ICBC Asia's new competition gives Hong Kong students a chance to test their fintech ideas beyond the classroom.
Updated
October 2, 2026 9:16 AM
Main Building of the University of Hong Kong. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
Hong Kong university students are being invited to take part in the first Hong Kong University Students Fintech Innovation Competition, organised by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia). The competition gives students a chance to develop ideas around financial technology, with cash prizes, internship opportunities and a route to the national finals of the ICBC Cup on offer.
The competition is part of the 17th ICBC Cup and marks the first time ICBC has established a competition zone in Hong Kong. It is supported by the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, with 12 Hong Kong universities also backing the initiative.
The participating universities are the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Lingnan University, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, the Education University of Hong Kong, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and St. Francis University.
For ICBC Asia, the competition is also intended to support the development of fintech in Hong Kong and expand the city's fintech talent pool. Dr. Liu Yagan, Chairman and Executive Director of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia), said the competition is designed to encourage students to develop practical applications for financial technology and explore new banking business models.
"This competition encourages university students across Hong Kong to propose practical solutions for fintech applications and banking business model innovation from the perspective of financial products and services, providing a platform for Hong Kong youth to connect with cutting-edge industries and unleash their innovative potential."
The initiative will also connect Hong Kong students with the wider ICBC Group. Liu said this would help deepen exchanges between young talent in Hong Kong and the Mainland.
The competition is open to full-time university students in Hong Kong and carries the theme "Digital Banking, Creating the Future." Students can develop ideas across 10 areas, ranging from fintech and digital finance to green finance, inclusive finance, pension finance and wealth management. The categories also include financial security services, specialised financial services, youth services and open innovation services.
The competition also offers cash prizes: the First Prize winner will receive HK$50,000; two Second Prize winners will receive HK$30,000 each; three Third Prize winners will receive HK$20,000 each; and four Honorable Mention recipients will receive HK$10,000 each.
Beyond the prize money, qualifying winners will have the opportunity to undertake internships at ICBC (Asia). The team that wins the Hong Kong First Prize will also have the opportunity to travel to Beijing in December for the ICBC Cup national finals, where it will compete against teams from across the country.
With registration now open, the competition gives Hong Kong university students an opportunity to take ideas in financial technology from the classroom into areas such as banking products, services and business models.
Keep Reading
Clinically grounded, game-based and always available — MIRDC’s AI system is redefining how children learn to communicate.
Updated
January 8, 2026 6:32 PM
A child practicing with a speech therapist. PHOTO: FREEPIK
Speech and language delays are common, yet access to therapy remains limited. In Taiwan, only about 2,200 licensed speech-language pathologists serve hundreds of thousands of children who need support—especially those with autism spectrum disorders or significant communication challenges. As a result, many children miss crucial periods of language development simply because help isn’t available soon enough.
MIRDC’s new AI-powered interactive speech therapy system aims to close that gap. Instead of focusing solely on articulation, it targets a wider range of language skills that many children struggle with: oral expression, comprehension, sentence building and conversational ability. This makes it a more complete tool for childhood speech and language development.
The system combines game-based learning, AI-driven guidance and automated language assessment into one platform that can be used both in clinics and at home. This integrated design helps children practice more consistently, providing therapists and parents with clearer insight into their progress.
The interactive game modules are built around clinically validated therapy methods. Imitation exercises, picture cards, storybooks and conversational prompts are turned into structured game levels, each aligned with a specific developmental goal. This step-by-step approach helps children move from simple naming tasks to more complex comprehension and response skills, all within a sequenced curriculum.
A key differentiator is the system’s real-time AI speech interpretation. As the child talks, the AI analyzes the response and generates tailored therapeutic cues—such as imitation, modeling, expansion or extension—based on the conversation. These are the same strategies used by speech-language pathologists, but now children can access them continuously, supporting more effective at-home practice and reducing long gaps between sessions.
After each session, the system automatically conducts a data-driven language assessment using 20 objective indicators across semantics, syntax and pragmatics. This provides clinicians and families with measurable, easy-to-understand reports that show how the child is progressing and which skills need more attention—something many traditional tools do not offer.
By offering a personalized, scalable and clinically grounded solution, MIRDC’s AI therapy system helps address the ongoing shortage of speech-language services. It doesn’t replace therapists; instead, it extends their reach, allows for more consistent practice and helps families support their child’s communication at home.
As an added recognition of its impact, the system recently earned two R&D 100 Awards, including the Silver Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. But at its core, the project remains focused on a simple mission: making high-quality speech therapy accessible to every child who needs a voice.