Talent, we believe, is distributed across every continent and every demographic. Opportunity is not. So much human potential can be lost in the gap between the two.

The aim of bridging that gap has guided all our International Quant Championships, and it still does. But this year we built a new format for the IQC to explore what it takes to become a true champion. We wanted to examine the path people take toward success, the strength of character it takes to get there and how a true champion builds on their success with continued learning.

These are the ideas that shaped our approach to the sixth IQC, which brings us back to Singapore this year. We’ve introduced four Values Awards for 2026 and brought in four world-class athletes to help judge them. The Resilience Award, the Collaboration Award, the Reinvention Award and the Breakthrough Award are our way of celebrating the character traits we believe make champions in any discipline. Similarly, for the first time, our Deputy CIOs and Senior Portfolio Managers will be mentoring IQC finalists on their presentations.

Joining the judging panel are Cristina Teuscher, US Olympic swimmer, Miklós Gór-Nagy, Hungarian water polo player and 2013 World Champion, Patty Solimene, US Paralympian and Gold medalist, and Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton star and former world No. 1 in the Badminton World Federation rankings. Each of them brings years of practice and perseverance, having learned firsthand that setbacks as much as successes are what forge a champion.

Over 156,000 people registered for IQC 2026, coming from 167 countries and over 13,000 universities. Of all of these participants, just 13 teams – 21 total finalists – earned their place in the Global Finals. We expect the champions with staying power to treat this competition as a springboard for future growth, and channel this progress into consistent development and collaboration with others.

Technology and access

When we look at how participation has grown, we see our talent thesis playing out in the expanding opportunities to access the world of quantitative finance. Back in 2023, around 15,000 women competed in IQC, and this year that figure passed 40,000. Participation from Africa went from 4% to 28% in the span of about three years.

If there’s one signal that jumps out of the data, it’s the role AI is playing in making quant finance more accessible. Solo teams in IQC went from around 75,400 in 2025 to over 150,600 this year, and that’s largely because AI has put powerful tools for analyzing data and generating fresh ideas within reach of talented individuals across the globe.

In terms of talent and potential, AI is a capability-expanding technology. It widens the opportunity set available to a determined person. As a result, AI is amplifying the potential of a whole new wave of quant researchers, and our finalists in Singapore have shown us that success comes down to the quality of the ideas and the way in which technology is used.

We look forward to our 13 finalist teams embodying these ideas and fully realizing their potential at IQC 2026 and beyond.