【Grand Launch】EGM Prop Trading Challenge Officially Kicks Off!

Jointly presented by Emperor Financial Services Group, Emperor Global Markets (EGM), Money Weekly, and Fudan University International School of Finance (FISF), the launch ceremony of the “EGM Prop Trading Challenge — Super Simulated Trading Championship” was successfully held, marking the official start of this premier financial event!

As the first-ever university simulation competition focused on proprietary trading (Prop Trading), the championship innovatively adopts a hybrid format of “Esports-Style Level Clearing + Live Business Pitch.” It comprehensively evaluates contestants’ risk management, market acumen, and strategy execution—empowering young talents under our core theme: “Innovation Empowers Trading, Youth Connects the World.”

The ceremony drew an enthusiastic crowd of university talents, joined by key industry leaders and academic experts, including:
🔹 Christina Ng, Communications Director of Emperor Group
🔹 Angela Chen, Senior Business Operations Director of Emperor Financial Services Group
🔹 Prof. Gao Huasheng, Deputy Dean & Professor of Finance, Fudan University FISF
🔹 Chen Yue, Chairman of Money Weekly Media Group
🔹 Dai Qingmin, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Money Weekly
🔹 Pei Yigen, Former Vice President of Citi (China) & Vice President of Shanghai Modern Service Industry Federation
🔹 Zhao Ji, Deputy Director of Fintech Special Committee of Shanghai Modern Service Industry Federation & Former IT General Manager of SPD Bank Shanghai Branch
🔹 Shao Yuehua, Dean of Yuehua Trading Academy & Author of Trading Password Series
🔹 Chen Yiwen, Special Analyst at Emperor Financial Services Group & Columnist for HK Economic Digest
🔹 Li Xiaodong, CFA & Lead Writer of “Trader Talks”
🔹 Wang Ping, Guest Lecturer & MBA Mobile Class Mentor at Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics & Invited Financial Author of China Wealth Publishing House

Over 200 representatives from academia, industry, and the media, alongside university talents, gathered for the event. The vibrant atmosphere showcased the immense potential sparked by the convergence of fintech and the next generation of talent.

Joining Forces to Launch a New Chapter in Financial Talent Development

Addressing the audience in his opening remarks, Chen Yue, Chairman of Money Weekly Media Group—one of the competition’s co-organizers—emphasized that against the backdrop of an evolving global financial landscape, the industry faces an urgent need for versatile, practical financial talent possessing solid theoretical grounding, hands-on execution skills, technological literacy, professional ethics, and a global perspective. Cultivating such talent has become a critical priority for financial education. Money Weekly has long been committed to bridging academia and industry by building platforms that integrate education with industry practice. In this initiative, Money Weekly joined forces with leading universities and financial institutions to construct a professional, practice-oriented financial trading simulation platform.

Leveraging simulated trading systems alongside a gamified, multi-tiered challenge framework, the competition helps students bridge the gap “from textbook theory to live markets,” converting classroom knowledge into practical trading capabilities. Simultaneously, it serves as a direct pipeline “from campus to career,” discovering tomorrow’s rising stars in finance. Chen expressed his vision for the competition to instill a culture of rational, compliant trading and establish itself as a benchmark for university financial simulations. He wished all student participants success in sharpening their skills, pushing their boundaries, and showcasing the vigor and talent of today’s finance scholars.

Chen Yue, Chairman of Money Weekly Media Group, delivers opening remarks

Angela Chen, Senior Business Operations Director of Emperor Financial Services Group, stated that with over 45 years of deep roots in Hong Kong’s financial market—backed by the 80-plus-year legacy of Emperor Group—Emperor Financial Services Group remains steadfast in delivering professional, diversified, and reliable trading services. As the Group’s new flagship investment brand, Emperor Global Markets has crafted a dedicated simulated trading environment to fully empower this competition, bringing the core philosophy of “learning through competition” into vivid practice.

Chen highlighted that backed by the strong synergistic support and technological innovation of Emperor Group, the firm recognizes that the sustainable growth of the financial industry relies on young talent. Consequently, “nurturing young professionals” remains a core pillar of its corporate social responsibility. Moving beyond traditional contests focused purely on yield rates, this competition introduces innovative marketing solution challenges and live pitch roadshows. This comprehensive design aims to help students bridge the gap between academic theory, practical market execution, and commercial communication—refining their risk control mindset while empowering them to emerge as innovative financial stars with global perspectives.

Angela Chen, Senior Business Operations Director of Emperor Financial Services Group,
delivers keynote speech

Speaking on behalf of the academic supporting partners, Prof. Gao Huasheng, Vice Dean and Professor of Finance at Fudan University’s Fanhai International School of Finance, highlighted the vital connection between academic rigor and practical industry application.

He noted that financial education must extend beyond the traditional classroom. This competition offers an immersive practical platform, bringing authentic market dynamics directly to students through simulated trading systems. It empowers participants to look beyond textbook theory to grasp trading logic, experience risk management firsthand, and refine execution strategies—achieving a genuine transition “from theory to real-world execution.”

Prof. Gao Huasheng, Deputy Dean & Professor of Finance, Fudan University FISF,
delivers keynote speech

Representing the expert panel of judges, Pei Yigen, former Vice President of Citibank (China) and Vice President of Shanghai Services Federation, emphasized that success in this challenge is not measured solely by financial returns. The evaluation framework prioritizes a holistic set of competencies: disciplined risk control, regulatory compliance, strategic marketing formulation, and presentation skills during live Q&A. Pei emphasized that judges will assess not just the final returns, but the strategic rationale and analytical logic driving each participant’s decisions. He encouraged students to maintain a balanced mindset, urging them to make full use of the simulated trading environment as a safe space for trial, error, and post-trade analysis.

Pei Yigen, Former Vice President of Citi (China) & Vice President of Shanghai Modern Service Industry Federation,
delivers keynote speech

Speaking on behalf of the mentors, Shao Yuehua, President of Yuehua Trading Academy and author of the Trading Code book series, delivered an inspiring message to the student participants. He urged contestants to break free from a purely academic mindset and treat the competition as a masterclass in personal and professional development—relying on structured trading systems, market awareness, and psychological discipline to achieve true self-growth.

Shao Yuehua, Dean of Yuehua Trading Academy & Author of Trading Password Series,
delivers keynote speech

Innovative Competition Format: Unlocking the Ultimate “Esports-Style Level Clearing + Live Business Pitch” Experience

At the launch ceremony, Chen Yiwen, Special Analyst at Emperor Financial Services Group & Columnist for HK Economic Digest, delivered a keynote presentation titled “Mastering Prop Trading: Unlocking Global Investment Opportunities.” He shared practical insights on proprietary trading mechanics and strategic execution across global markets.

Chen Yiwen, Special Analyst at Emperor Financial Services Group & Columnist for HK Economic Digest,
delivers keynote presentation

It is reported that the competition is open to all enrolled undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students across all academic disciplines. The contest runs from September 13 to December 11, 2026, with registration closing on October 16. Powered by the EGM (Emperor Global Markets) simulated trading system, each participant receives $100,000 in initial virtual funding, featuring real-time market data feeds and a 1:1 replica of live trading environments.

In terms of contest design, the competition benchmarks against professional Prop Trader evaluation standards, introducing an innovative “gamified challenge progression” model with a primary focus on risk management and strategic execution. The tournament roadmap comprises a Warm-up Period, Preliminary Round, Preliminary Roadshow & Team Selection, Final Round Trading, and Final Roadshow & Award Ceremony. The Preliminary Round features 2 “Revival Opportunities” (re-entries). The top 20 ranked participants will advance to the finals and select their preferred mentors by rank to form 4 teams of 5 members each. In the Final Round, comprehensive performance will be evaluated through a combined score of “Simulated Trading + Marketing Strategy Submission + Live Pitch Defense”—holistically refining participants’ practical capabilities.

High-Impact Incentives: Multi-Tiered Rewards Fueling Youth Growth to the Financial Frontier

To inspire students to embrace the challenge, the competition offers substantial incentives. The team leaderboard honors the top four teams, with the Champion securing over RMB 10,000 in cash prizes. Champion team members and individual honorees (MVP, Best Trading Strategy, Best Research Report, and more) will earn an exclusive invitation to the Emperor Financial Services Group Hong Kong Study Tour—offering immersive access to Emperor Group’s multi-industry business ecosystem and corporate culture. Moreover, the contest introduces Social Media Popularity Awards across Xiaohongshu and Douyin, featuring autographed merchandise from Nicholas Tse and premium gifts for top creators.

Two offline campus briefing sessions are scheduled for September 23 and October 11. Alongside rule walk-throughs and strategic masterclasses by the four head mentors, AI quant experts will take the stage to unpack “Where Financial Trading Meets AI & Quant,” offering students actionable, future-ready industry intelligence.

During the roadshow, the top 20 Preliminary Round finalists will select their preferred mentors in order of ranking to form four competing teams. The four mentors will provide targeted strategic coaching and risk management guidance throughout the journey, empowering the finalists as they enter the ultimate team trading showdown in the finals.