1. Let me start by congratulating every one of you - graduates of the investED Programme’s second cohort. Well done!
2. When we first launched investED, our vision was clear – to prepare young Malaysians to succeed in the capital market – not just with relevant knowledge, but with confidence, real-world skills and with a sense of purpose.
3. We wanted to build a programme that does not just train, but equips you to build a career, contribute to the industry, and ultimately move Malaysia forward.
   
   investED Achievements
   
   
4. In just two years, this vision is becoming a reality.
5. Last year, over 1,000 students participated in the Foundation Programme – exceeding our target of 800. Nearly 5,000 participants attended our career talks, eclipsing our goal of 3,000 per year. And we hosted six career fairs nationwide with close to 60,000 university students in attendance.
6. But beyond the numbers, it is the employment outcomes that stood out.
7. 92% of Cohort 1 graduates have been employed. And although Cohort 2 has just concluded, 67% have already found jobs.
8. It also tell us that because you are able to get a job, investED is properly aligned with industry needs. It is emerging as a successful talent pipeline, delivering tangible workforce outcomes. In fact, 233 out of 368 graduates from Cohort 1 and 2 have secured employment.
   
   The Future of investED
   
   
9. So, what’s next? This year, we are scaling up. We will conduct 12 statewide Career Talk sessions. One university per state will host, with surrounding campuses invited – reaching over 30 campuses.
10. We are also enhancing our Foundation Programme Bootcamps with improved self-paced learning and participant experience.
11. Beyond this, we are working closely with universities to embed the investED foundation and certification into university courses – making capital market exposure an integral part of a student’s education.
    
    Extending Impact Across ASEAN
    
    
12. As we strengthen our national talent pipeline, we’re also looking outward regionally.
13. At the recent ASEAN Investment Conference, the SC supported the launch of the ASEAN Investment Challenge 2025, led by CGS International.
14. This initiative brings together students from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines, to equip them with practical skills in sustainable and responsible investing.
15. Through trading simulations, expert insights and ESG-focused strategies, this challenge fosters cross border collaboration and a shared vision for more inclusive capital markets across ASEAN.
16. Together, investED and the ASEAN Investment Challenge form a powerful continuum - one national, one regional, both preparing youth not just to take part in the financial system, but to lead it.
    
    Continuous Learning and Journey Ahead
    
    
17. At the SC, we believe investing in talent is essential. The complexity of today’s capital markets demands more than academic qualifications, it also requires relevant experiences and a global mindset to solve problems.
18. That’s why we focus on building foundational knowledge and deep domain expertise across law, finance, and technology - all critical areas for the next generation of regulators.
19. But competence alone isn’t enough. Future regulators must also be connected, collaborative, and regionally minded.
20. To that end, the SC has ongoing programmes such as the Leadership Learning Series and the SC Toastmasters Club to develop staff leadership, stakeholder management and communication skills.
21. In addition to supporting post graduate programmes, we will be launching new programmes with Durham University, United Kingdom, which will include the Young Regulators Development Programme for new members of the SC. For senior members of the SC they can take advantage of a Scholarship for a Masters in Law & Finance programme and many in SC will be able to participate in the Durham Islamic Capital Market Summer School, which centres on Maqasid al-Shariah.
22. These initiatives reflect our commitment to lifelong learning and leadership development, ensuring that tomorrow’s regulators are capable, confident, and connected.
    
    Advice
    
    
23. Let me now turn to you, the investED graduates. You are joining an industry that is expanding fast. Whether it is the current capital market of listed stocks and bonds or the growing private markets or even the global digital asset markets, the total size of the conventional capital market today is RM4.2 trillion, which is bigger than banking. To fuel the economic growth of our country, we need the capital markets to provide capital for MSMEs and Mid-Tier companies. And beyond that, we will also need to right size the capital markets to assist the government fund climate adaptation.
24. Whether your career path leads to trading, regulation, asset management—or dealing with entirely new fields like digital assets—you will need to keep continuously learning.
25. Tomorrow’s capital market won’t just need you to understand the rules of today’s market. You will need to understand the impact of technology like AI and digitalisation, sup tech, reg tech and even age tech, as well as economics, data and human behaviour.
26. I hope your journey in investED has already started you to cultivate that learning mindset.
    
    Closing
    
    
27. To our partners at the Ministry of Higher Education, our university collaborators, our market intermediaries, members of the steering and implementation committees - thank you for believing in this mission.
28. To all our graduates: You are the future of Malaysia’s capital market. Be bold. Keep learning. And lead with purpose.
29. In closing, I would also like to take this opportunity to formally announce that Cohort 3 is now officially open for applications.

Thank you