IDLC Finance PLC has held a grand award ceremony to present prizes to the winners of its popular fantasy football challenge, IDLC Kickstart 3.0, which was launched during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The ceremony, held on Sunday at Lakeshore Heights, Gulshan, celebrated the achievements of football enthusiasts from across Bangladesh.
Md Atiqul Islam Rabby, the Grand Champion of Kickstart 3.0, received two air tickets to Thailand. Additionally, 35 more winners from different game weeks and knockout rounds were rewarded with a diverse range of prizes, including electric bikes, Android TVs, drones, smart projectors, smart bands, wireless headphones, smart tablets, and portable audio speakers.
IDLC Finance PLC Managing Director and CEO M Jamal Uddin handed over the prizes to the winners.
Other senior executives in attendance included Group CFO Masud Karim Majumder, Head of Operations Indrajit Mallick, Head of Treasury Nurul Karim Patwery, and Chief Technology Officer Md Nurul Alam Jewel, alongside other higher officials from the organisation.
Nearly 300,000 football enthusiasts from all over the country participated in the campaign during the World Cup, marking a remarkable continuation of the legacy established by Kickstart 1.0 during the 2018 World Cup and Kickstart 2.0 during the 2022 World Cup.
Alongside its extensive digital presence, the campaign engaged young fans through inter-university activations involving the sports clubs of 18 universities.
The campaign fundamentally aims to help the youth understand core financial planning concepts in a more relatable manner through simulated gamification.
To succeed, participants had to build their best squads within a limited budget, select players strategically on a weekly basis, and make crucial decisions throughout the tournament—drawing direct parallels with planning, budgeting, and informed decision-making in personal finance.
Addressing the ceremony, M Jamal Uddin remarked, “Kickstart is our way of making financial planning more relatable to young people through an experience they already enjoy. We hope the campaign encouraged participants to bring the same discipline, planning and strategic approach into their real-life financial decisions.”
