National Hackathon on Cyber Security 2026
Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology
📌 About the Event
This is a premier, high-stakes competition targeting the banking ecosystem. Organized by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), this hackathon seeks to fortify India’s financial infrastructure against emerging cyber threats. It is being hosted at the prestigious MNNIT Allahabad.
ℹ️ Key Highlights
- Host: Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Prayagraj.
- Collaboration: Backed by all Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and top technical institutes (IITs/NITs).
- Grand Prize: 1st prize winners get a prestigious invite to the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2026 at BKC, Mumbai.
📅 Critical Timeline
The timeline for this event is extremely tight, especially for the initial idea phase:
- Registrations Opened: 11 May 2026
- Registration & Synopsis Deadline: 18 May 2026
- Phase II (Online POC): 25 May 2026
- Phase III (Grand Finale at MNNIT): 17 July 2026
👥 Eligibility & Team Structure
- Team Size: Strictly 3 to 4 members.
- Institute Criteria: Open to students from any IIT, NIT, or Government Institution across India.
- Format: 3-Phase structured competition (Idea → POC → Physical Demo).
🛡️ Focus Areas (Banking Ecosystem)
Expect problem statements to revolve around:
- Fraud Detection: Real-time monitoring of UPI and net-banking transactions.
- Threat Intelligence: AI-driven systems to predict phishing or malware attacks on bank servers.
- Data Privacy: Secure encryption and identity management for bank customers.
- Zero-Trust Architecture: Implementing strict verification for internal bank networks.