ASEANEWS HEADLINE | Malaysia emerges winner at ASEAN Investment Challenge 2024
International Islamic University (IIUM) Malaysia’s Azre Nazerul Rahman was declared grand champion at CGS International Securities’ (CGS International) annual ASEAN Investment Challenge 2024. The competition, with top teams from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, collectively known as MIST, faced off in a grand finale held at Bursa Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on 13 February.
The ASEAN Investment Challenge (AIC) represents CGS International’s flagship youth programme to empower students with knowledge in sustainable investing and contribute to the building of strong capital markets in the future.
Contestants presented their investment strategies before a panel of judges comprising professionals from each country’s stock exchange. The various judges also questioned the candidates on their stock analysis and finally chose Malaysian finalist Azre as the grand champion. He won a prize of SGD 20,000.
Azizah Mohd Yatim, CEO of CGS International said: “Since the launch of AIC in 2023, it has made a tangible impact in improving investment literacy among youth in the MIST region. Through a series of initiatives, the AIC has provided participants with real-world exposure to sustainable investing and capital market fundamentals.”
Kevin Lee, Group Head of Sustainability for CGS International said: “AIC 2024 has once again highlighted the potential of our future leaders in finance. We hope their 8-month journey with AIC has provided them with a solid foundation in lifelong financial management skills, including the incorporation of ESG in their investment practices.
Through initiatives such as AIC, CGS International is dedicated to empower the communities for a more sustainable tomorrow.”
|
|
The other winners were Ali Alexander from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, Team Soop from Republic Polytechnic, Singapore and Naradith Aparprasith from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in Thailand.
Carol Fong, Group CEO for CGS International said: “Looking at the talent here today, I am reminded of the significance of AIC as a beacon to build the next generation of finance leaders.
“My heartiest congratulations to the four teams who made it to the finals. They stood out from over 5,000 participants with their thoughtful, innovative investment strategies – showing not just a sound grasp of market principles, but also a good knowledge of sustainable and responsible investing. In the end, Azre from Malaysia excelled with his holistic investment strategy and impressive presentation.”
This year’s challenge saw the participation of over 5,000 students from 500 institutions of higher learning in MIST. AIC is the only investment challenge backed by all four local stock exchanges, Bursa Malaysia, Indonesia Stock Exchange, Singapore Exchange, and the Stock Exchange of Thailand.
A key highlight of AIC 2024 was the introduction of a new judging element, which evaluated participants’ portfolio performance against benchmark returns, offering a fresh perspective on investment success.
CGS International aims to encourage sustainable investing amongst the new generation. The challenge imparts investment fundamentals, including ESG investing and risk management.
The participants received practical training in addition to theory lessons from CGS International’s investment experts. Winners are also offered internships with the group to put their new skills to practice, making it a truly holistic learning experience.
Grand champion Azre said: “Like so many of my peers, I have wanted to start investing but lacked the know-how. Hence, when AIC came to our school, many of us took the chance to learn.”
Throughout the challenge, CGS International provided us with many tools and resources to hone our investment skills. I really appreciated the opportunity to try our hand at investing without having to take on any actual risks. With the benchmark returns as part of the judging criteria this year, we could also tell how well our portfolios performed against industry benchmarks. This was immensely useful in our own performance evaluation.”
The next AIC will be launched in April 2025, stayed tuned for more information.
|
|
Memento Maxima Digital Marketing.
