The Students Challenge: an immersive and international adventure at the heart of Asset Management

Friday, July 20, 2026

Natixis Investment Managers has just wrapped up the 6th edition of its international competition, The Students Challenge, a program that has become a ‘must’ for students wanting to prepare for careers in asset management. Key takeaways from the 2026 edition: the diversity of participant profiles, the competition’s international scope, and a particularly demanding and volatile market environment.

Facing the realities of the field

The competition’s final, held on June 22, brought together the top three teams (two French teams and one London-based team) from the 100 teams that applied, selected from among more than 600 students from universities and elite institutions around the world. Much more than just a competition, The Students Challenge is above all a unique platform where future finance experts can hone their skills in an international and innovative setting:

  • Management of a multi-asset virtual portfolio worth €100m,
  • Compliance with strict ESG constraints,
  • Investments covering equities from OECD countries and sovereign bonds,
  • Integration of advanced quantitative models.

AI and private assets: what’s new in the 2026 edition

This edition notably made it possible to highlight the essential components of the asset management profession in today’s environment: ESG, advanced quantitative analysis, and artificial intelligence. Thus, for the first time, participants incorporated artificial intelligence tools into every stage of the challenge (market analysis, data processing, modeling, and preparation of the final presentation).

Another key highlight was the adoption of a diversification strategy focused on unlisted assets, extending the approach beyond traditional markets, a must for modern portfolios.

And the winners are…

So much for theory. The Students Challenge offers participants an ultra-realistic immersion in the day-to-day work of the world’s top asset managers, as well as a genuine professional bridge across international borders.

Congratulations to the London-based Green Folio team (pictured below) for coming out on top in this exceptional edition and winning over an international panel of judges composed of executives and experts from Natixis Investment Managers and its affiliates (DNCA, ecofi, Harris | Oakmark, Loomis Sayles, Mirova, Ostrum Asset Management, Ossiam, VEGA IS), as well as from FactSet and Morningstar | Sustainalytics, two leading players in the financial industry and partners of the competition.See you next year for the 7th edition.