Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has launched the River Flooding Adaptation & Resilience (RIFAR) Challenge, a nationwide competition inviting university students to propose ideas and actions to strengthen the resilience of Malaysia’s rivers against escalating flood risks. The challenge sits under SC’s Transition, Resilience & Adaptation in Capital Markets (TRAC) initiative and is positioned as supporting the Capital Market Masterplan 2026-2030 objective of mobilising capital market finance for climate transition, adaptation and resilience. RIFAR has two categories: the Sprint, which focuses on creative communications to raise public awareness and drive community action on river health, and the Marathon, which asks interdisciplinary teams to design a flood mitigation intervention for Taman Sri Muda that combines engineering concepts with capital market financing plans and measurable climate co-benefits, including renewable energy. The programme is delivered with partners providing university engagement, implementation and technical expertise, including ICAEW Malaysia, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor, Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (master developer of the Selangor Maritime Gateway project) and the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development; SC also referenced the 2025 Coastal Flooding Adaptation & Resilience Challenge, which involved 220 students from 29 universities. The Challenge is open to students from Malaysian public and private universities and Malaysians studying abroad, with cash prizes of RM50,000 for the Marathon and RM7,000 for the Sprint. Registrations close on 12 May 2026.
Malaysia Securities Commission 2026-04-28
Securities Commission Malaysia launches RIFAR Challenge to crowdsource university-led river flood mitigation solutions for Taman Sri Muda
The Securities Commission Malaysia has launched the River Flooding Adaptation & Resilience Challenge, a nationwide competition under its Transition, Resilience & Adaptation in Capital Markets initiative to strengthen river resilience to escalating flood risks and support the Capital Market Masterplan 2026-2030 objective of mobilising capital market finance for climate transition and adaptation. The Challenge comprises a Sprint category focused on public awareness and community action on river health and a Marathon category requiring interdisciplinary flood mitigation proposals for Taman Sri Muda that integrate engineering and capital market financing, supported by partners providing university engagement and technical expertise.