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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 31, 2013) - A new generation of finance students at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management will benefit from the opening of the BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab.

The lab, which opened this fall in a newly renovated space at the Rotman School, provides students in the Rotman MBA, Master of Finance, Executive MBA, Rotman Commerce and other UofT programs, with access to real-time financial resources and the opportunity to gain hands-on training in a range of financial disciplines, including investment strategy and portfolio management, risk management, trading, and analysis of the microstructure of markets.

Although based in the Rotman School's north building, the lab is an extension of the new classroom space and technology of the School's south building which opened last year and doubled the amount of teaching, research, study, presentation and special event space for the school.

The lab refurbishment was supported with a $1.75 million gift from BMO Financial Group.

"For nine of the past ten years, the Rotman School of Management has been ranked the top business school in Canada, and Rotman is one of the reasons why Toronto is ranked one of the world's leading financial hubs," said Bill Downe, President and Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. "Talent drives Canada's reputation as an innovator and leader in risk and portfolio management and financial analytics, and the new BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab will help ensure that students get hands-on experience to complement what they learn in the classroom."

"Since it was founded, the lab has provided numerous opportunities for training, research and curriculum development that contribute to the integration of teaching and research with practice", says Prof. Tom McCurdy who is the founder and director of the lab. "We are grateful for the support of BMO Financial Group, which has allowed us to expand our physical space and the resources available for both students and faculty."

The BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab has 71 dual flat panel stations, two media/data walls and an integrated sound system. Real-time data feeds and other resources available in the lab include the Thomson Reuters Eikon platform, Factset, S&P Capital IQ, Bloomberg terminals and a wealth of research databases. In addition, the Lab has a growing stock of custom-designed software including the Rotman Interactive Trader, a market simulation tool with more than 30 cases, being used in more than 40 universities and companies around the world.

Earlier this year the lab held its 10th Annual Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) which attracted 240 student traders representing 48 universities from Asia, Europe, United States and Canada. The 11^th annual competition will be held in February 2014. The competition cases are implemented on the highly acclaimed Rotman Interactive Trader platform. Further information on the RITC is available at http://ritc.rotman.utoronto.ca.

The Rotman School's BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab has been designed to promote experiential learning in the area of financial markets and real-time decision-making under uncertainty. Further information on the lab is available at http://financelab.rotman.utoronto.ca.

About the Rotman School of Management

The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is redesigning business education for the 21st century with a curriculum based on Integrative Thinking. Located in the world's most diverse city, the Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables the design of creative business solutions. The School is currently raising $200 million to ensure Canada has the world-class business school it deserves. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $549 billion as at July 31, 2013, and more than 46,000 employees, BMO Financial Group provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.