RHB has a US$10K prize pool that techies with unique banking ideas can hack their way into

[Written in partnership with PubliCT.io, but the editorial team had full control over the content.]

The Get Your Hack On (GYHO) hackathon initiative by RHB Banking Group (RHB) has returned for 2023 with an ASEAN edition.

The 48-hour coding hackathon is open to those residing in Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

As per the previous hackathons, RHB is seeking new innovative solutions to revolutionise customers’ banking experiences across the Southeast Asian region.

The virtual hackathon will be held from January 13 to 15, 2023, and the grand finals will take place on January 28, 2023.

A total prize pool of over US$10,000 is up for grabs, with the champion getting US$5,000, first runner-up getting US$2,500, and second runner-up getting US$1,000.

Consolation prizes of US$200 will be given to the next seven teams, and a participation prize of US$200 will be given to five teams who showed a great performance.

Put your thinking “hack” on for these five challenges

For GYHO 2023, participants can solve any one of the following challenges, or incorporate more than one if it’s relevant to their project. Participants do not have to solve all five challenges provided.

1. Challenge 1: How might we tailor banking solutions to fresh graduates in order to grow with them?
2. Challenge 2: How might we deliver an experience that’s valuable to customers to meet their needs via a digital platform?
3. Challenge 3: How might we help young adults in developing financial literacy to grow their wealth at an early age?
4. Challenge 4: How might we roll out exceptional digitised solutions for small biz segments in order to support their growth?
5. Challenge 5: How might we widen our insurance distribution network to better serve the needs of the community?

Designed for participants to have a “hacking” good time

During the hackathon, teams of three to five will have to build and submit a working prototype. Each team must have at least one coder for that.

All participants, whether professionals or students, will compete in the same track. 

Teams will need to submit their projects via cloud storage, and demo their projects live to GYHO’s panel of judges through its virtual event platform.

On the judging criteria, RHB shared that it’s looking for highly innovative solutions, originality, good design, and that it will also evaluate the technical ability of team members in executing the projects.

More specifically, teams should keep in mind to showcase new customer-centric ideas, a strong customer-first culture, and a clear focus on resolving frictions and customer pain points.

Here’s the full timeline of GYHO:

During the virtual grand finals, the Top 10 teams will virtually present their improved and enhanced projects to GYHO’s panel of Grand Judges.

The programme is completely free to join for all eligible participants, from which GYHO will shortlist based on the registration forms.

Other than the cash prizes above, participants will potentially be given career opportunities with RHB. The bank stated that it is actively scouting for great talents to hire, and sees GYHO as an ideal platform for participants to showcase their talents in tech, design, or business.

Ryan Teoh, Group Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer of RHB Banking Group said, “Since our first hackathon in 2021, we have seen increasing momentum in digital and technology innovativeness from participants.”

“By extending our reach throughout the region, we look forward to encouraging even more tech innovators to showcase new and exciting ideas and solutions at this edition of RHB Get Your Hack On.”

If you’re confident that you’ve got what it takes to solve one or more of GYHO’s proposed challenges, you can sign up here.

• Learn more about GYHO 2023 here, and RHB here.
• Read more fintech-related content here.

Featured Image Credit: JomHack for GYHO 2022