Allied Bank Limited has launched the fifth edition of its Fintech Hackathon in collaboration with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), inviting students, innovators, entrepreneurs, and fintech startups to develop solutions for the financial services sector. The 5th Allied Bank Fintech Hackathon 2026 offers a total prize pool of PKR 5.3 million across two categories, with participants encouraged to submit ideas, prototypes, or developed solutions addressing practical banking and financial technology challenges. The initiative builds on four previous editions and aims to connect innovation with the needs of customers and financial institutions. Applications are available through Allied Bank’s official hackathon website.
The competition features five thematic areas: Agentic AI for Banking, Tokenization of Bank Assets, Cross-Border Payments and Remittances, Mini Apps, and Robotics in Banking. Participants working on Agentic AI can explore systems that assist with banking tasks, automate workflows, and support decision-making while maintaining appropriate human oversight and data security. Tokenization focuses on representing eligible financial assets digitally, while cross-border payment solutions can address transaction costs, settlement delays, foreign exchange transparency, and compliance requirements. Mini Apps aim to simplify access to banking and related services through embedded applications, while robotics projects can explore customer assistance, branch guidance, queue management, and routine operational support. These themes reflect a range of technology challenges relevant to banking operations and customer experiences.
The hackathon is divided into Early-Stage Startups and Growth-Stage Fintechs. The early-stage category targets ideas and ventures at the initial development stage, with a proof of concept required, including young graduates and startups operating for less than one year. The growth-stage category is intended for fintech businesses with established products or services, between one and two years of operations, and revenue-generating activity. In the early-stage category, the first-place winner will receive PKR 1 million, followed by PKR 500,000 for second place and PKR 300,000 for third place. In the growth-stage category, prizes are PKR 2 million for first place, PKR 1 million for second place, and PKR 500,000 for third place. Applicants must be over 18 and submit a fintech solution related to at least one of the listed themes. The registration form also requests a solution brief, an explanation of the idea’s innovation, and a go-to-market and scaling strategy.
Through the competition, Allied Bank and LUMS are providing a platform for fintech innovators to present solutions that could address banking and payment challenges. The focus on both early-stage concepts and revenue-generating businesses allows participants at different stages of development to take part, while the prize structure recognises projects across both categories. Applicants can review the requirements and submit their details through the official registration form. The official pages reviewed did not specify a closing date for applications, so interested participants should consult the registration website for the latest information.
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