Media Release
Mangaluru, Oct 31: Dakshina Kannada has a distinguished banking heritage and has made a significant contribution to India's financial sector. Building on this legacy, the FinTech Innovation Hackathon 2026 seeks to strengthen the region's emerging fintech ecosystem by fostering secure, inclusive, scalable, and technology-driven solutions to contemporary financial challenges.
The hackathon will bring together students, developers, researchers, early-stage startups, and working professionals to address critical challenges in India's digital financial ecosystem, with a primary focus on digital-payments fraud detection and prevention, alongside next-generation digital banking and open innovation.
Beyond a competitive event, the programme offers a structured innovation-to-incubation pathway, jointly supported by AIMIT and the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH). Participants will receive structured learning, expert mentorship, prototype-development support, jury feedback, and opportunities for pre-incubation, incubation, and continued innovation engagement.
Why Participate?
• Transform Ideas into Impact: Build and demonstrate a practical fintech solution that addresses a real-world financial challenge.
• Learn from Experts: Receive guidance from mentors across finance, technology, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, design, and business.
• Access Growth Opportunities: Gain expert-jury feedback and a potential pathway to structured pre-incubation and incubation support.
• Expand Network: Connect with financial institutions, industry leaders, investors, startup-support organisations, and fellow innovators committed to building a secure, inclusive, accessible, and sustainable financial ecosystem.
Who Can Apply?
The FinTech Innovation Hackathon 2026 welcomes individuals and teams committed to developing innovative, responsible, and scalable fintech solutions, including:
• Students and aspiring entrepreneurs
• Developers, technology enthusiasts, researchers, and innovators
• Early-stage startup founders
• Working professionals interested in fintech innovation.
Challenge Statement
The hackathon focuses on India's digital financial infrastructure, which spans the entities regulated by RBI, NPCI, SEBI and IRDAI and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) such as UIDAI, DigiLocker, ONDC and NLDSL. Participants may choose one of following three tracks
• Track 1: Digital Payments Fraud Detection and Prevention
Participants will develop AI/ML solutions that detect and prevent fraud in real time across India's digital payments and lending ecosystem, while protecting privacy, ensuring explainability and using data responsibly. Teams may address mule-account detection, KYC and onboarding fraud, real-time transaction anomalies, account takeover, and UPI, QR-code and deepfake-enabled fraud. Other areas include explainable AI models, privacy-preserving fraud-intelligence sharing among institutions, and loan-application, document and field-collection fraud in NBFC and MSME lending. Teams may also build verified identity and reputation systems for small businesses using UIDAI, Digi Locker and ONDC.
• Track 2: Next-Generation Digital Banking Experience
Participants will design solutions that use AI, conversational interfaces and data analytics to make banking simpler, more personal and more accessible, while safeguarding security and privacy. The solutions should serve customers, from first-time users to small businesses, as well as the staff of banks, NBFCs and other regulated entities. Possible areas include AI banking assistants, hyper-personalised products and advice, voice-based and vernacular interfaces, and faster digital onboarding and KYC. Teams may also create intuitive experiences for first-time, rural and senior-citizen users, role-based AI workbenches for relationship managers and credit, risk and compliance teams, and offline-first apps for field staff. ONDC-based discovery of nearby verified businesses and seamless service across mobile, web and branch channels are equally welcome.
• Track 3: Open Innovation
This track invites participants to solve any real-world challenge in India's financial ecosystem not covered by Tracks 1 and 2, including new uses of DPI, through original ideas, emerging technologies or new business models. Illustrative areas include RegTech, InsurTech, micro-insurance and WealthTech, as well as financial-wellness tools for young earners and women. Teams may explore alternative credit scoring and Account Aggregator–based MSME lending, cooperatives and community commerce on ONDC, and early-warning and SMA/NPA monitoring from core-banking data. Further possibilities include Digital Rupee (e-rupee) and offline payments, green finance, banking for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, grievance redressal, and the use of blockchain, generative AI and privacy-enhancing technologies in finance.
Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) Engagement
• RBIH will provide expert mentorship and domain inputs on fraud detection, responsible innovation, and related technology areas throughout the hackathon.
• RBIH representatives will contribute to evaluation of shortlisted solutions against relevant innovation and fraud-prevention benchmarks.
• Deserving participants may be considered for internship opportunities at RBIH, subject to its selection process and applicable terms.
Submission Guidelines
1. Eligibility: Ideas maybe submitted individually or by a team of two
2. Format: Submit a one-page write-up covering the following
• Problem statement: The problem the idea addresses and why it matters
• Proposed solution: The solution and how it solves the problem
• Innovation: What is new or different about the approach
• Feasibility: How the solution can be practically built and implemented
• Impact: The expected benefits of the solution
• Technology: The key technologies, tools or platforms to be used
• Target beneficiaries: The users, customers or communities it will serve
3. Originality: The idea must be own original work, and plagiarised entries will be disqualified
4. Submission: Send the write-up to https://fintech-hackathon.aimit.edu.in/ on or before October 31, 2026
Scan to Register
Team Requirements
a) Teams must consist of 2 members and nominate one Team Leader for official communication.
b) Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged; each participant may join only one team.
c) Early-stage startups may apply if their solution aligns with a challenge track or the Open Innovation category.
d) Teams must submit a concept note, team details, selected challenge track, and a declaration of originality through the official registration portal.
How the Idea Will Be Evaluated
Entries will be assessed by an expert jury on the following criteria: relevance to the challenge theme; innovation and originality; technical feasibility, security, and prototype quality; user impact, inclusion, and scalability; business potential; and team capability and quality of presentation.
The Innovation Journey
Three-Day Residential Boot Camp on December 4, 5 & 6 at AIMIT Campus, Beeri, Kotekar
Shortlisted teams will participate in an intensive three-day residential boot camp designed to strengthen their solutions and prepare them for final evaluation. The programme includes an inaugural session and orientation, expert-led mentoring and solution-refinement sessions, and technical clinics on APIs, payment systems, cyber-security, user experience, accessibility, and low-bandwidth design. Teams will work on prototype development, receive structured feedback through a mid-term evaluation, and present their final solutions through pitches and product demonstrations before the jury. The boot camp will conclude with jury evaluation, awards, selection for incubation, and networking opportunities with mentors, industry experts, financial institutions, investors, and ecosystem partners.
Reward for Participation
ABOUT ST ALOYSIUS (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)
St Aloysius Deemed to be University belongs to a network of educational institutions administered by the members of the Society of Jesus, a religious order which runs schools, colleges and universities in more than 105 countries in the world. Established in 1880, St Aloysius College, now Deemed to be University prides itself in its history of 146 years. The motto of the university, ‘Lucet et Ardet’ which means ‘Shine to Enkindle’ has inspired countless students to become men and women for and with others and thus bring light and joy into the lives of people.
AIMIT CENTRE
Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology (AIMIT Centre) is an extended campus for MBA and IT programs. The MBA offers dual specialisation in areas such as Business Analytics, Marketing, Finance, HR and Operations. It also offers a range of postgraduate programs, including MCA, MSc (Software Technology), MSc (Big Data Analytics), MSc (Data Science), MSc (AI & Intelligent Systems).
Advisory Committee
Organizing Committee
Organised by St Aloysius Foundation
St Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology
Beeri, Kotekar, National Highway 66 (NH66), Mangaluru, Karnataka
https://fintech-hackathon.aimit.edu.in/