Poster
Singapore

SINGAPORE

Since 2022, The ASEAN Investment Challenge partnered 11 institutions of higher learning (NUS, SMU, NTU, SUSS, SIM, RP, SP, NP, NYP, TP, ITE) & Singapore Exchange (SGX) for our annual Investment Challenge that takes place from Q3 to Q4 each year.

All participants will have to go through a foundational financial literacy learning journey before the Challenge to qualify for the Live Equity Portfolio Investment Challenge in September to November, followed by the Portfolio evaluation and presentation to the Judges after.

Prizes of AIC 2026

Country Level
Winner SGD 3,000
1st Runner-up SGD 2,000
2nd Runner-up SGD 1,000
4th Place SGD 500
5th Place SGD 500
6th Place to 10th Place SGD 100 each
Winner
Country Level SGD 3,000
1st Runner-up
Country Level SGD 2,000
2nd Runner-up
Country Level SGD 1,000
4th Place
Country Level SGD 500
5th Place
Country Level SGD 500 each
6th - 10th Place
Country Level SGD 100 each
 

Key Milestone

MilestonesDates
Registration Period
Invite your peers to join before the window closes!
1 Jul 2026 - 31 August 2026
E-Learning Journey
Completing ALL e-learning modules is mandatory to qualify for your investment capital reward
1 Jul 2026 - 4 Sep 2026
UP Account Opening Period
Make sure your account is open and ready to receive your SGD $50 equivalent investment capital reward
1 Jul 2026 - 4 Sep 2026
Investment Plan Submission
Submit your plan to score extra points
1 Jul 2026 - 4 Sep 2026
Live Challenge Period 16 Sep 2026 - 11 Nov 2026
Winner Announcement Dec -26 / Jan 2027
 

FAQ

General Information

The ASEAN Investment Challenge (AIC) 2026 is a university trading competition organised by CGS International using the UP trading platform. Eligible participants will receive an investment capital reward in the form of free shares and will compete based on portfolio performance during the competition period.
The challenge is open to individuals aged 18 years old and above who successfully complete the registration process, open or link a valid UP account, and achieve 100% completion of all mandatory e-learning modules by the stated deadline.
Registration Period: 1 July 2026 – 31 August 2026
E-Learning Journey: 1 July 2026 – 4 September 2026
UP Account Opening Period: 1 July 2026 – 4 September 2026
Investment Plan Submission (Optional): 1 July 2026 – 4 September 2026
Live Challenge Period: 16 September 2026 – 11 November 2026
Winner Announcement: December 2026 / January 2027
No. Participation in the ASEAN Investment Challenge 2026 is completely free.

UP Account & Registration

UP is an investment platform by CGS International that allows users to invest and trade in various stock markets. All competition activities, including the allocation of investment capital reward and trading activities during the challenge, will be conducted through the UP platform.
A valid UP account is required to participate in the competition. Investment capital reward will only be credited into a valid UP account, and all trading activities for the challenge must be carried out through the platform.
No. Participants with an existing UP account may use their existing account to join the challenge. During registration, simply indicate that you already have a UP account and provide your account number if available.

You may still proceed with registration even if you do not remember your UP account number. Providing your account number during registration is optional, and the organising team will assist in identifying and tagging your account based on your registration details.

If you would like to retrieve your UP account number, simply:

  1. Log in to the UP app
  2. Navigate to Account
  3. Select Reports/Statements
  4. Choose Account Statement under Report Type

Your account number can be found at the top of the statement under ""Your Account at a Glance".

Yes. International students can participate in the challenge as long as they meet the UP account opening requirements.

Foreign students (non-Singaporeans) are required to submit the following documents for account opening and verification purposes:

Identity Document Passport

Supporting Documents Bank statement or government-issued statement,

Utility bill or telecom bill, Commitment Letter (required for China nationals only)

For Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, account opening can be completed digitally via Singpass, and no physical documents are required.

UP account applications are typically processed within 1 to 2 working days. However, approval timelines may vary depending on the completeness of the submitted documents and verification requirements. Participants are encouraged to complete their registration and account opening early to avoid delays.

E-Learning Course

Yes. Completion of all e-learning modules is mandatory in order to qualify for the investment capital reward and participate in the competition.

Participants must achieve 100% completion of all mandatory e-learning modules by 4 September 2026.

Partial completion, incomplete modules, or any completion rate below 100% will not qualify.

Upon successful registration, participants will receive an email containing instructions and access to the online e-learning course.
All participants must complete all mandatory e-learning modules by 4 September 2026.
Participants who fail to complete the e-learning course by the deadline will not receive the investment capital reward and will not be eligible to participate in the competition.

Investment Plan Submission

No. Submission of an investment plan is optional but highly encouraged to earn bonus points.
Yes. Participants who submit an investment plan by 4 September 2026 will receive an additional 5% bonus score to their overall Stage 2 final assessment score.

Investment Capital Reward

Eligible participants will receive SGD50 worth of investment capital reward in the form of fractional shares.

The specific counter(s) to be allocated will be determined by the organiser and announced prior to the crediting date.

All eligible participants will receive the same fractional share allocation with the same value of SGD50.

These fractional shares will serve as the initial investment capital for the competition.

The investment capital reward will be credited to eligible participants’ UP accounts before the commencement of the Live Challenge Period.

To qualify, participants must successfully complete all of the following requirements by 4 September 2026:

Complete registration;
Open or link a valid UP account; and Achieve 100% completion of all mandatory e-learning modules.

Participants who fail to satisfy any of the above requirements will not receive the investment capital reward and will not be eligible to participate in the competition.

Competition Mechanics

The Live Challenge Period will run from 16 September 2026 to 11 November 2026.
"Yes. Participants must complete a minimum of five (5) eligible trades during the Live Challenge Period. Eligible trades include both buy and sell transactions. Participants who fail to complete at least five (5) trades during the competition period will be deemed disqualified and will not proceed to the portfolio performance assessment stage. Their portfolio performance will not be measured, assessed, ranked or considered for prize determination regardless of investment returns achieved."

Participants will enjoy zero commission fees and zero platform fees during the competition period, allowing maximise utilisation of the investment capital reward for investing.

However, standard exchange fees and regulatory charges imposed by the respective exchanges may still apply.

The fee waiver arrangement will end on 30 November 2026, after which standard UP pricing will apply.

Portfolio performance is calculated based on gains generated from the investment capital reward, while adjusting for any additional deposits or pre-existing portfolio value to ensure fair comparison among participants.

If no additional deposits are made, portfolio performance will be calculated based on the growth of investment capital reward only.

Example:
Investment capital reward: USD39 equivalent (SGD50)
Final portfolio value: USD60
Performance calculation:
(60-39)/39 x 100 = 53.84%

If no additional deposits are made, portfolio performance will be calculated based on the growth of the sponsored trading credit only.

Example:
Sponsored trading credit: USD39 equivalent
Final portfolio value: USD60
Performance calculation:
(60-39)/39 x 100 = 53.84%"

If additional funds are deposited during the competition period, the net deposit amount will be deducted from the final portfolio value before calculating performance.

For participants with existing account balances or investments before the competition period, the pre-existing portfolio value will also be excluded from the performance calculation.

Example:
Final portfolio value: USD800
Net deposits: USD100
Existing portfolio value before competition: USD500
Investment capital reward: USD39 equivalent (SGD50)

Performance calculation:
(800-100-500-39)39 x 100 = 412.8%

Winner Selection & Assessment

The competition adopts a two-stage assessment process. To be eligible for consideration, participants must satisfy all of the following requirements:

  1. Successfully register for the competition;
  2. Open or link a valid UP account;
  3. Achieve 100% completion of all mandatory e-learning modules by 4 September 2026;
  4. Complete a minimum of five (5) eligible trades during the Live Challenge Period; and
  5. Comply with all competition rules and requirements.

Participants who fail to meet any of the above requirements may be disqualified and will not be considered for ranking or prize consideration

Stage 1 is the Portfolio Performance Assessment. Only participants who have fulfilled all competition eligibility requirements, including the minimum five (5) trade requirement, will be assessed.

Eligible participants will be ranked based on their portfolio performance during the Live Challenge Period.

The top ten (10) participants with the highest portfolio returns will be shortlisted as finalists and invited to proceed to Stage 2.

The top ten (10) finalists will be required to:
Prepare a presentation deck summarising their competition journey and investment decisions
Participate in a face-to-face presentation

Finalists will be notified and required to confirm their attendance within the stipulated timeline. If a finalist fails to provide attendance confirmation or is unable to attend the presentation session, they may be deemed to have withdrawn from the competition, and their finalist position may be offered to the next highest-ranked participant.

Final rankings will be determined based on the following weightage:
Portfolio Performance: 60%
Final Presentation Assessment: 40%
"Participants who submitted an investment plan during registration will receive a 5% bonus score in the final assessment process. The bonus score is intended to recognise participants who demonstrated investment planning before the commencement of the competition."

Support & Assistance

Please ensure that clear copies of the required documents have been submitted correctly and check your email regularly for updates. Incomplete or unclear documentation may delay the approval process.
Participants are advised to check their spam or junk mail folders first. If the email is still not received, please email to csi.investmentchallenge@cgsi.com before the completion deadline for assistance.
For all queries, you may reach out to the AIC support team at csi.investmentchallenge@cgsi.com
 

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