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.
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Redefining sensor performance with advanced physical AI and signal processing.
Updated
January 8, 2026 6:32 PM
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Robot with human features, equipped with a visual sensor. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
Atomathic, the company once known as Neural Propulsion Systems, is stepping into the spotlight with a bold claim: its new AI platforms can help machines “see the invisible”. With the commercial launch of AIDAR™ and AISIR™, the company says it is opening a new chapter for physical AI, AI sensing and advanced sensor technology across automotive, aviation, defense, robotics and semiconductor manufacturing.
The idea behind these platforms is simple yet ambitious. Machines gather enormous amounts of signal data, yet they still struggle to understand the faint, fast or hidden details that matter most when making decisions. Atomathic says its software closes that gap. By applying AI signal processing directly to raw physical signals, the company aims to help sensors pick up subtle patterns that traditional systems miss, enabling faster reactions and more confident autonomous system performance.
"To realize the promise of physical AI, machines must achieve greater autonomy, precision and real-time decision-making—and Atomathic is defining that future," said Dr. Behrooz Rezvani, Founder and CEO of Atomathic. "We make the invisible visible. Our technology fuses the rigor of mathematics with the power of AI to transform how sensors and machines interact with the world—unlocking capabilities once thought to be theoretical. What can be imagined mathematically can now be realized physically."
This technical shift is powered by Atomathic’s deeper mathematical framework. The core of its approach is a method called hyperdefinition technology, which uses the Atomic Norm and fast computational techniques to map sparse physical signals. In simple terms, it pulls clarity out of chaos. This enables ultra-high-resolution signal visualization in real time—something the company claims has never been achieved at this scale in real-time sensing.
AIDAR and AISIR are already being trialled and integrated across multiple sectors and they’re designed to work with a broad range of hardware. That hardware-agnostic design is poised to matter even more as industries shift toward richer, more detailed sensing. Analysts expect the automotive sensor market to surge in the coming years, with radar imaging, next-gen ADAS systems and high-precision machine perception playing increasingly central roles.
Atomathic’s technology comes from a tight-knit team with deep roots in mathematics, machine intelligence and AI research, drawing talent from institutions such as Caltech, UCLA, Stanford and the Technical University of Munich. After seven years of development, the company is ready to show its progress publicly, starting with demonstrations at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
Suppose the future of autonomy depends on machines perceiving the world with far greater fidelity. In that case, Atomathic is betting that the next leap forward won’t come from more hardware, but from rethinking the math behind the signal—and redefining what physical AI can do.