3rd NLS–SAM FinTech Moot Court Competition 2026–27
National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru – Moot Court Society
📌About the Event
The 3rd NLS–SAM FinTech Moot Court Competition 2026–27 is a national-level moot court competition organised by the Moot Court Society, National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, in association with Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. (SAM). Scheduled for November 2026, the competition focuses on contemporary issues at the intersection of FinTech law, artificial intelligence, financial regulation, constitutional law and intellectual property. The 2026 proposition explores regulatory challenges surrounding AI and machine learning in financial services, including AI-driven credit underwriting, KYC verification, algorithmic exclusion and copyright issues involving datasets used to train machine-learning models.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Category: National-Level Moot Court Competition / FinTech Law Competition
- Host: National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru
- Organised by: Moot Court Society, NLSIU
- In association with: Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. (SAM)
- Mode: Hybrid
- Virtual qualifier rounds will be conducted online.
- Advanced oral rounds will be conducted at NLSIU, Bengaluru.
- Team composition: Three members – 2 speakers and 1 researcher, according to participating institution notices referencing the official competition materials.
- Maximum teams: Only one team from each recognised institution is permitted. Constituent colleges may register separately or the university may field a combined team.
- Theme for 2026: Legal and regulatory challenges associated with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in financial services.
📅 Important Dates
- Release of moot proposition: August 22, 2026
- Final registration deadline: August 24, 2026
- Deadline to submit clarifications: August 29, 2026
- Release of clarifications: September 3, 2026
- Memorial submission deadline: September 25, 2026
- Virtual qualifier rounds: October 24–25, 2026
- Advanced oral rounds: November 28–29, 2026
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibilty:
- Open to bona fide students enrolled on a regular basis in a recognised undergraduate or postgraduate law programme, including LL.M. programmes or equivalent courses.
- Students pursuing an integrated five-year law programme must be in their second year or above.
- Students pursuing a three-year LL.B. programme must also be in their second year or above.
- Each recognised institution can ordinarily send only one team.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Awards are expected across competitive categories such as team performance, oral advocacy and memorials, subject to the official 2026 rulebook.
- As a reference only, the 2025 edition awarded honours including Winner, Runner-Up, Best Speaker and Best Memorial categories, and Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas offered internships to members of the winning team and selected individual award winners.