Universiti Utara Malaysia (“UUM”) made a clean sweep of the top three spots at the recent Bursa Inter-Varsity Stock Challenge (“BISC”) 2025 Grand Finale.
After a tightly contested final round, Chong Jia Hong emerged as Champion while Ponny Ling Hsing Yu and Bryan Lim Wei Chin were named first and second runners-up, respectively.
The nationwide challenge, which ran from August to November 2025, attracted 850 teams and nearly 1,300 students from 10 universities1 in an immersive stock trading competition.
Organised by Bursa Malaysia since 2022, the annual BISC aims to cultivate informed, confident and responsible future investors. By simulating real-world investing in a riskfree environment, participants gain early hands-on experience whilst sharpening their analytical skills.
Dato’ Fad’l Mohamed, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia, said: “This year’s strong participation reflects not only rising interest in the stock market among the youth, but also their determination to challenge themselves, master financial knowledge and apply investing concepts. Such enthusiasm reinforces the importance of BISC as part of Bursa Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to educate and empower the next generation of informed investors in an engaging yet structured approach.”
Three-phase Competition Structure and Mentorship
To maximise learning outcomes, BISC 2025 featured three phases, with each phase building on the previous to simulate the full cycle of investing.
- evaluated based on analytical depth, originality, and accuracy, covering areas such as catalysts, sensitivity analysis, financial performance and valuation.
- Phase 2 – Virtual Portfolio: Equipped with a virtual initial capital of RM100,000 per team, participants traded eligible listed securities in a simulated environment on MyBURSA, complete with transaction-related fees and stamp duty, to replicate real trading.
- Phase 3 – Grand Finale: The top 20 teams presented their portfolio strategies and results to a panel of industry judges. This phase tested the participants’ real understanding, presentation skills and poise under pressure as they defended their investment decisions to seasoned market professionals.
Throughout the three-month challenge period, participants received continuous guidance and mentorship from participating brokerage firms — Affin Hwang Investment Bank, AmInvestment Bank, CGS International Securities Malaysia, Maybank Investment Bank and RHB Investment Bank — who provided expert advice, professional resources and practical insights to deepen their understanding of market dynamics.
“Participating in BISC 2025 was a meaningful experience for me. The competition offered a chance to put a trading strategy to the test under conditions that felt close to the real market. Along the way, it became clear where the approach worked and where it needed refining, all without taking on any actual risk. The exposure and hands-on learning have been invaluable in building confidence to continue growing as an investor,” said Chong Jia Hong from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), the Champion of BISC Grand Finale 2025.
As part of Bursa Malaysia's commitment to promoting inclusive capital market and investor empowerment, initiatives such as BISC play an essential role in expanding the nation's retail investor base and nurturing a more knowledgeable and financially savvy investment community. Encouraged by the success of BISC 2025, Bursa Malaysia will continue positioning this annual competition as a cornerstone initiative for strengthening financial literacy among youth. The Exchange invites interested universities and students to participate in the next edition of BISC 2026. Learn more at: https://my.bursamalaysia.com/bisc
Appendix I
The participating universities are:
- International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
- INTI International College (INTI)
- Management and Science University (MSU)
- Universiti Malaya (UM)
- Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
- Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)
- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
- Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
- Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)
- Refer to Appendix I for the list of participating universities.
