[Call for Application] APRU 2026 Data, AI & Policy APAC Hackathon: Financial Health Frontiers

Advance Financial Health in APAC

with AI, Data and Policy

The 2026 Data, AI & Policy APAC Hackathon: Financial Health Frontiers is designed for university students and recent graduates (undergraduate, postgraduate, and those who graduated after Jan 1, 2025) who are passionate about building practical, responsible, and user-centered solutions to improve financial health across the APAC.

Join other young innovators to explore how data, AI, and policy can empower financial service providers (FSPs) to better support underserved communities and strengthen inclusive, resilient financial systems.

Eligible student teams will receive mentorship, access curated learning resources, and the chance to be selected as finalists for the in-person hackathon in Manila (November 4–6, 2026), where you will develop and present your solution!

If you are an academic, professional, or administrator, we invite you to share this opportunity with university students across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Key Dates

• Application deadline: July 12, 2026 (23:59 Pacific Time) [Updated]
• Capacity-building series: July 15 – September 15, 2026
• Finalists announced: September 25, 2026
• Hackathon in Manila: November 4–6, 2026

What You’ll Work On

Teams will tackle real-world challenges faced by FSPs. Each team must identify an FSP as a partner organization and address issues such as:

• Barriers to data access and sharing
• Data quality issues and fragmented systems
• Limited resources for analysis and integration
• Translating insights into actionable decisions

What’s in It for You  

• Cash prize for the winning team
• Travel grants supporting flights and accommodation for finalists
• Mentorship and workshops with industry and academic experts
• Certificates and global recognition through APRU and data.org networks  

Who Can Apply

• Teams of 3–4 undergraduate, postgraduate students or recent graduates (post-January 2025) from universities in APAC or APRU member institutions
• Team composition should ideally reflect a range of disciplines, including engineering, information technology, AI, data science, law, business, social sciences, or humanities
• Mixed-gender teams are strongly encouraged  
• Academic endorsement from a faculty member is required  
• Fluency in English  
• Commitment to attend capacity-building sessions and the in-person hackathon (if selected)

How To Apply

• Application Form. Applications must be submitted by 23:59 Pacific Time (UTC-7) on July 12, 2026.

• In the application form, teams must select up to 3 types of financial service providers (FSPs) and list 3–5 sample partner organizations they may contact during Phase 2. They should briefly explain a planned approach to engaging these organizations (up to 100 words).

Teams are asked to: 

• Describe the opportunities they see for FSPs to better help underserved communities and improve financial health (up to 300 words), and 
• Provide a short outline of their initial solution ideas (up to 300 words).

Inquiry

For questions, please contact: programs@apru.org.  For more details, please visit 2026 Data, AI & Policy APAC Hackathon: Financial Health Frontiers. 

Award-Winning 2025 Hackathon

This year’s Hackathon builds on the success of the 2025 edition, of which the final round took place in Bangkok and was recently recognized with the Best Use of EdTech in Higher Education at the EdTech Innovation Hub (ETIH) Innovation Awards 2026.

The 2025 Hackathon attracted 70 submissions from 299 students representing 40 universities across 15 economies. From these, 12 finalist teams advanced to the final round at the Google Office in Bangkok, Thailand.