From Malaysia to Asia: IFTC Advances Regional Recognition Through Record-Setting Trading Championships

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 August 2026 — The International Financial Trading Championship (IFTC) has grown from a Malaysian initiative into a regional trading championship platform, achieving record recognition at the Malaysia, ASEAN and Asia levels through a series of large-scale financial trading competitions.

Operating under the institutional governance of the International Financial Consultant Certified Institute (IFCCI), IFTC was established to provide traders with a structured platform to demonstrate their capabilities through competition while promoting greater transparency, discipline and professional standards within the trading community.

The development of IFTC was featured through #Bernama MREM on 28 August 2026, documenting the championship's progression from its first major national record in Malaysia to subsequent recognition at the ASEAN and Asia levels.

Its development has been marked by three major record milestones, beginning in Malaysia before progressing to ASEAN and Asia.

From National Record to Regional Recognition

IFTC achieved its first major milestone in January 2024 when IFCCI was officially listed in The Malaysia Book of Records for the “Most Participants in a 24 Hours Financial Trading Competition.”

The competition recorded 1,110 participants and was held on 7 January 2024 at AEON Bukit Raja in Klang, Selangor.

The achievement provided an early indication of the level of interest within Malaysia's trading community for a large-scale and organised financial trading competition. Two years later, IFTC expanded the concept significantly beyond a single competition environment.

In February 2026, the championship recorded 1,027 verified participant registrations within four hours, conducted across 20 licensed trading platforms regulated by 10 international authorities.

The achievement received regional recognition from #ASEANRecords and #AsiaRecords under the title:

“First and Largest Number of Portal-Registered Participants Within 4 Hours in a Global Financial Trading Championship Conducted Across 20 Licensed Trading Platforms Regulated by 10 International Authorities.”

For IFTC, the progression from a Malaysian national record to ASEAN and Asian recognition represents more than growth in participant numbers. It demonstrates how a championship concept developed in Malaysia has progressively evolved into a platform capable of connecting a wider and more diverse trading community.

Building a Platform, Not Just Breaking Records

IFCCI President Prof. Dato’ Dr. Kingston Chang said the three levels of recognition represent different stages in IFTC's development.

“We started by demonstrating what could be achieved in Malaysia. The subsequent ASEAN and Asia recognitions showed that a trading championship developed here has the potential to connect a much broader regional community.

“But the real value goes beyond breaking records. Records demonstrate participation and reach; what matters in the longer term is whether we can use that foundation to build greater transparency, credibility and professional standards within the trading competition ecosystem,” Chang said.

He said IFTC's development reflects IFCCI's broader philosophy that sustainable professional ecosystems should be built around governance, measurable standards and consistent implementation.

As the championship evolved, IFTC also began placing greater emphasis on how trading performance should be demonstrated and evaluated.

The organisers believe trading capability cannot be understood solely through headline returns, isolated screenshots or short-term results without considering factors such as risk, consistency and trading discipline.

This has progressively shaped IFTC's approach towards developing a more structured environment in which performance can be demonstrated under common competition principles.

Malaysia as the Starting Point

IFTC Organising Chairman Kayden Chiew said the championship's growth was made possible by participation from traders, communities and industry stakeholders across different stages of its development.

“Every championship gives traders an opportunity to test themselves, but it also gives us an opportunity to improve how a professional trading competition should be organised.

“Our goal is not simply to make each competition bigger. We want every stage of IFTC's development to make the platform more credible, more transparent and more meaningful for the trading community,” Chiew said.

Having established record recognition at the Malaysia, ASEAN and Asia levels, IFTC said its next phase will focus on strengthening the framework supporting its competitions and creating more opportunities for the wider industry to participate in its ecosystem.

The organisation believes collaboration will play an increasingly important role as IFTC continues its development from Malaysia towards the wider Asian market.

Chang said Malaysia would remain the foundation of that journey.

“Malaysia gave IFTC its starting point, and ASEAN and Asia gave us the opportunity to demonstrate how far a Malaysian initiative can reach.

“Records show where we have been. The standards we build will determine where we go next.”

IFTC said further developments surrounding its competition and performance framework will be introduced progressively as it enters its next stage of growth.

BERNAMA Media Coverage

The development of IFTC from a Malaysian initiative into a regional trading championship platform was published through BERNAMA Media Relations and Event Management (MREM) on 28 August 2026.

BERNAMA MREM:
From Malaysia to Asia: IFTC Builds Regional Recognition Through Record-Setting Trading Championships

Read the original BERNAMA MREM publication