Forbes Launching Prediction Markets, but Real Money Won’t Be at Stake

Posted on: January 23, 2026, 11:41h. 

Last updated on: January 23, 2026, 12:12h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.
  • The financial publication expects to launch ForbesPredict in the second half of 2026
  • It won’t involve real money and will focus on outcomes of Forbes articles

Forbes is getting into the prediction markets arena, but real money won’t be at stake when ForbesPredicts debuts later this year.

Forbes
The Forbes logo. The publication will launch a prediction markets platform later this year. (Image: Wikipedia)

The venerable financial journal said it will start beta testing its prediction markets platform next month and hopes to roll out the offering to its broader audience in the second half of this year. Forbes is partnering with tech startup Axiom on the project. Axiom CEO Jeff Yam is an executive board member at the financial media company.

ForbesPredict invites readers to predict outcomes on the stories Forbes covers. Predictions are aggregated in real time to show the collective view. There’s no money at stake; users build reputation through accuracy, creating a track record that compounds over time,” according to a statement.

The lack of cash stakes on ForbesPredict is a departure from what’s seen on standard prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket.

Financial Media Continues Embracing Prediction Markets

While ForbesPredict will clearly be distinct from the typical prediction market experience, it marks the latest example of the still-young industry’s intersection with old-guard financial media.

Kalshi, the largest prediction market by US volume, recently landed a deal with CNBC while rival Polymarket said earlier this month it reached a similar agreement with Dow Jones. Polymarket data will be featured across that publisher’s various digital properties, including The Wall Street Journal­ — the most read newspaper in America.

As for ForbesPredicts, it’s an avenue for the publication to boost engagement and perhaps compel readers to “invest” in articles without placing bets in the traditional sense.

“With ForbesPredict, we’re deepening our connection to our audiences and moving from scale to engagement and loyalty,” said CEO Sherry Phillips in the statement. “We also think it will help to keep our newsroom informed of what our audiences are thinking on topics we cover, and we’re excited to see how that informs our storytelling.”

No Money Could Equal Advantages

Sports betting companies have long enticed prospective bettors with the notion of “skin in the game,” and prediction market operators have leaned into a similar concept with “trade on anything” and related slogans.

However, accessibility and fun doesn’t guarantee profitability, and some prediction market customers are learning that the hard way. To that end, ForbesPredicts could gain traction with users who want the prediction market experience without the burden of incurring financial risk.

“Real-money prediction markets are built for a niche audience,” said Yam. “Forbes readers aren’t there to speculate. They’re there to be informed. We built ForbesPredict to invite them to join a forum so that we can better understand what Forbes readers think about important news topics.”