CDSL Starts Ideathon to Reimagine Investor Education

Central Depository Services (India) Limited (“CDSL”), Asia’s first listed depository and the trusted custodian of over 16.7 crore demat accounts, has launched its first-ever Ideathon, an innovation challenge for students. The Reimagine Ideathon is an initiative under the flagship 3rd Edition of CDSL’s Annual Reimagine Symposium.

Idea to Empower Innovation Among Youth

The Ideathon aims to engage young innovative minds in designing solutions that transform how India learns, invests, and grows - to make market participation more responsible and inclusive.

The depository ecosystem secures the assets of over 21 crore investor demat accounts. There remains a huge potential to further deepen participation in the securities market and strategically address the barriers preventing citizens from benefitting from this growth story.

Building on similar initiatives by regulators such as SEBI and RBI, CDSL joins the effort to encourage young innovators to contribute their perspectives to bringing more people into the financial fold.

The initiative seeks to democratize market access by enhancing investor education, and conscious and responsible participation at scale. Participants are open to explore solutions utilizing avenues of their choice, whether through gamification, behavioral nudges, communication, design, technology or community-building. The solution should reflect three core principles: Empowerment, Inclusion, and Trust. 

“Reimagine Ideathon is a celebration of responsible innovation. In the ever-evolving market landscape, technology serves as a catalyst and flywheel of trust that empowers investors with the right tools and insights. The securities market must be intuitive, inclusive, and accessible to every investor, and this Ideathon reflects CDSL's commitment to nation building and to strengthening the vision of an Atmanirbhar investor. An educated investor is a protected investor; empowered to make informed decisions that reflect their aspirations. We invite students to participate in shaping that future.” said Mr. Nehal Vora, Managing Director & CEO, CDSL.

The Reward for Innovation

The Ideathon will reward innovation and creativity, with a total prize pool of ₹11.5 lakh, including ₹5 lakh for the winning idea, ₹3 lakh and ₹2 lakh for the runners-up, and ₹75,000 each for the fourth and fifth positions.

Registrations for the Ideathon 2025 will open on 19^th November 2025. Teams of up to four students and one mentor (from the same institute) can participate. More details on problem statement, evaluation, and timelines are available at https://ideathon.cdslindia.com/.