ScotiaRise -

\section*{Inspiration} ScotiaRise was inspired by the gap between young Canadians’ existing banking relationships and their investing behaviour. While Scotiabank already offers strong investing tools, many first-time investors still feel overwhelmed, uncertain, and more drawn to fintech platforms with simpler user experiences. We wanted to reimagine how Scotiabank could turn financial education into a more accessible, confidence-building investing journey.

\section*{What We Learned} We learned that the challenge is not simply a lack of investing products or educational resources. Scotiabank already has capabilities through Scotia iTRADE, Smart Investor, and existing learning tools. The real opportunity is improving how these resources are surfaced, connected, and embedded into the user journey so young investors can learn while taking action.

\section*{How We Built It} We built ScotiaRise as a youth-first investing layer embedded within the Scotiabank app. Our prototype focuses on contextual education, simplified onboarding, AutoInvest features, behavioural nudges, and a go-to-market strategy targeting students and young professionals. The solution was designed to leverage existing Scotiabank infrastructure rather than require a fully separate platform.

\section*{Challenges} One of our biggest challenges was ensuring the recommendation did not ignore Scotiabank’s existing features. Instead of proposing an entirely new investing app, we focused on repositioning and integrating existing tools into a more cohesive experience. We also had to balance creativity with feasibility, making sure the solution could realistically be implemented within an 18-month timeline while still feeling differentiated from Wealthsimple and Questrade.