TNG Digital FINHACK 2026 highlights AI-driven solutions to fintech challenges

• Winning solutions focus on fraud prevention and scalable AI applications
• Hackathon drew 300 participants to tackle security and financial access challenges

TNG Digital Sdn. Bhd., the operator of Malaysia’s leading digital financial services and lifestyle app, TNG eWallet, has concluded its first fintech hackathon, FINHACK 2026, showcasing AI-driven solutions addressing fraud, security and financial inclusion, and highlighting a shift towards more practical, real-world applications.

Held from 25 to 26 April 2026 at Grand Summit, Connexion, Bangsar South, the 36-hour hackathon brought together over 300 participants, including students, developers and entrepreneurs, to tackle challenges across AI, digital payments and secure finance.

Across the build, three priorities emerged: restoring trust in digital finance, expanding access for underserved communities, and developing practical applications of emerging technologies. Financial inclusion accounted for 35.5% of solutions, followed by security and fraud (33.9%) and innovation (30.6%).

Many teams integrated AI as a core component of their solutions, applying it to tasks such as analysing scam patterns using natural language processing, detecting high-risk transactions, categorising spending behaviour, and automating transaction verification.

The grand prize was awarded to 0110_0111 for Project Fatimah, an eWallet fraud protection solution that introduces a behavioural circuit breaker for high-risk transfers through multiple layers of protection. The team was followed by INIKALILAH and HULM.

Leslie Lip, chief technology officer of TNG Digital, said the hackathon reflects how emerging builders are tackling persistent fintech challenges such as fraud and financial access with more practical, scalable approaches. “What is especially encouraging is how AI is being applied not just as a feature, but as a tool to make financial services more proactive, secure and accessible,” he said.

The hackathon was supported by industry partners including Alibaba Cloud, OceanBase, Visa and Amazon Web Services, reflecting broader collaboration to drive innovation and talent development in Malaysia’s digital economy.

A total of US$25,000 (RM100,000) in cash and prizes was awarded to the winning teams, which were recognised for developing scalable solutions with real-world relevance.

TNG Digital is exploring opportunities to further develop selected solutions through incubation, mentorship and potential deployment within its ecosystem.