IDBI Innovate 2026 is a national-level innovation challenge that brings together the brightest minds in India's Startup and FinTech ecosystem to solve real-world banking problems — and build solutions scalable enough for deployment within IDBI Bank.
This isn't a sandbox exercise. Selected solutions will follow a structured roadmap, with the best teams earning a direct path for submitting a Proof of Concept within the bank’s sandbox environment. IDBI Bank shall provide shortlisted participants/teams with sandbox APIs, synthetic banking datasets, cloud infrastructure, and direct access to mentors and digital transformation experts throughout the challenge.
Solutions must leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data-driven methodologies to address banking challenges at scale.
Each problem statement is sourced directly from IDBI Bank's business units — addressing operational gaps with measurable business impact.
Whether you're an early-stage startup or an established FinTech, IDBI Innovate is designed to accommodate teams at every stage of maturity.
Participants can select from defined problem statements or explore the wildcard track: 1. Wealth Management: AI powered Digital Wealth management (Avatar Based) Application. 2. Retail Lending: Data-driven approach to identify eligible prospects and assess repayment capacity. 3. MSME Credit Evaluation: AI/ML-driven MSME Financial Health Card aggregating alternate data (GST, UPI, AA, EPFO). 4. Predictive Default Analysis: Robust predictive solution estimating probability of default 12 months in advance. 5. Open Runway: Out-of-the-box submissions like decentralized identity systems or next-gen security fabrics.
The total prize pool of ₹15,00,000 is distributed across 5 problem statements. For core problem statements, each track features ₹2 lakhs for the winner and ₹1 lakh for the runner-up. The Open Track for Novel Ideas features a standalone top prize of ₹1 lakh. Reward disbursements will be processed following the Grand Finale and Felicitation Ceremony on August 21, 2026.
IDBI Innovate is open to experienced professionals, registered Startups and FinTech companies. Team size shall be a maximum of 4 members. Registration is free via the Hack2skill platform. Shortlisted participants receive access to sandbox banking APIs, synthetic datasets, and cloud infrastructure via AWS.