BT’s young-audience initiative thrive named best digital platform at SGX Orb Awards

[SINGAPORE] Thrive, the young-audience initiative by The Business Times, took home the award for best digital platform on Thursday (Nov 27) at this year’s Singapore Exchange (SGX) Orb Awards, which recognise excellence in financial news and content. 

Thrive’s win was in the category #TheGoTo, which spotlights websites, blogs and social media sites that most empower investors to make educated financial decisions. 

“We’re honoured to receive this award as it reflects the effort of an entire team committed to making financial literacy more accessible, relatable and empowering,” said thrive young audience journalist Daryl Choo. He will be the platform’s editor from January 2026. 

He added: “It motivates us to keep experimenting with new formats, partner more closely with the community, and break down financial topics, so young people feel confident taking charge of their money and future.”

This is thrive’s fourth award since it launched in 2022. Earlier this month, it won silver for the Best Young Audience Initiative at the World Association of News Publishers (Wan-Ifra) Asian Media Awards 2025. 

BT editor Chen Huifen said: “We are extremely proud of thrive, BT’s young-audience project. What started out as a bold experiment to stretch the BT brand into uncharted territory has turned out to be a successful blueprint for how we can authentically connect with our future audience. 

“This win would not have been possible without the patience and support of our management, who gave us the trust and runway needed to take this creative leap.” 

Thrive publishes a newsletter every Friday, featuring a deep dive into topics that are top of mind for fresh graduates and young professionals, alongside curated news articles about career, money and personal growth. 

Recent stories include an explainer on booming gold prices, a discussion on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the workplace, and an opinion piece on whether young adults owe their parents a monthly allowance.

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Beyond its award-winning newsletter, thrive also produces content on Instagram and TikTok breaking down complex financial news into simple guides. It also organises events to reach out to the young adult community.

BT senior correspondent Ben Paul, who helms the Mark To Market column and podcast, was also nominated for his story on CNMC Goldmine, a small-cap company riding the soaring price of gold amid geopolitical uncertainty. 

He was nominated in The Hidden Gem category, which honours the best features on an under-covered stock listed on the SGX mainboard or Catalist.

Submissions were reviewed by an independent panel of judges comprising Chuin Ting Weber, chief executive officer of MoneyOwl; Richard Chan, partner and head of equities at Avanda Investment Management; Sophie Astles, former head of awards and research at GlobalCapital; and Terence Wong, founder and CEO of Azure Capital. 

For the Special Category, which invited youths to share bold ideas on the future of global finance and capital markets, the submissions were judged by Alvin Chow, assistant director of investment advisory at iFast Global Markets and co-founder of financial education company Dr Wealth, and Gerald Wong, founder and CEO of financial platform Beansprout.

Teo Ai June, SGX Group’s head of marketing and communications, said: “This year’s multi-generational lens reflects our commitment to promote investor education and nurture talent.

“In an age where fact races fiction in our social feeds, responsible voices – established and emerging – are vital to help investors navigate noise and form informed views.”