The Shenzhen International Fintech Competition ("Competition") is now in its eighth year. For the first time, the Competition launches an International Track, welcoming participants of all nationalities enrolled as full-time students at universities outside China. English is the official language of the International Track, and no Chinese proficiency is required.

The competition theme is “AI as a Financial Participant.” Each team comprising 2~5 members may choose one of the following six topics:

• Topic A – Personal Finance Assistant: Smart budgeting, bill analysis, and spending insights.

• Topic B – Wealth Advisory Agent: Product comparison, risk profiling, and advisory dialogue.

• Topic C – Cross-border & Student Finance Assistant: Solutions addressing real financial pain points for international students.

• Topic D – Insurance Assistant: Policy Q&A, coverage analysis, and claims guidance.

• Topic E – SME Finance Copilot: Financing and cash-flow support for small businesses.

• Topic F – Agent Wallet / Autonomous On-chain Wallet: A dedicated on-chain wallet topic, with extra consideration for ambitious solutions.

Lucrative prizes: RMB 250,000 in total for the International Track as listed below (all cash prizes are pre-tax).

• First Prize: RMB 100,000 + Certificate

• Second Prize: RMB 80,000 + Certificate

• Third Prize: RMB 50,000 + Certificate

• Best Creativity Award: RMB 20,000 + Certificate

• Excellence Awards: Certificates

Team composition requirements in the International Track:

• Each participant can join one and only one team (duplication of registration will void the submissions of all teams this participant joined, applicable to both Domestic Track and International Track).

• All participants in a team shall be registered as full-time students at universities outside China (i.e., outside Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Chinese Taipei). Students of all academic levels (i.e., undergraduate, master's, or PhD), regardless of discipline, are eligible to participate. 

• Each team shall comprise a minimum of two (2) members and a maximum of five (5) members.

• In each team, at least 60% of the participants (team members) should be non-Chinese nationals.

For shortlisted teams of the International Track ("Finalists"), travel to and accommodation in Shenzhen, China during the Grand Final period will be covered. Official invitation letters will be issued on the day finalists are announced (31 October), for visa applications and university approvals. Finalists will also have the opportunity to visit WeBank Headquarters in Shenzhen (China’s first digital bank and a provider of technology-driven inclusive financial services) at the beginning of the Grand Final period (20 November).

The competition schedule is as follows, w.r.t Singapore Time (UTC+8):

• 31 August 2026 – Registration opens

• 20 October 2026 – Registration and submission deadline (Register once the roster is finalized. Due to high anticipated interest, the organizers reserve the right to close registration early without prior notice, while the submission deadline for all registered teams remains as 20 Oct)

• 21–22 October 2026 – Compliance screening

• 23–28 October 2026 – Online review

• 31 October 2026 – Finalists announced; visa invitation letters issued on the same day

• 20 November 2026 – Check-in and WeBank Headquarters visit in Shenzhen

• 21-23 November 2026 – Grand Final and Awards Ceremony in Shenzhen

The Academic Advisory Board includes:

• Shouyang WANG – TWAS Fellow & Chang Jiang Scholar, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• Qiang YANG – Fellow, Royal Society of Canada; Chief AI Advisor, WeBank

• Wen Jung LI – Vice President, CityU; Fellow, NAAI & Canadian Academy of Engineering

• Jianqing LI – Dean of AI, Shenzhen University; NSFC Distinguished Young Scholar

• Yunpeng CHAI – Dean, School of Information, Renmin University of China

• Dacheng XIU – Joseph Sondheimer Professor, University of Chicago

• Wolfgang Karl HARDLE – Professor, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Director, CASE

• Joshua BONGARD – Veinott Professor, University of Vermont

To register, participants should visit the official competition website, download and complete the registration form, and send it to the official email address: fintechathon@ican-x.com. Format the title of your submission email as follows:

International Track Registration – [Lead Country] – [Team Name] – [Team Leader’s Full Name]

The organizer will send a confirmation reply within 48 hours. Competition-related enquiries may also be submitted via email. 

Strategic Guidance Units:

• Shenzhen University

• WeBank Co., Ltd. (“WeBank”)

Host:

• Shenzhen University WeBank Institute of Financial Technology

Technical Guidance Institutions:

• CCF Digital Finance Chapter

• Institute for Fintech Research, Tsinghua University (THUIFR)

• IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Singapore Chapter

• IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Shenzhen Chapter