The conclusion ceremony of the Investment and Savings Hackathon at Sultan Qaboos University was held as part of the National Framework Initiative for promoting financial literacy. The event took place at the Conference Hall under the patronage of His Excellency Sultan bin Salim Al-Habsi, Minister of Finance, in the presence of His Highness Sayyid Dr. Fahd bin Al Julanda Al Said, the Vice-Chancellor, along with a number of officials, specialists, and experts in innovation and financial technologies.
The national programme for the Investment and Savings Hackathon is one of the leading national initiatives, implemented in partnership between the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at SQU and the Ministry of Finance, under the National Programme for Financial Sustainability and Development of the Financial Sector, Estidama. The programme contributed to developing the participants’ capabilities and enabling them to create practical, market-aligned innovative products in the fields of financial technology, investment, and savings.
Launched in April 2025, the programme began with a financial hackathon that attracted 247 participants, from which 31 innovative project ideas qualified. Fifteen were later selected, focusing on promoting a culture of saving and investment and employing modern financial technologies. The hackathon included specialised training workshops on creative design, AI tools, and professional presentation skills, aiming to enhance the competence of participating teams and enable them to showcase their projects scientifically and methodologically.
The programme also featured a three-month entrepreneurship camp, focusing on entrepreneurship fundamentals, marketing, and entrepreneurial skill-building, in addition to six weeks of intensive training in financial modelling, followed by a week dedicated to modelling, development, and prototype building in August 2025. In December, an Investor Session was held on 22 December to evaluate the participating projects in preparation for announcing the final results.
During the ceremony, the winners were announced: “Silah” secured first place, Floostech came second, and “S Money” took third place. Participating teams were also honoured in recognition of their efforts and achievements. The event further included an exhibition of innovative projects, providing attendees with the opportunity to explore the developed products and learn about their marketing and enhancement mechanisms.
It is noteworthy that several participating projects succeeded in securing investment contracts, in addition to signing cooperation agreements with companies from the private sector and government institutions, reflecting the positive impact of the programme in supporting innovation and strengthening the investment and savings ecosystem in the Sultanate of Oman.