we are constantly focused on the ESG issues that are revolutionizing the sector. As an association we have always been at the forefront of promoting challenging initiatives like this and the edition of the Investment Challenge with the Reply Sustainable Investment Challenge 2021 has thrilled us" commented Giancarlo Sandrin, president of CFA Society Italy.

The Investment Challenge is part of Reply’s Challenges programme, which aims to target the most innovative trends in coding, creativity, cyber security and finance. Since 2018, more than 100,000 people have joined the Reply Challenges community, and last year more than 8,400 players took part in the first Reply Investment Challenge.

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Reply
Reply [MTA, STAR: REY, ISIN: IT0005282865] specializes in the design and implementation of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. As a network of highly specialised companies, Reply defines and develops business models enabled by the new models of big data, cloud computing, digital media and the internet of things. Reply delivers consulting, system integration and digital services to organisations across the telecom and media; industry and services; banking and insurance; and public sectors. www.reply.com

Banca Generali
Banca Generali is a leading private Italian bank. It specialises in financial planning and asset protection for clients, through its network of highly skilled private bankers. The company's strategy is based on four key elements: qualified advice from specialists in protecting family wealth and helping them plan for their future; a cutting-edge product portfolio with solutions tailored to personal needs; innovative wealth management services for looking after tangible and financial assets; and innovative tools that use technology to improve trust between advisor and client. The bank's mission highlights the importance of always having a long-term trusted advisor at the client’s side, to build and take care of their life plan and projects. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since November 2006, and 50.1% controlled by the Assicurazioni Generali Group – synonymous with over 180 years of international solidity and security – the bank manages over 74.5 billion euros in assets on behalf of customers (figures as at 31 December 2020). With a widespread presence throughout Italy, it has 45 branches and 137 offices at the disposal of over 2050 financial advisors, and advanced digital contact service operations. In addition, its digital banking platform, www.bancagenerali.it, allows customers to access banking services and operations independently.

MainStreet Partners
MainStreet is the trusted ESG partner of top tier investors, providing a one stop shop for their sustainability requirements at portfolio level. Its clients are some of the most sophisticated and leading Wealth Managers, Asset Managers, Investment Banks, Insurances and Asset Owners in the financial industry. MainStreet Partners is based in London, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and consists of two main divisions:

1- ESG Advisory – offers solutions for creating ESG multi-asset and multi-manager portfolios with mutual funds, stocks and bonds. The company develops products with its partners which align to the highest standards of sustainability;
2- Portfolio Analytics – provides a holistic approach to ESG data analysis such as: transparent and detailed Fund ESG Ratings, assessment of clients’ portfolios to enhance their ESG profile and align them with the “green” regulation.

MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Business
MIP is the Graduate School of Business of the Politecnico di Milano, one of the best scientific and technological universities in the world, which for more than 40 years has been engaged in providing managerial training programmes for graduates, professionals, companies and institutions.
It has always stood out in the areas of innovation, digital transformation and sustainability. In 2014 it launched Italy’s first Executive MBA in digital learning and today, digital training is an integral part of the entire educational portfolio. This commitment has resulted in MIP moving up in the world's leading rankings, being placed 5th in the QS Online MBA Rankings 2020 and 9th in the FT Online MBA Ranking 2020. The School pays particular attention to issues related to sustainability: it is the only European Business School among B Corp certified establishments, a recognition given to businesses which are characterised by their commitment to sustainable development and to building a more inclusive society. MIP constantly works alongside nationally and internationally renowned companies, building partnerships that make it possible to design training courses aimed at providing the tools needed to meet the challenges of today's markets. Internationalisation is another of MIP’s characteristics: over 70 different nationalities are represented every day in its classrooms and offices.
The training on offer consists of more than 40 Master’s degrees each year, including MBAs and Executive MBAs, a catalogue of over 200 Open programmes dedicated to executive profiles and various customised training courses for companies.

CFA Society Italy
CFA Society Italy is the reference association in Italy for professionals who have achieved the qualification of Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA), the most important certification in the world of finance. The association, founded in 1999 as an affiliate of the CFA Institute, is the reference point in the area for CFA Charterholders, as well as promoting professional ethics and the value of the training and certification path in our country, providing a series of services for professionals and for those who are following the demanding course of exams. The entire activity of CFA Society Italy, like other affiliated associations in the world, is largely based on the voluntary commitment of the members. CFA Society Italy has more than 500 members.

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Contact information

Media contacts:
Reply
Fabio Zappelli
f.zappelli@reply.com
Tel. +39 02 535761

Aaron Miani
a.miani@reply.com
Tel. +44 (0)20 7730 6000

Banca Generali
Davide Pastore
davide.pastore@bancagenerali.it
Tel. +39 337 1115357

MainStreet Partners
Eleonora Cugini
cugini@mspartners.org
Tel. +44 (0)20 3761 9761

MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Business
Alessandro D'Angelo
adangelo@l45.it
+39 329 41392262

CFA Society Italy
Elena Giffoni
elena.giffoni@giffonipr.com
+39 347 2626681