'The Art of The Possible'
no coding required
In partnership with
$15,000
Prizes towards FDX Memberships
Open to All
FDX members or not
10
Teams
Free
Participation
And the winners are...
#1: Team Shiftmate
Business Case: "an AI-powered financial intelligence platform built specifically for credit unions and community banks."
Designed to address the unique data, compliance, and member engagement challenges these institutions face. It combines a next-generation API gateway, a customer data profile (CDP), an AI-powered co-pilot, and an integrated CRM (Mem360) to help financial institutions integrate, personalize, and activate their data with greater efficiency.
AI-Powered Co-Pilot – Automates workflows, delivers real-time insights, and enables data-driven decision-making.
Smart API Gateway: Seamlessly integrates with core banking, card networks, contact centers, and marketing platforms, reducing reliance on legacy infrastructure.
Customer Data Profile (CDP) & Mem360 CRM: Unifies member data into a 360-degree profile with actionable insights, dashboards, and real-time analytics for deeper member engagement.
Engagement-Ready Functionality: enables seamless integration into last-mile engagement solutions, including Marketing Automation, Loan Origination Systems, Contact Centers, and Core Banking Platforms.
Regulatory Compliance & Security: Aligns with CFPB 1033, FDX standards, and open banking frameworks to ensure secure, compliant data exchange.
#2: Team APIMatic
Business Case: "Talk to Your Bank Account"
What the project is about: This solution helps users interact with their bank accounts using natural language. Instead of looking through complicated dashboards, users can simply ask questions like "How much did I spend last month on groceries?" and get instant answers. It’s like having a smart financial assistant in your pocket.
What problem it solves: Today, financial data is hard to access and understand. Banks rely on aggregators, vendors, and fintechs to bring this data to users, which takes time and creates a complex setup. Even
with Open Banking, people still struggle to make sense of their data.
How the solution works: The solution connects to multiple banks using FDX APIs, with the MCP Server acting as a middleware layer that consolidates and processes financial data in a standardized way. On
top of this, a conversational AI agent allows users to ask questions and receive real-time financial insights in plain language.
To support this, APIMatic developed an MCP Generator, a tool that simplifies the creation and management of MCP servers. It helps teams accelerate integration with APIs and build intelligent, AI-ready services without heavy development. This setup allows for fast, reliable access to financial data and an intuitive experience for the end user.
Who benefits
● Every day, users get easy and fast access to financial insights
● Banks can offer this tool to improve digital engagement and reduce support costs
● The system can be offered as a B2C app or licensed to banks and fintech companies
#3: Team Refo
Business Case: "Turn customer data-sharing into real-time growth, retention, and compliance wins."
As customers connect their bank accounts to apps like Robinhood, Mint, or Chime, most banks lose visibility—and with it, the chance to engage, retain, or protect those customers. Refo solves this with a universal intelligence layer that gives banks full visibility and control over where and how customer data is shared—across Plaid, MX, Yodlee, Akoya, and direct APIs.
Built on real-time event streaming, the solution captures every consent event as it happens—whether a customer approves access for a lending app or attempts to connect to an unknown third party. Banks can respond instantly: notify a relationship manager, trigger a cross-sell offer, log it for compliance, or block risky access. These workflows are plug-and-play, scalable, and integrate seamlessly with core and CRM systems.
With millions of consents already managed through its infrastructure, Refo helps banks and credit unions reduce churn, increase product conversions, and simplify their aggregator and open banking stack—while strengthening compliance and trust.
Meet the jury
Laura Heritage
Co-Founder, President
OpenFinity
Eyal Sivan
Mr. Open Banking
Anoop Gupta
Director, Software Engineering
CapitalOne
Sean Van Handel
CIO
CoVantage Credit Union
Jean-Paul LaClair
Senior Director of Product
Financial Data Exchange (FDX)
Andy Hurt
VP, API Channel Lead - Treasury & Payment Solution
U.S. Bank
Meet the teams
TEAM #1
TEAM #2
TEAM #3
TEAM #4
TEAM #5
TEAM #6
TEAM #7
TEAM #8
OVERVIEW
The OpenFinity FDX API Hackathon is a dynamic event aimed at bringing together innovators, developers, and business visionaries to create groundbreaking business cases for the financial industry. The focus is on taking advantage of the Open Banking APIs built on the FDX Specification to craft solutions that redefine the customer experience and drive new opportunities for retail and commercial banks.
No coding or development required—just a business case that could include mock-ups or UX design. By participating in this fun event you will engage with colleagues from diverse perspectives, foster cross-functional connections and expand your professional network.
HACKATHON MISSION : THE 'ART OF THE POSSIBLE'
Create a business case solution for bank's, credit union's customers or fintech that delivers differentiating capabilities, enabling the institution to acquire and retain more customers, explore new business channels and innovate.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I INVEST?
This is typically a 2-day investment only as if you were doing it onsite. Because the hackathon is virtual, you can spread these 2 days across several weeks. We don't need a finished product, just a demo and use case presentation.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
-
Participation is free.
-
Everyone can participate. You do not have to be an FDX member.
-
The Hackathon is limited to a maximum of 20 teams made each of up to 5 team members.
WHO SHOULD JOIN?
Developers, business professionals, financial institutions, banks, credit unions, CUSOs, fintech enthusiasts, academia and anyone passionate about open banking, open finance and AI innovation.
IMPORTANT DATES & TIMING
-
February 12, 2025: Registration Opens on the OpenFinity website(*). Enroll Now.
-
April 23, 2025: FDX Summit coaching session - meet us at the FDX Summit if you want to discuss your use cases and receive feed-back/coaching
-
April 24, 2025: Registration Closes
-
April 28, 2025: Hackathon Kick-off - watch for your invite to join the kick-off meeting and get your credentials to access the FDX API sandbox
-
May 14, 2025: 'Shark Tank' Presentations begin during OpenFinity days in NY (Time TBD)
-
May 15, 2025: Awards Ceremony (Team member must be present to win) - Ends of Hackathon and access to FDX API Sandbox
(*): participants must be registered to access the FDX API Sandbox
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
All participants receive free entry to the OpenFinity days conference in NY on May 14-15, 2024 as part of their registration. Upon registration to the Hackathon, participants will receive a coupon code to get their free ticket.
To be eligible to win and receive their reward, each team must be present at the OpenFinity days conference on May 14 in NY to present their use case in front of the Jury, and on May 15 to receive their award.
-
1st Prize: up to $10,000 credit offered by the Financial Data Exchange (FDX) against a new or renewal FDX membership. If the renewal or new membership is less than $10,000, the credit will be equal the lower cost of such membership. Use case featured in the FDX and OpenFinity website. A reserved seat to speak at the FDX and OpenFinity next virtual event.
-
2nd Prize: up to $5,000 credit offered by the Financial Data Exchange (FDX) against a new or renewal FDX membership. If the renewal or new membership is less than $5,000, the credit will be equal to the lower cost of such membership. Use case featured in the FDX and OpenFinity website. A reserved seat to speak at the FDX and OpenFinity next virtual event.
-
3rd Prize: Use case featured in the FDX and OpenFinity website. A reserved seat to speak at the FDX and OpenFinity next virtual event.
USE CASES SUGGESTIONS
Participants are free to propose any use cases they wish, as long as it is about open finance, and the FDX APIs. The 3 following topics are however proposed as suggestions:
-
PFM: Personal Financial Management
-
Financial Inclusion
-
Commercial
DO I HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HACKATHON?
No. This is an online contest and you can participate from anywhere. As long as you have a reliable internet connection, you’ll be able to participate. However, you must be present in NY on May 14-15, 2025 to present and win a prize.
TOOLS & RESOURCES PROVIDED
Participants will have access to:
-
The FDX's Sandbox: Includes fictitious banks for testing and experimentation. If you are not an existing FDX Member, access to the FDX API specification is contingent on your organization’s agreeing to the FDX terms & conditions and FDX API License Agreement. You will need to register as an FDX Observer (which is free) [here].
-
Developer Portal: Full access to the FDX APIs and developer resources.
-
API & AI Technologies: Participants are free to use and integrate any API & AI tools or platforms of their choice. The use of AI is not an obligation for the hackathon but would be however a great opportunity to test the combination of open finance and AI.
-
Participants must provide and use their own equipment, and bring their own laptop at the May 14-15 presentation and award ceremony.
REQUIREMENTS & PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
-
FDX APIs Usage: All solutions must assume that their business case is based on the FDX APIs.
-
Solution Presentation: Each team will have 10 minutes max to pitch their business case (PowerPoint format) in a Shark Tank-style format. Focus on both the business value and technical execution of your solution. Teams must bring their own laptop to present their use case.
-
Team Composition: Teams of 3 to 5 members. Participants can have varied skills ranging from business strategy to technical expertise.
-
Download the Hackathon pitch deck template here.
WINNING CRITERIA & JURY
-
Presentation: (10 points) How clearly and persuasively the team communicates the solution’s concept and value.
-
Business Value: (10 points) The potential impact of the idea on financial services, consumers, or partners.
-
Competitiveness: (10 points) How innovative or strategically differentiated the idea is within the open banking landscape.
-
Feasibility: (10 points) How realistic is the business case in terms of adoption by financial institutions, regulatory compliance, or integration with existing infrastructure.
The Jury will be made of banking and open finance industry experts. Names will be published later.
HACKATHON PARTICIPATION TERMS
All participants are required to adhere to a basic set of Hackathon rules and terms. Those terms and rules are detailed in the OpenFinity Hackathon Participation Terms document. By participating in the Hackathon, your company or organization (“Company”) agrees to adhere to these terms.
Lead Sponsor
