Finextra has today announced a partnership with financial services software provider, Finastra, for its annual event, Hack to the Future.
Hack to the Future 4 - A fintech movement igniting a world of financial sustainability, inclusion, and empowerment.
Launched today – to coincide with International Women’s Day – and running until 10 April, the hackathon’s key themes include sustainable and inclusive finance, banking-as-a-service and decentralised finance.
At the end of the month, prizes will be given out, which include scholarship programs, cash, and internship opportunities. There is also an opt-in category for ‘Best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Submission’ – welcoming projects that support the theme.
Chirine BenZaied, Finastra’s head of innovation, said of the event: “This is more than just a hackathon. It is a fintech movement and we want to ignite a world of financial sustainability, inclusion, and autonomy. We’re calling for fintechs, banks, students and more to come forward with innovative ideas. The event is open to all. You don’t need to be a technical expert. We believe everyone has a role to play in redefining the future of finance. I’m excited that we’re launching our hack on International Women’s Day, as it underlines our commitment to inspiring women and girls in the STEM space, breaking bias and encouraging equity for all.”
This year marks Finastra’s fourth Hack to the Future event, and encourages participation beyond the fintech ecosystem. Until 10 April, applicants can submit projects that fall under the categories of sustainable and inclusive finance (including financial inclusion and literacy, green finance, circular economy, diversity and inclusion and sustainable development goals); embedded finance; as well as decentralised finance (such as digital assets, cryptocurrencies, central bank digital currencies, non-fungible tokens, Web3 and the metaverse).
Finastra is making its open APIs available via its FusionFabric.cloud development platform for the hack.
Also supporting Finastra on the event are: Betacube, Chainlink, DeFi Pulse, Google, Hong Kong Cyberport, Lloyds Banking Group, Mastercard, Microsoft, Scotiabank and Societe Generale – FORGE.
Betacube’s CEO and co-founder, Amel Saidane, commented: “We look forward to working with Finastra on this year’s Hack to the Future. The themes and goals align closely with our vision around creating an open and equal fintech industry. It makes perfect sense for us to be involved specifically with mentoring and in providing support to participants, during and post-event, as we've done with previous Hack to the Future and Women in Fintech incubation programs, jointly with Finastra.”
A Finastra customer supporting the hack – Daniel Maggs, senior manager, digital currencies, Lloyds Banking Group – added: “We are excited to be involved with this important event that will inspire hackers around the world to innovate and bring ideas that could have real impact and potentially change people’s lives for the better, whether that’s access to finance, something that supports diversity and inclusion or the next big idea that could change the face of banking.”