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Zenith Bank Hackathon – Shaping the Future of Financial Innovation

Build. Innovate. Disrupt.

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About the Zenith Bank Hackathon

Zenith Bank Hackathon provides a  platform for innovation, empowering creative minds to develop groundbreaking banking and fintech solutions. Through this initiative, Zenith Bank reinforces its commitment to digital transformation, financial inclusion, and technology-driven growth across Africa.

Join us to co-create the next wave of fintech innovation.

Prizes & Opportunities

🏆 Prize Pool – ₦70,000,000

A total of ₦70 Million in cash awaits the top 5 teams.

Winner: ₦30,000,000 | 2nd – 5th Place: ₦10,000,000 each

Additional Benefits for All Winners:

Strategic collaboration opportunities with Zenith Bank

Investor exposure and partnership opportunities

6-week Startup Incubation Program with expert mentorship

Solution Submission Requirements

Your submission should include:

  1. Problem & Opportunity: Clearly define the challenge and why it matters.
  2. Innovative Solution: Describe your idea, how it works, and how it uses AI, GenAI, or emerging tech to solve the problem.
  3. Impact & Value: Explain what makes it unique and the measurable benefits for users or the financial ecosystem.
  4. Target Users & Implementation: Identify who benefits and outline a feasible approach for building or deploying the solution.
  5. Team & Expertise: Introduce your team members, their roles, and how their skills contribute to the project’s success.

Hackathon Timeline

  • Application Period: October 10 – October 31, 2025

    Submit your ideas and register your team online.

  • Notification of Selection: November 3, 2025

    Shortlisted teams will be notified and invited to participate

  • Live Hackathon: November 11 – 13, 2025

    Join the 3-day innovation sprint in Lagos, Nigeria.

  • Semi-Final Demo: November 14, 2025

    Semi-finalist teams will pitch their prototypes to the judges in Lagos.

  • Final Demo (Conference Day): November 20, 2025

    Top 5 teams will present their final solutions during the Zenith Tech Conference in Lagos.

Submit your ideas and register your team online.

Submit your ideas and register your team online.

Submit your ideas and register your team online.

Submit your ideas and register your team online.

Submit your ideas and register your team online.

Hackathon Tracks

Choose a challenge track and develop impactful solutions to drive innovation in the Nigerian and African financial ecosystem.

1.Optimising Operational Efficiency of ATMs

Problem Statement: Banks operate thousands of ATMs nationwide, yet monitoring the real-time efficiency and performance of service engineers remains a challenge, often resulting in downtime, delayed maintenance, and poor resource utilisation. How might we design a smart, data-driven solution that enhances ATM network uptime by improving operational efficiency, optimising engineer dispatch and resource allocation, and enabling transparent, real-time performance monitoring?

2. Alternative Credit Scoring Using Non-Traditional Data

Problem Statement: Many SMEs and small business owners cannot meet conventional credit requirements, limiting access to financing. How might we build an alternative credit scoring system using non-traditional data to assess creditworthiness for individuals and businesses with little or no formal credit history, expanding financial inclusion?

3. SME Marketplace and Smart Lending Platform

Problem Statement: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially women-led businesses, struggle to gain both market visibility and access to affordable financing. Traditional lenders often lack reliable, disaggregated data to tailor credit offerings or support mechanisms effectively. How might we design a platform that enables SMEs to showcase their products and services, while leveraging data intelligence to match them with equitable financing opportunities and supportive financial products?

4. Strengthening Customer Trust

Problem Statement: In today’s digital banking landscape, trust is a key differentiator. Yet delayed or failed transactions, slow dispute resolution, and unreliable SMS alerts continue to erode customer confidence. Many users face long waits for reversals or miss critical OTPs, impacting their experience. How might we leverage technology and digital channels like WhatsApp to restore trust through faster dispute resolution, transparent tracking, and reliable real-time communication?

5. Combating Digital Fraud and Financial Crime

Problem Statement: As digital transactions surge across Africa, financial fraud has become increasingly sophisticated, from AI-enabled voice and video scams to organised “money mule” networks that launder stolen funds through multiple small accounts. Nigerian banks have faced penalties and reputational damage for weak AML controls, while regulators continue to tighten oversight. How might we use AI and advanced analytics to detect and disrupt fraudulent networks in real time?

6. Hyper-Personalised Banking with AI

Problem Statement: Despite access to vast amounts of customer data, banks still rely on broad, one-size-fits-all marketing approaches that overlook the complexity of customer behaviours, preferences, and life events. Traditional analytics often fail to translate raw data into meaningful, timely insights, limiting engagement, weakening loyalty, and missing opportunities to deliver value-driven, individualised experiences. How might we build an AI-driven personalisation system that collaborates intelligently to deliver hyper-relevant financial experiences for every customer?

7. Seamless Digital Onboarding & Service Experience

Problem Statement: Opening a bank account or requesting digital services like cards, wallets, or loans often requires multiple steps, manual verification, or branch visits, creating friction and delays. Customers expect instant, mobile-first experiences, but most onboarding and service processes remain fragmented and time-consuming, leading to drop-offs and poor first impressions. How might we build an end-to-end digital onboarding and service platform that enables customers to open accounts, request cards, and access banking products seamlessly from anywhere, all in real time?

8. Seamless Digital KYC and Liveness Verification

Problem Statement: Remote customer onboarding remains cumbersome and time-consuming, with many drop-offs due to friction in verification processes. Balancing convenience with security and compliance continues to challenge financial institutions. How might we reimagine KYC with seamless, privacy-preserving onboarding that integrates Optical Character Recognition, facial liveness detection, and national ID verification?

9. Real-Time Agent Liquidity Optimisation

Problem Statement: Cash-in/cash-out agents often experience liquidity imbalances, either running out of float or holding excess, leading to failed transactions, customer frustration, and inefficiencies in cash circulation. How might we build a real-time, data-driven marketplace that intelligently matches agents needing float with nearby providers or bank top-ups?

10. Managing Misinformation and Reputational Risk

Problem Statement: The rise of misinformation-charged narratives means that false or exaggerated stories about financial institutions can spread rapidly online, damaging their reputation even when untrue. How might we use AI-driven processes to classify and counter misinformation before it escalates into reputational crises in financial services?

Application Assessment Criteria

Submissions will be judged based on:

Innovation & Creativity

Originality and smart use of emerging technologies.

Feasibility

Realistic and technically achievable concept.

Impact

Relevance to financial inclusion and user needs.

Scalability

Potential to expand and serve larger markets.

Presentation

Clear, compelling, and well-structured pitch.

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Eligibility Criteria

Who Can Participate

  • Open to all Individuals within 20 – 35 years of age
  • Developers, designers, and innovators
  • Students, professionals, &  startups
  • Teams of 2  – 4 people
  • Citizens of African countries

Who Cannot Participate

  • Employees of host company, partner entities or judges and their family members
  • Anyone with any other potential conflict of interest not specified above.

Intellectual Property (IP) Requirements

Your submission must:

  • Be your original work
  • Be solely owned by you or your team
  • Not infringe on third-party rights (copyrights, patents, etc.)

How to Participate

1. Form Your Team
Create a team of 2 – 4 members with diverse skills; such as AI/ML engineering, backend or frontend development, UI/UX design, data science, fintech expertise, or product management.

2. Choose a Track
Review the hackathon tracks and problem statements carefully. Select one theme that aligns with your team’s interests and expertise.

3. Develop Your Idea
Leverage GenAI, Agentic AI, and other emerging technologies to design an innovative solution for your chosen challenge.

4. Prepare Your Pitch
Craft a clear and compelling presentation that communicates your idea, impact, and technical approach.

5. Submit Your Application
Register online and upload your pitch deck and required details before the deadline.

6. Get Shortlisted
Selected teams will be invited to participate in the Zenith Bank Zecathon 5.0 live hackathon in Lagos.

Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone passionate about innovation in fintech, including developers, designers, entrepreneurs, students, and startups, can apply.

Yes. Participation in Zecathon 5.0 is completely free of charge.

Yes. Applicants from outside Nigeria are welcome, provided they are citizens of African countries and can travel to Lagos for the live hackathon events if selected.

Solo applicants are not allowed. You can apply as a team of 2–4 members

Submit your ideas and register your team online.

Include your project title, problem statement, proposed solution, technology overview, team details, and a pitch deck summarising your idea.

Solutions that leverage AI, Generative AI, Agentic AI, or other emerging technologies to solve financial challenges in hackathon tracks.

Ideas will be assessed based on innovation, feasibility, impact, scalability, and presentation quality.

A total prize pool of ₦70,000,000: Winner: ₦30M, 4 Finalists: ₦10M each. All winners also gain incubation opportunities, investor exposure, and strategic collaborations with Zenith Bank.

No. Teams attending the live hackathon in Lagos will be responsible for their accommodation; however, meals, refreshment, internet, and workspace will be provided during the hackathon.

Not necessarily. At the idea submission stage, you only need a clear concept and a strong proposal. A working demo may be developed later during the hackathon.

Yes. Organizations, startups, and registered entities may apply as teams, provided all members meet eligibility requirements.

All intellectual property remains with the participant or team, as long as the idea is original and does not infringe on third-party rights.

Participants will have access to mentors, technical experts, and fintech leaders to refine their solutions and prepare for demo presentations.

Winning teams will join a 6-week Startup Incubation Program in January 2026 to further develop their solutions and explore strategic partnerships with Zenith Bank.

Yes, teams may submit multiple ideas, but each must be submitted as a separate application.

Ready to Build the Future?

Join Zenith Bank Zecathon 5.0 and help shape the next generation of financial innovation in Africa.

Applications close October 31, 2025

Apply now →

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