SC’s RIFAR Youth-led Challenge to Drive Awareness and Innovation for Malaysia’s Rivers

Kuala Lumpur, 28 April 2026

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) today launched the River Flooding Adaptation & Resilience (RIFAR) Challenge to empower youth to contribute ideas and actions that strengthen the resilience of Malaysia’s rivers.

This initiative is a collaboration with strategic partners in university engagement, real-world implementation of flood mitigation measures and technical expertise in river resilience and sustainability. The partners are:

ICAEW Malaysia
Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS)
Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) - master developer of Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) project
Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development (JSC)

This nationwide competition invites university students to help address the escalating threat of river flooding through two distinct categories:

The Sprint: An awareness track focused on creative communication, to drive public consciousness and community action about Malaysia's river health.
The Marathon: An interdisciplinary innovation track where teams develop a flood mitigation intervention for Taman Sri Muda. Solutions combine engineering concepts with capital market financing plans and measurable climate co-benefits, such as renewable energy.

RIFAR forms part of the SC's Transition, Resilience & Adaptation in Capital Markets (TRAC) initiative. It is in line with SC's broader objectives to strengthen the role of capital markets in mobilising finance for climate transition, adaptation, and resilience, as outlined in the Capital Market Masterplan 2026-2030.

RIFAR is the SC’s second climate adaptation and resilience challenge, building on the significant success of the inaugural Coastal Flooding Adaptation & Resilience (COFAR) Challenge held in 2025. This initiative involved 220 students from 29 universities to develop adaptation solutions for Carey Island, Selangor.

Speaking at the RIFAR Challenge Launch webinar, SC Chairman Dato' Mohammad Faiz Azmi said that rivers are at the heart of Malaysia's climate adaptation challenge. "Rivers are the circulatory system of this nation, supplying 80% of the country’s raw water supply and run through our most economically vital corridors.”

“The capital market values ideas that are both technically sound and financially viable. Following the success of COFAR, we are confident that Malaysia's university students can contribute to the integrated solutions needed for our river basins," he said.

The RIFAR Challenge offers total cash prizes of RM50,000 for the Marathon and RM7,000 for the Sprint. The Challenge is open to students from all public and private universities in Malaysia, as well as Malaysians studying in universities abroad.

For more information and to register, visit: www.sc.com.my/trac/rifar-challenge. Registrations close on 12 May 2026.

Securities Commission Malaysia

RIFAR’s Strategic Partners:

ICAEW Malaysia brings to the Challenge its commitment to developing future-ready finance professionals, underpinning RIFAR's goal of integrating financial viability into climate adaptation. “Through the RIFAR Challenge, we are positioning the next generation of finance professionals at the critical intersection where climate imperatives meet capital decisions. As sustainability reshapes global capital markets, the profession must evolve, and initiatives like this ensure our future leaders are ready to meet that moment,” said Shenola Gonzales, Head of Malaysia, ICAEW.

Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) brings deep operational knowledge of Selangor's river systems and flood dynamics to the RIFAR Challenge. "Effective flood management must address not only the volume and flow of stormwater within river systems, but also the impacts of pollution, sedimentation, and land-use practices on river health. We welcome the RIFAR Challenge as a platform for fresh thinking and LUAS is committed to supporting that process," said Haslina Amer, Chief Assistant Director, LUAS.

Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) as Master Developer for SMG Project will support the Challenge through site-specific expertise of the RIFAR Marathon site located in Taman Sri Muda, providing participants with a real-life scenario of the flooding challenges affecting the area. "The Klang River corridor is central to Selangor's economic activity, and its flood resilience directly affects livelihoods of communities along the river. LLSB is proud to partner with the SC in positioning Taman Sri Muda, part of the SMG project, as the case study for the RIFAR, and we look forward to the innovative solutions that the students will propose," said Syaiful Azmen Nordin, Managing Director, LLSB.

Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development (JSC) serves as the knowledge partner and collaborator for the Challenge, bringing multi-disciplinary expertise in sustainable development and river resilience. "Climate adaptation is one of the defining challenges of our time, and students have a critical role to play in generating the ideas and talent that solutions require," said Associate Professor Chen Jit Ern, Head of the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development.