THE SECRET VAULT OPENS GIC’S STORY TO A NEW GENERATION

To mark its 45th anniversary, GIC has partnered with BBH Singapore to launch The Secret Vault, an immersive public exhibition exploring the story behind Singapore’s reserves. Through six interactive chambers, visitors can experience the challenges of investing, inflation and long-term stewardship while discovering how Singapore’s financial future is safeguarded.

Singapore’s financial story is stepping out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight with The Secret Vault, a new immersive exhibition created by BBH Singapore in partnership with GIC to mark the sovereign wealth fund’s 45th anniversary.

Running from 10 October to 1 November 2026 at New Bahru’s School Hall, the free public exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to explore how Singapore’s reserves have been safeguarded and grown over the past four and a half decades. As GIC’s first-ever public exhibition, it aims to make a complex and often overlooked subject accessible through interactive, multi-sensory experiences tailored for younger audiences.

Designed around Singaporeans’ growing appetite for experiential learning, The Secret Vault takes visitors through six themed chambers that bring the principles of reserves management and long-term investing to life.

The journey begins in the Archive, where visitors uncover pivotal moments from Singapore’s financial history, including the story of how a single torn dollar bill helped alter the nation’s financial trajectory. The exhibition then moves into the Weather Room, where decades of market turbulence are transformed into a sensory experience featuring sun, wind, rain and a whirlwind of headlines drawn from the past 45 years.

The exhibition’s hands-on approach continues in the Global Inflation Hypermart, where visitors can take part in a grocery shopping simulation designed to demonstrate the real-world impact of inflation. In Steward’s Gardens, participants navigate a maze filled with hidden risks, highlighting the challenges that investors face and the value of patience and long-term thinking in achieving sustainable growth.

Another chamber, the Globe, showcases recognisable brands from GIC’s global portfolio, illustrating the breadth of the organisation’s investments. The experience culminates in Reserves of Tomorrow, an interactive space where visitors can record their aspirations and secure them within a digital horizon, linking personal ambitions with the importance of safeguarding future generations’ prosperity.

The exhibition forms the centrepiece of a broader integrated campaign developed by BBH Singapore. To capture the attention of younger Singaporeans, the agency has deployed outdoor advertising across trains, stations and bus stops in high-footfall locations, supported by digital activity on Meta and TikTok. Creator partnerships have also been enlisted to spark conversations around GIC’s role and relevance.

According to Janson Choo, Executive Creative Director at BBH Singapore, the exhibition was conceived as an experience rather than a lesson.

“Reserves management isn’t an everyday topic for most young Singaporeans. So rather than explain GIC, we wanted people to walk through it: to shop against inflation, stand in the storm, find their way through risk, and watch patience bloom. The best way to understand long-term thinking is to experience it,” he said.

By combining storytelling, technology and participation, The Secret Vault seeks to transform an often abstract concept into something tangible and memorable. In doing so, it offers visitors not only a glimpse into the mechanisms that support Singapore’s financial resilience, but also a chance to reflect on their own role in shaping the future.