LeapRate Exclusive… LeapRate has learned that trading education provider Knightsbridge Trading Academy has inked an agreement with the London Stock Exchange, to deliver training for the LSEG Academy’s Institutional Trader Programme.
This bespoke programme is designed to provide aspirational and operating traders alike with the ability to master the skills needed to be an effective and successful trader across a range of investing disciplines.
Partly taking place at the London Stock Exchange’s offices, this programme is a unique opportunity for anyone interested in mastering the craft of trading in a variety of disciplines, exchanges and asset classes. The Institutional Trader Programme consists of two modules which run over three months, commencing with a 10-day intensive face-to-face learning opportunity (Module One) delivered in part at London Stock Exchange in Paternoster Square, London followed by a three-month e-learning programme (Module Two).
We’re pleased to speak today with Knightsbridge founder Jon Chapman, to learn more about his company’s hook-up with the LSE and how it came about.
LR: Hi Jon, and thanks for joining us today. Please let our readers know a little more about the Knightsbridge Trading Academy. Who are its target clients?
Jon Chapman, Knightsbridge
Jon: Our target clients are separated into 2 audiences. The first are those who are aspirational traders or professionals looking to enter the financial markets. The second are those who are current retail traders, and are needing to take the next step up to the level of a bank or fund trader. This is why we developed the Institutional Trader Program in association with London Stock Exchange Group Academy.
LR: What is your business model – how does Knightsbridge make money?
Jon: We do not make our money through the brokerage itself, but simply by our Trading Programmes. We have different levels of programme, starting with basic training leading all the way up to the level of an Institutional trader.
LR: We understand that you’re now partnering with the London Stock Exchange’s LSEG Academy to deliver training for The Institutional Trader Programme. Can you let us know more about that. How did the partnership come about?
Jon: The partnership has been almost 2.5 years in the making and has taken much time and effort to get to the stage we are at now.
As you know London Stock Exchange Group itself is one of the oldest financial institutions in the world, and therefore we were strictly vetted by the Group and their Academy. The idea for the programme came about whilst i was working in Derivatives at Nomura International on St Martins Le Grand, not 300 metres down the road from London Stock Exchange Group. I had just arrived back from Singapore where i worked previously, and wanted to explore how we could bring Institutional Trading techniques to the retail market there. So far it has been a huge success, and we are very much looking forward to building the brand globally.
The programme itself is a standalone product. Knightsbridge flies delegates to London for 2 weeks, where they stay in 5 star hotel accommodation in the heart of the city. Delegates get taught by the very best in the market, ex investment bank traders and trainers across major asset classes. They take the CISI Financial Markets exam at the end of week one. Week 2 is purely focused on the trading itself with a trading simulation for 2 days in live market conditions where you will experience what it is to be an institutional or bank trader and the pressures and environment that goes with this. This is only for those that are serious and want to take their skill set to the next level. Having said this, all levels can apply for the programme, whether you are a novice or already a retail trader.
LR: From your perspective, what are the biggest mistakes FX traders make, even professional traders?
Jon: This is the golden question.
It is quite simple. Having come from an Investment banking background into the retail broking world, it is apparent that more often than not your average retail trader, at some stage, will not manage risk as they should. This can be from both the fear or greed angle. Secondly, there are too many traders out there who simply do not have the expertise or know how to be managing the funds that they do, and therefore, at some stage sooner or later, accounts get blown. This is why the Institutional Trader Programme is a game changer, as we take them through each asset class, across multiple disciplines, and trade live with them over the 10 intensive days in London.
LR: Please let us know a little more about your FX Compass platform. How is it different than other trading platforms that FX traders might be familiar with, such as MT4.
Jon: FX Compass is a unique fintech platform allowing live news and market analysis to be fed straight to you the retail trader. It is used by some well known Institutions here in London for their morning market analysis. It is powered by our partners at Tradermade. 6. What’s next for Knightsbridge Trading Academy? We have just arrived back from a 2 week tour of South Africa which was a huge success with our partners there, and are then heading to Kenya on the 22nd of September for our traders in Nairobi. We then head to the Philippines, Singapore and HK before heading to the FX Expo in Shenzen at the end of October to launch in China.
If anyone would like anymore information on the Institutional Trader Programme you can find us at www.ktafx.com. There’s also more on the program in the following video: