Karachi: The UBL National Innovation Hackathon 2026 concluded at the National Incubation Center (NIC) Karachi after a three-day innovation challenge that brought together 25 finalist teams selected from 1,281 applicants from across Pakistan.
The hackathon was organised by NIC Karachi, an Ignite-funded initiative under the Ministry of IT & Telecom, in collaboration with United Bank Limited (UBL). The event focused on developing technology-driven solutions for Pakistan’s banking, payments and financial services sector.
Participants competed across five thematic areas: Artificial Intelligence in Banking, Blockchain and Digital Trust, UX/UI for Inclusive Financial Services, Open Banking APIs, and Emerging FinTech Solutions.
Working through a structured innovation framework, the teams conducted user research, designed prototypes, validated business models and developed solutions aimed at addressing real-world industry challenges.
The finalist teams presented functional prototypes supported by technical documentation, source code repositories, deployment on live or cloud platforms, demo videos and investor-ready pitch decks.
During the event, participants received mentorship and technical guidance from industry experts to help refine their concepts and strengthen their solutions.
The hackathon concluded with the distribution of participation certificates to all finalist teams, recognising their innovation, collaboration and commitment throughout the competition.
The initiative reflects the continued collaboration between UBL and NIC Karachi to support innovation, strengthen Pakistan’s FinTech ecosystem and encourage the development of market-ready digital solutions for the country’s financial sector.
