GIC is showing the public the inside of the reserves story for the first time. The Secret Vault opens at New Bahru School Hall on 10 October 2026 and runs to 1 November 2026, with hours of 12pm to 6pm on Mondays and 11am to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Admission is free, and tickets to the experience are available on a first-come, first-served basis from 14 September 2026, through the registration link on GIC's exhibition page. Registering early costs nothing but takes the question of whether a slot is left on the day off your plate. [1]
What that ticket gets you is GIC's own account of how it protects and grows Singapore's reserves, laid out across six interactive chambers. GIC describes the route through hands-on activities — a shopping simulation, shifting weather effects, a UV-lit maze — so the principles arrive as tasks a visitor works through, room by room. [1] [2]
What GIC's own announcement confirms
Marking GIC's 45th anniversary, The Secret Vault puts three of its investment principles — long-term investing, inflation protection and disciplined risk management — into six interactive chambers. The exhibition was officially opened at New Bahru by Senior Minister and GIC chairman Mr Lee Hsien Loong, whose remarks were followed by chief executive Lim Chow Kiat's. [1]
Those hours differ by day, which matters if you are fitting this around work. A Monday slot has to sit inside a midday window that still leaves your commute intact. On the other days an 11am start frees the rest of the afternoon, and a weekend morning slot means you are home well before the day is out. [1]
What you actually do in each chamber
The Archive opens the route, with historical news articles and artefacts, the story of a single dollar bill tied to Singapore's early sovereignty, and a vintage telephone carrying firsthand accounts from founding figures including Dr Goh Keng Swee, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Yong Pung How. There is also an immersive recreation of Mr Yong Pung How's desk as GIC's first Managing Director. Then The Global Inflation Hypermart gives you a fixed budget and a family's groceries to shop for across decades. [2]
The lesson drawn from the Hypermart is that thoughtful planning and long-term investing protect financial well-being over time. The Weather Room brings major financial headlines from the past 45 years to life through shifting weather, framing the lesson as preparing rather than predicting. In The Steward's Gardens you use a blacklight torch to reveal hidden risks, navigate a UV-lit maze and nurture a digital orchid that grows over time through infrared tracking. The Globe covers how GIC invests across markets, sectors and geographies, and the route ends at The Reserves of Tomorrow, where you reflect on what you would protect and safeguard it in the vault. [2]
Half an hour, or two and a half
Size the visit against your diary before you commit. GIC chief executive Lim Chow Kiat said in his opening remarks that the walkthrough takes only about half an hour. The exhibition was designed with younger visitors in mind, he added, but will delight all ages, and he expects strong interest from young Singaporeans, keen on finance and investing for the sake of curiosity and independence. He also expects visitors to recognise familiar names among GIC's global investments — a Nintendo console, a European holiday resort, the AI models many use at work. [3]
The comparison worth making is with GIC's other in-person public format. The Learning Journey is a walkabout tour at GIC's office at Capital Tower lasting approximately 2.5 hours, covering the same territory — GIC's history, its contributions to Singapore, and its investment principles and process — in a guided setting rather than self-paced tasks. [4]
The Learning Journey is best appreciated by participants aged 16 and above. Either format is educational rather than financial: GIC manages Singapore's foreign reserves and does not provide any investment services to the public, and says it will never contact anyone to open a trading account or move funds. [4]
Sources
- GIC Marks 45 Years with The Secret Vault, its First Public Exhibition | GIC Newsroom
- NEWS RELEASE GIC Marks 45 Years with The Secret Vault, its First Public Exhibition
- Opening Remarks by GIC CEO Lim Chow Kiat at the Opening of The Secret Vault, GIC's First Public Exhibition
- FAQs | GIC
BUTLER Magazine Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-11. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.