Built around the theme, "Securing the Future of Banking," FinSpark'26 is designed to bring together young technology professionals, cybersecurity enthusiasts and problem-solvers to create innovative solutions that enhance digital banking security, fraud prevention, cyber resilience and customer trust. The hackathon invites participants to register, select a problem statement, develop their solutions individually or as part of a team, and compete for national recognition.
The competition offers a prize pool exceeding Rs. 10 lakh. The top 20 teams will earn an opportunity to present their solutions during the Grand Finale at COEP Technological University, Pune. Winning teams will also receive an opportunity to showcase their innovations at the Global FinTech Fest 2026, subject to applicable terms and conditions.
FinSpark'26 focuses on mission-critical areas of banking cybersecurity, including insider threat detection, privileged access misuse, artificial intelligence-driven correlation of cybersecurity telemetry, transaction behaviour analysis, fraud prevention and proactive threat identification. Through the initiative, Bank of Maharashtra aims to encourage practical, scalable and secure solutions capable of addressing the evolving cybersecurity requirements of the banking industry.
The hackathon features two dedicated cybersecurity problem statements. The first, Privileged Access Misuse and Insider Threat Detection, challenges participants to develop solutions capable of detecting misuse of privileged accounts, identifying insider threats, analysing behavioural patterns and supporting risk-based access control. The second, Artificial Intelligence-Driven Correlation of Cybersecurity Telemetry and Transactional Behaviour, encourages participants to explore methods of connecting cybersecurity signals with transaction behaviour to detect anomalies, fraud patterns, suspicious activities and potential cyber threats more effectively.
Participants may register individually or in teams of up to four members. They are required to choose one of the problem statements, develop a structured concept or prototype, and submit their solution for evaluation. Entries will be assessed on business relevance, commercial potential, security considerations, originality of approach, user experience, scalability, and ease of development and long-term maintenance.
Beyond the competition, FinSpark'26 has been designed as a platform for learning and innovation. Participants will gain exposure to real-world banking cybersecurity challenges, receive mentoring support, earn national-level recognition and refine their ideas throughout the hackathon. The top 20 shortlisted teams will present their solutions before domain experts during the Grand Finale, where practical, secure and future-ready innovations for digital banking will be identified.
Speaking about the initiative, Bank of Maharashtra said cybersecurity remains one of the most critical pillars of modern banking. Through FinSpark'26, the bank aims to inspire young innovators to address genuine banking security challenges and develop solutions that contribute to a safer, stronger and more resilient digital banking ecosystem. The bank stated that the initiative reflects its continued commitment to innovation, technology adoption and nurturing future-ready talent.
FinSpark'26 is open to students and dropouts across India with an interest in cybersecurity, technology, artificial intelligence, data, fraud prevention, secure digital banking and innovation. The initiative marks a significant step by Bank of Maharashtra to encourage emerging talent to develop practical cybersecurity solutions that can help shape the future of India's banking industry while strengthening trust and resilience across the digital financial ecosystem.
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