The Showcase underscored the growing urgency of climate adaptation in Malaysia, highlighting the vital role of youth-led innovation in developing practical, scalable and financially viable solutions through the RIFAR Challenge.
The Showcase was attended by about 250 participants, including representatives from the government, financial institutions, academia as well as climate experts and university students.
Launched in April, the RIFAR Challenge drew around 400 students across 46 universities, locally and abroad competing across two tracks:
- Marathon:
Students developed tangible, financially viable flood mitigation solutions that deliver transition co-benefits for Taman Sri Muda, an area highly exposed to flooding and with significant socio-economic vulnerability.
Over two months, participants took part in a webinar with experts and a site visit to observe first-hand the area's exposure to fluvial, pluvial and tidal flood risks.
The students from Team BDR (Universiti Malaya and Monash University Malaysia) emerged as Champion, while students from Team Blues Bond (Monash University Malaysia) and Team Anak Sungai (Sunway University, National University of Singapore and University of Hong Kong) took the first and second runner-up place respectively. - Sprint:
Students produced creative social media videos promoting river health in Selangor.
Out of 21 submissions, Team Ban Banjir comprising students from Sunway College, the University of Nottingham Malaysia and Monash University Malaysia were recognised as Champion.
The SC Chairman Dato’ Mohammad Faiz Azmi said the capital market must be a bridge that channels finance towards resilience for the nation, businesses, communities and people.
“Achieving this requires not only regulators and financiers, but also the innovation and leadership of the next generation.”
“I commend the enthusiasm and creativity demonstrated by the students in this Challenge, and I hope they will continue advancing the conversation on climate adaptation and financing,” he said.
Dato’ Faiz added that he was hopeful that RIFAR would bring about innovative and practical solutions in the space, building on the success of last year’s Coastal Flooding Adaptation & Resilience (COFAR) Challenge which saw the collaborative efforts between the industry, policymaker and academia in addressing coastal flooding.
Comprising focused discussions on climate resilience, the RIFAR Showcase highlighted the need to unlock private capital for adaptation financing in alignment with Malaysia’s adaptation priorities, and the importance of climate literacy among youth.
The RIFAR initiative is conducted in partnership with ICAEW Malaysia, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor, Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd and the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development.
The initiative supports the newly launched Capital Market Masterplan 2026–2030, specifically its sustainability pillar, in strengthening the capital market’s role in financing climate transition, adaptation and resilience.
