New Delhi: Central Depository Services (India) Limited (CDSL) has launched Reimagine Ideathon 2.0, inviting students across India to develop innovative solutions aimed at strengthening financial awareness and cyber safety for an investor base that is becoming increasingly diverse and digital.
The Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 was launched during World Investor Week 2026, which is being observed in India under the theme ‘Samajh Se Investing Simple’.
The initiative expands CDSL’s Reimagine platform with a focus on financial awareness and cyber safety and offers a total prize pool of ₹11.5 lakh for the top five teams.
CDSL, Asia’s first listed depository and the trusted custodian of more than 19 crore demat accounts, said the Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 seeks to encourage students to develop innovative ways of making financial awareness and cyber-safety education more accessible, relevant and engaging.
The initiative complements the investor awareness and education objectives of SEBI’s Project Jagrook, which brings together SEBI and Securities Market Partners, including CDSL, to strengthen financial literacy, promote informed investment practices and increase awareness around financial fraud.
At the heart of the ‘Samajh Se Investing Simple’ campaign is the idea that an educated investor is an empowered investor, and that investor awareness is most effective when information is communicated in a manner, language and format that investors can understand and relate to.
Through Reimagine Ideathon 2.0, CDSL is inviting students to bring this approach to life by developing innovative solutions for financial awareness and cyber-safety education, particularly for students, first-time investors and senior citizens.
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Financial Awareness and Cyber Safety
According to SEBI’s Investor Survey 2025, around 3.21 crore households, or 9.5% of India’s estimated 33.72 crore households, are invested in securities market products, while 63% of households are aware of at least one such product.
This gap between awareness and participation highlights the need to translate awareness into meaningful understanding and informed participation.
With India’s demat account base having crossed 23 crore, participation in the securities market has expanded significantly.
At the same time, government data shows that ₹22,495 crore was reportedly lost to cyber fraud in 2025, with 76% of the reported financial losses attributed to fake investment and trading scams.
These trends underline the growing need for financial understanding as well as digital safety. The Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 seeks to encourage students to address these areas through innovative and accessible solutions.
Nehal Vora, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, CDSL, said, “India has made significant progress in expanding access to the securities market.
The next step is to deepen understanding by empowering investors to evaluate information and participate with greater confidence.
The focus of SEBI’s Project Jagrook and the ‘Samajh Se Investing Simple’ campaign on making investor education simple, accessible and relevant is an important step in this direction.
“At CDSL, we have also been exploring innovative ways to make investor education more engaging and relatable, including through our partnership with Amar Chitra Katha to take investor awareness to younger audiences.
An Atmanirbhar investor should be able to assess and verify information, recognise risks and rewards, and make informed decisions with confidence.
“Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 gives students and future market participants an opportunity to be part of this journey and bring their perspectives to how we build a more aware, responsible and inclusive investor ecosystem.”
Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 Complements SEBI’s MUST Initiative
The Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 also complements SEBI’s Mentoring of University/College Students by Trainers (MUST) initiative, which seeks to strengthen financial literacy and securities market awareness among students.
While MUST focuses on taking structured financial education to university and college campuses through trained Partner Trainers, Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 encourages students themselves to contribute ideas and solutions for making investor education more engaging, accessible and relevant to their generation.
Participants in the Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 are free to choose the format, technology, delivery model or approach best suited to their proposed solution.
The possible formats include digital platforms, mobile applications, websites, chatbots, games, simulations, learning modules, awareness campaigns, community models and AI-enabled assistants, among others.
Evaluation Criteria and Jury
Submissions for Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 will be evaluated by a multi-disciplinary jury on parameters including innovation, user experience, impact and usefulness, feasibility, scalability, accessibility, data protection and clarity of presentation.
The jury will be chaired by S. Ramadorai, whose distinguished career spans leadership in business, public policy and institution-building.
His career includes serving as CEO and MD of TCS, Chairperson of BSE and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Skill Development. He is currently Chairperson of Karmayogi Bharat.
₹11.5 Lakh Prize Pool for Top Five Teams
Registrations for Reimagine Ideathon 2.0 are open from October 7, 2026. The initiative offers a total prize pool of ₹11.5 lakh for the top five teams.
The latest edition builds on the success of CDSL’s inaugural Reimagine Ideathon, which received more than 1,000 registrations from nearly 100 institutions across 21 States and 2 Union Territories.
Five teams were recognised for their ideas at the Third CDSL Annual Reimagine Symposium.
More details on registration, problem statements, evaluation criteria and timelines are available on the CDSL Reimagine Ideathon website.
