Allied Bank and LUMS are running the 5th Allied Bank Fintech Hackathon, with PKR 5.3 million in prize money for startups building in agentic AI, tokenized assets, cross-border payments, mini apps and banking robotics. Applications close on Wednesday 11 November 2026, so anyone planning to enter has days, not weeks.
The bank describes the hackathon as open to "innovators, students, fintech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and aspiring startup founders", and asks for "ideas, prototypes, or ready-to-use solutions". You do not need a finished product to apply. You do need a clear pitch.
How to apply before 11 November
Entry is through a single online form on Allied Bank's registration page. It asks for:
- A team name, plus the team lead's name, email, mobile number and university or organisation
- Total team size, from one to ten people including the lead
- One thematic area and one participant category
- A solution brief, in 200 words or fewer
- What makes the solution innovative or unique, in 100 words or fewer
- A go-to-market and scaling strategy, in 100 words or fewer
That is 400 words to win a shortlist place, so every sentence counts. Allied Bank warns that incomplete applications will not be accepted.
The five themes for 2026
Allied Bank says its themes were "gathered directly from those who operate in the Fintech space". Every entry has to fit at least one.
- Agentic AI for Banking
AI agents that understand customer or business needs, carry out defined banking tasks, support staff and automate workflows, with human oversight, explainability, data privacy and security built in.
- Tokenization of Bank Assets
Representing eligible bank assets and financial instruments as secure digital tokens, to improve ownership records, transparency, transferability and settlement, with governance, compliance and risk controls.
- Cross-Border Payments and Remittances
Making international payments faster, cheaper and more transparent, tackling high fees, slow settlement, complex compliance, unclear exchange rates and poor interoperability between networks.
- Mini Apps
Lightweight, embedded apps that give customers banking, payment and lifestyle services in one simple experience.
- Robotics in Banking
Robots for branches and operations: customer reception, guidance, queue assistance, product information, document movement and routine tasks, integrated with the bank's digital systems.
The remittances theme lands at a busy moment. Pakistan received a record $41.6 billion in workers' remittances in FY26, and every dollar of it was priced, checked and settled by someone. The tokenization theme sits close to the rules now taking shape under Pakistan's new virtual asset regulator.
Prizes: PKR 5.3 million across two categories
The prize pool is split between two tracks, each with three winners.
| Place | Early-stage startups | Growth-stage fintechs |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | PKR 1,000,000 | PKR 2,000,000 |
| 2nd | PKR 500,000 | PKR 1,000,000 |
| 3rd | PKR 300,000 | PKR 500,000 |
| Total | PKR 1,800,000 | PKR 3,500,000 |
Which category fits your team
- Early-stage startups are at the ideation or early development stage, with less than a year of operation. Young graduates qualify. A proof of concept is required.
- Growth-stage fintechs have a mature product or service, between one and two years of operation, and are already earning revenue. This track focuses on scaling, market expansion and partnerships.
To enter either track you must be over 18, have an idea, prototype or startup in fintech, and have the documents the application form asks for.
What happened at the last edition
This is the hackathon's fifth year. The 4th edition, also run with LUMS and reported by ProPakistani in October 2025, gave participants mentorship and access to industry professionals before they pitched to a panel of judges. Its themes included stablecoin integration for digital payments and Raast person-to-merchant payments. A student team from IBA Karachi, BlockLease, took first place in the early-stage category.
The 2026 themes go further, from AI agents and tokenized assets to robots in bank branches. Allied Bank has been taking the hackathon on the road, with a session at FAST Faisalabad in October to explain how to apply.
Five themes, two tracks, PKR 5.3 million. Applications close Wednesday 11 November.
Why it matters for builders
Getting a pilot inside a Pakistani bank is usually slow work: introductions, procurement and months of compliance review. A hackathon run by a major commercial bank shortens that path. Your idea goes straight in front of the people who decide what the bank builds next.
The themes also show where the bank is looking. Agentic AI, tokenization and cross-border payments are the same problems stablecoin neobanks and remittance startups are working on. If you are already building in one of them, a 400-word application is a cheap way to get your solution in front of the bank. The prize money is a bonus.
Apply on Allied Bank's website before Wednesday 11 November 2026.