Central Depository Services (India) Limited (CDSL) has launched Reimagine Ideathon 2.0, a nationwide initiative encouraging students to develop innovative solutions for investor awareness, financial literacy and cyber safety. The competition offers a total prize pool of ₹11.5 lakh for the top five teams.
Launched during World Investor Week 2026 under the theme ‘Samajh Se Investing Simple’, the initiative supports the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) Project Jagrook and complements its Mentoring of University/College Students by Trainers (MUST) programme.
The initiative highlights the economic importance of converting financial awareness into informed market participation. SEBI’s Investor Survey 2025 found that around 3.21 crore households, representing 9.5% of India’s estimated 33.72 crore households, invest in securities market products, although 63% of households are aware of at least one such product. With India’s demat account base exceeding 23 crore, investor education has become increasingly significant.
Digital security presents another challenge. Government data cited by CDSL showed that ₹22,495 crore was reportedly lost to cyber fraud in 2025, with 76% of reported financial losses attributed to fake investment and trading scams.
CDSL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Nehal Vora said informed investors must be able to verify information, understand risks and rewards, and make confident decisions.
Students can submit solutions through applications, websites, chatbots, games, simulations, awareness campaigns and AI-enabled assistants. A jury chaired by S. Ramadorai, former TCS chief executive and managing director and former BSE chairperson, will assess innovation, impact, feasibility, scalability, accessibility, user experience and data protection.
Registrations opened on October 7, 2026. The first edition attracted over 1,000 registrations from nearly 100 institutions across 21 states and two Union Territories. Details are available at https://ideathon.cdslindia.com/.
