The winners were selected following the Global Finals in Singapore on October 6–7, where 13 finalist teams developed and presented new alphas¹ in a live challenge before a panel of WorldQuant leaders. The finalists represented 13 universities across four continents, reflecting the breadth of the global talent pool entering quantitative research.

The 2026 IQC Champions:

• First Place: Victor Ayebameru, Adekunle Ajasin University (Nigeria)
• Second Place: Ziming Xu, Fudan University (Mainland China)
• Third Place: Chang Yen Tsai, National Taiwan University (Taiwan)

“AI is reshaping how innovation happens,” said Igor Tulchinsky, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of WorldQuant. “With the right tools, an individual can now work at a scale that once required a full team. However, these tools do not decide which questions matter. This year’s finalists showed that judgment, imagination and accountability remain essential to turning faster execution into original insight.”

The competition is managed through WorldQuant BRAIN, an interactive, web-based simulation environment. Competing for the chance to win from a prize pool of $100,000², this year’s Global Finals teams were evaluated on the originality, quality and diversification of their alphas¹. The event convened students whose academic backgrounds span computer science, mathematics, engineering, economics and related disciplines, illustrating how quantitative research benefits from varied perspectives and ways of thinking. Olympic medalists and world champion athletes also addressed participants, sharing the mindsets, discipline and resilience that contribute to elite performance.

“This year’s finalists demonstrate how the IQC is expanding access to quantitative opportunities for students around the world, across diverse skills and backgrounds: more than 40,000 women participated and approximately 28% of participants came from Africa,” said Nitish Maini, Chief Strategy Officer at WorldQuant. “AI tools are opening the quant industry to more people. It isn’t replacing researchers but instead enabling more people to participate and develop ideas. At WorldQuant, we believe quantity drives quality, and I am excited to see what this global field of competitors achieves.”

There was a notable increase in solo participation this year, demonstrating that AI-enabled workflows may be helping individuals take part in quantitative research. Among the top-performing solo competitors, success was defined by how effectively they paired these tools with human judgment, including identifying meaningful problems, exercising context and evaluating ideas rigorously.

IQC is part of WorldQuant’s broader commitment to broadening access to careers in quantitative finance and identifying talent globally. Through WorldQuant BRAIN, research consultants worldwide are eligible to receive compensation based on the quality of their ideas. Top IQC participants may also be considered for research consulting roles, internships or full-time positions at WorldQuant.

For more information about the 2026 IQC and WorldQuant BRAIN, please visit https://www.worldquant.com/brain/.