Welcome to the Structured Finance Hackathon!

The Structured Finance Hackathon returns online and in Barcelona this June with a fresh set of fintech challenges.

Hosted at the former Barcelona Stock Exchange – now home to the Barcelona Finance Hub – this hybrid competition brings together developers, data scientists, and finance professionals to prototype new tools for systems that remain underserved by modern tech.

Many sectors of financial services, including structured finance, still rely on manual processes, siloed systems, and legacy infrastructure. With the rise of AI and composable tools, now is the right moment to apply new thinking to old bottlenecks.

Participants will team up to tackle real-world challenges set by domain experts – from agent workflows and disaster risk modeling to smart transaction routing and automated underwriting. It’s about showing what you can do with your creativity and skills.

The Challenges

• Agent Automation: Agentic AI is finding purpose within several industries, taking automation to unprecedented levels. Meanwhile, the structured finance sector still heavily relies on manual work. How do we use agentic AI to automate one or more phases of the structured finance lifecycle? View GitHub Discussion

• Disaster risk forecasting: Banks have billions in loan exposure and don’t have the tools to anticipate the financial ripple effects of extreme risks. What kind of AI-powered tools can help anticipate financial risks of natural disasters across large asset portfolios? View GitHub Discussion

• Future-Proofing Retirement: Europe’s aging population is straining pension systems as financial regulations and initiatives like the Savings and Investments Unions (SIU) evolve. What tools could help retirement funds access complex assets to support sustainable retirement?

PARTNER CHALLENGES

Optimizing Multi-issuer Payments: Global online travel platforms settle thousands of bookings every day via virtual payment cards issued through several banking partners. Each issuer offers different rebates, scheme exclusivities, FX costs, and traffic‑share quotas. Today a static, rule‑based process chooses the issuing product; an AI‑driven routing engine could boost the net yield for each of these transactions.

How can AI introduce a smarter, more dynamic routing engine that optimizes issuer selection in real time to make every transaction more profitable? View GitHub Discussion

Unlocking Invoice Liquidity: Small and mid-sized merchants still wait 30–120 days for customers to pay invoices. The working capital gap limits growth and forces owners to juggle credit cards or personal loans. Banks could finance these unpaid invoices, yet onboarding, KYC/AML, credit scoring, and collateral monitoring require data from multiple disconnected systems – ERPs, payment processors, and bank portals.

How can we use AI to streamline the flow of data and decisions across ERPs, payment platforms, and banks to unlock invoice financing? View GitHub Discussion

TIMELINE

🗓️ Schedule

Hackathon Timeline

🕧 June 12, Thursday – Demo Day

After the hackathon, we’re taking you to the Fintech Vermut & Networking event organized by BCN Fintech, a key supporter of the local fintech ecosystem.

JUDGES

Hackathon teams will present their prototypes to senior leaders from some of the most influential firms in structured finance, fintech, and AI infrastructure.

Whether you’re prototyping an underwriting tool or using AI to automate workflows, these are the people who understand both the complexity of the problem and what it takes to bring solutions to market.

VENUE

Teams will take over the former Barcelona Stock Exchange - now location of the Barcelona Finance Hub - on 12 June to demo their prototypes in front of a panel of judges. Remote participants can demo their prototypes online, but we encourage teams to have at least some physical representation in Barcelona.

Meet Your Hackathon Partners

See you at the Hackathon Office Hours every Friday at 11 AM and 6 PM CEST. We’ll answer questions, bounce ideas around, and help you find a team!

FAQs

1. Who owns the Intellectual Property (IP)? All intellectual property rights in the ideas and applications of a participant shall remain owned by the participant who creates them.
2. Do I have to be in Barcelona? Remote teams can demo their prototypes online, but we encourage teams to have some physical representation in Barcelona. Tip: Team up with a developer/product manager/etc. based in Barcelona.
3. Do I have to be a programmer? No. Entrepreneurs, designers and anyone with a problem-solving mindset are welcome.
4. Does it have to be a working prototype? Working prototypes are encouraged, but concepts that satisfy the other judging criteria are welcome!
5. Do I need a team? Having a team will help your chances of success, but you can take on the challenge solo.
6. What is the minimum age? 18
7. How many members in a team? Maximum five people.
8. Should I bring a laptop? Yes. Even if you’re not coding, you should bring an internet-enabled device.
9. Where is the Hackathon taking place? The Hackathon starts online two weeks before the Demo Day in Barcelona. On 12 June, you will be in Barcelona at BFH or joining remotely online.
10. Are we sleeping over at the hackathon? Not this time.
11. How can I learn more about the event? Feel free to send the hosts a message! Dylan Thiam ([email protected]) or Luca Borella ([email protected]).
12. What’s the prize? The overall winners will take home a cash prize, with other prizes lined up for second place.