ADGM teams up with Finastra for global fintech hackathon ‘Hack to the Future 4’

• Hackathon gathers participants to explore innovative ideas around themes of ESG, embedded finance, and decentralised finance
• ADGM will provide participants access to its Digital Lab, a neutral and secure digital environment where fintech products and services can be tested

The Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), a leading international financial centre, has partnered with financial software company Finastra for its global fintech hackathon Hack to the Future 4.

The hackathon, which kicked off on March 8th and will run throughout the month until April 10th, is designed to spur collaborative action in high-impact fintech segments. This year’s edition focuses on three key themes – Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Embedded Finance and Decentralised Finance (DeFi) – with the goal of rewarding best in class solution ideas that tackle pressing challenges in finance today.

ADGM is supporting participants in building their solutions by providing access to the Digital Lab, a digital environment administered by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) for the development of fintech products. Participants will be able to leverage resources such as synthetic data, APIs, system images and reference architectures to support their prototype.

Commenting on the partnership, Wai Lum Kwok, Senior Executive Director – Authorisation of the FSRA at ADGM, said: “Hack to the Future 4 is shining a spotlight on the youth, individuals, and firms looking to redefine the future of finance to be inclusive and sustainable. As an international financial centre in a vibrant jurisdiction, this aligns with our strategic goal of nurturing innovation through progressive initiatives. “

The Digital Lab allows startups, financial institutions, academia, and government entities to test and validate innovative solutions through its secure virtual environment – solving key innovation challenges including lengthy due diligence processes and access to financial sandbox infrastructure.

Wai Lum Kwok added: “We are pleased to share the technical resources of our Digital Lab to provide participants with the necessary tools in developing their ideas, and ensuring they maximize the benefits of this important hackathon. We welcome all initiatives, such as Finastra’s Hack To The Future 4, that support the future of finance.”

Chirine BenZaied, Head of Innovation at Finastra said, “With our hackathon 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. We believe everyone has a role to play in redefining the future of finance.”