Four works were deemed exceptional by the jury of experts. The winners received prizes of 5000 francs and 2500 francs.
On Tuesday evening, Swiss Life Asset Managers, in partnership with the University of Lucerne and the magazine Finanz und Wirtschaft, awarded the Swiss Life Graduation Prize to the best Master’s and Bachelor’s work carried out at Swiss universities of applied sciences in the field of finance.
Across Switzerland, 26 Bachelor’s and Master’s projects devoted to financial themes were nominated by universities of applied sciences as part of the Swiss Life 2024 Graduation Prize. Four works were judged exceptional by the jury of experts. The winners were presented with the coveted distinction on Tuesday evening at the Swiss Life headquarters in Zurich and received a financial reward for their exceptional performance.
At the event, Stefan Mächler, Chief Investment Officer of the Swiss Life Group, praised the achievements of the winners: “They addressed a wide range of current challenges and phenomena in the financial markets and in the financial services sector. They were able to present their research themes in a perfectly clear and relevant manner.” Professor Philipp Lütolf, jury member and lecturer at the Institut für Finanzdienstleistungen Zug (IFZ) of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, also praised the excellent quality of the work: “I am delighted to see that the universities specialists submitted this year again 26 excellent Bachelor and Master theses, equal parts research work and commissioned work. It is very important that students deal with complex financial and economic topics in depth. Their work is not only useful for practice, it also provides valuable knowledge for research. The students can all be very proud of their performance. »
The winners
A graduate of the University of Lucerne, Yannis Pieren, from Sutz-Lattrigen, looked, as part of his final thesis, on risk profiling by robo advisors, automated digital platforms offering advice algorithmic financial, in Switzerland. He studied twelve robo advisors, mainly those from start-ups, but also those from well-established banks. Traditional investment solutions from eight banks, risk profiling from a specialist Australian financial services provider as well as a study of foreign robo advisors served as a reference group. The jury’s opinion: “It should be emphasized that the objective of the work is clearly defined and that the questions asked receive precise answers. The documentation is targeted, adequate and perfectly integrated into the argument. The careful definition of risk profiles and their informative comparison with the equity portion give additional added value to this work.” For this work, the jury awarded Yannis Pieren the Swiss Life End of Studies Prize in the Bachelor category, worth 5,000 francs.
Moritz Leon Schroeter from Tägerwilen, a graduate of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), devoted his bachelor’s thesis to the evaluation of lookback options, a kind of exotic financial derivatives. He used a Heston stochastic volatility model and the finite difference method to develop corresponding valuation models in the Python programming language. “The bachelor’s thesis is distinguished by excellent stylistic expression and demonstrates in-depth knowledge in the evaluation of exotic derivatives as well as the ability to successfully implement complex methods in the Python programming language. » The jury rewarded this work by awarding it the Bachelor Recognition Prize, worth 2,500 francs.
A graduate of the University of Lucerne, Sven Koch from Wohlen analyzed in his master’s thesis the influence of cryptoassets on the performance of diversified portfolios and the importance of rebalancing in this context. The jury’s opinion: “This master’s thesis deals with a very relevant and current theme, particularly in the field of asset allocation and rebalancing strategies with a particular emphasis on cryptoassets. The work is distinguished by an obvious personal contribution as well as a clear and precise presentation of the results. It is very well written, sometimes very detailed, but always summarized in a judicious way, which makes it easier to follow the structure. Overall, this is a very well thought out work that analyzes a clear research question and answers it convincingly. » With this work, Sven Koch won the Swiss Life End of Studies Prize in the Master category, worth 5,000 francs.
Zef Gjergji from Märwil, a graduate of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), focused in his work on the replication of hedge funds using trend following models. The jury’s opinion: “The work is distinguished by clear and understandable writing and offers an in-depth summary of the empirical literature. It is worth highlighting the diversity of verification of the results and the use of innovative methods such as Lasso regression, which go further than the basics of the literature used. » The author was honored with the Master Recognition Prize, worth 2,500 francs.
The winners’ universities of applied sciences each receive 1,500 francs for the Swiss Life End of Studies Prize as well as 1,000 francs for the Recognition Prize.
About the Swiss Life End of Study Award
The Swiss Life Graduation Prize, in collaboration with the Institut für Finanzdienstleistungen Zug IFZ of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and the magazine Finanz und Wirtschaft, rewards innovative, practice-oriented research at universities of applied sciences every year. Swiss on topics such as financial investments, financial markets, financial service providers, financial instruments and Corporate Finance. The best dissertation works are rewarded by this prize, which thus constitutes a platform of recognition and reward for the services provided.
