Virtual trading floors for the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s (JSE) flagship financial literacy programme – the JSE Investment Challenge – have officially opened as the competition marks a 50-year milestone.
Designed to highlight the importance of investing and to increase financial knowledge among South African school learners and tertiary students, the Investment Challenge provides participants with an opportunity to invest a virtual amount of R1 million on the stock market in actual JSE-listed shares over a six-month period. Their performance is tracked and measured against other competitors, with top performers eligible for outstanding prizes after the floor closes in September 2023.
For half a century, the programme has been an asset in upskilling young people in the fundamentals of investing and the importance of financial literacy. Last year, the competition attracted 24,000 participants with representation from the urban, township and rural areas.
“For five decades, the competition has been a significant vehicle to promote financial literacy, demystify the trading landscape, as well as encourage savings and investment from an early age. Using gamification, we are now better able to make the competition engaging and accessible to participants from all backgrounds, ensuring that thousands more are equipped with the fundamental skills required to build wealth,” said Idris Seedat, Head: Transformation and CSI at the JSE.
