Kathmandu. Global IME Bank Hackathon 2026 kicked off with an aim to promote innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

The event was formally inaugurated by Surendra Raj Regmi, Chief Executive Officer of the Bank.

The bank had organized the hackathon for the first time last year to promote the latest use of technology in the banking sector of Nepal and this year it has conducted its second edition.

The competition, which is aimed at technology enthusiasts, startups, developers, engineers, data scientists, and researchers, has selected various top teams through an open application.

A total of 14 teams are taking part in the two-phase competition. The first phase consists of 36 hours of coding and the second phase of onsite hackathon.

There is a housing arrangement for the participating teams in the hackathon. In addition, the contestants will spend 36 hours of coding.

The participants will be presenting innovative ideas that will make banking services more secure, simple and technology-friendly, focusing on various genres and topics determined by the bank.

The Chief Guest of the inauguration program and CEO of the bank, Mr. Regmi said that this hackathon will play a significant role in identifying the future of digital banking and the challenges that will be seen in this sector. He further informed that the best teams selected from this competition will be provided with cash prizes along with business collaboration opportunities with the bank.