A group of students from Harvard Business School landed in the Moroccan economic capital with a mission: to dive headfirst into the inner workings of Wafacash, a financial services company and affiliate of Attijariwafa bank. For one intensive week, these future business leaders left behind the comfort of campus life and got a firsthand taste of corporate reality as part of the FIELD Global Capstone program—one of the final steps in their MBA journey.
But this wasn’t your typical internship. PowerPoint presentations were just the starting point. The students met directly with Wafacash clients, analyzed operations, pitched new ideas to company leadership, and explored innovative ways the company could expand its services. The program is designed to bridge the gap between classroom theory and business practice, placing students in real-world environments where they must adapt fast and deliver results under pressure.
Wafacash is now among a select group of 156 companies around the globe participating in this required Harvard module. More than 900 MBA students are spread out across 14 countries, each assigned to a different company. The goal is clear: immerse students in vastly different economic and cultural settings, while offering host companies a fresh perspective shaped by cutting-edge business thinking from one of the world’s top institutions.
For Wafacash, the benefits were twofold. On one hand, the company had a chance to showcase its role as a key player in accessible financial services across Africa. On the other, it was an opportunity to let an international team of bright minds examine its innovation strategy with a critical—and creative—eye. “We gave them an inside look at how a financial services provider operates in southern markets, along with the specific challenges we face here in Morocco,” said Abdesslam Bouirig, CEO of Wafacash.
The students arrived eager not just to observe but to contribute. The assignment was to develop a realistic, locally relevant product or service, putting their adaptability and teamwork to the test. They had to absorb a new market landscape quickly, work across cultures, and deliver thoughtful, actionable recommendations—often within just a few days.
According to Professor Joe Fuller, who oversees the program at Harvard, the exchange goes both ways. “Students gain invaluable experience, but we also want host companies to come away with ideas that are useful to them,” he explained. At Wafacash, there’s no doubt—they found real value in the collaboration.
