fintech business - financial technology

Competition Opens For Finance-Related Technology Start-Ups

Is your start-up focussed on technology that’s used – or could be used – for innovation within the finance and banking sectors? Then now is your chance to take it further, with an entry into the eighth BBVA Open Talent Competition.

Is Your Start-Up Eligible?

The competition guidelines state that the BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria) are ‘seeking innovative technological projects related to finance technology as well as projects affecting this industry that can influence its evolution in the transformation process, related to, for example, Big Data, security, APIs.’

To be eligible for that latest competition), you will need to comply with these requirements:

  1. Your start-up must have been registered on or after January 1, 2012.
    2. The technology must be focused on banking and finance or any possible connection with this sector.
    3. It must be an operational project or beta version.
    4. You must have received less than 2.5 million Euros in funding and your revenue for the last year must have been less than 1.5 million Euros revenue.

Your project must be registered by 27th June.

Special Awards

The Wired Money Special Award will give those who submit early entries (before 2nd May) the potential opportunity to present their project on the Startup Stage at a landmark event, WIRED Money, in London on 23rd June.

The Financial Inclusion Special Award is given to the start-up that provides the best digital financial solutions for small business or end customers with low incomes. The winner of this award will travel with the BBVA Financial Inclusion team to meet partners specifically associated with this sector.

The Prizes

There will be 20 finalists from each of 3 geographical areas: Europe, Latin America, and the USA along with the rest of the world. These finalists will be whittled down to 2 eventual winners from each region.

Each of these six winners will receive a cash prize of 30,000 Euros and the possibility of developing a project in collaboration with BBVA as part of their Immersion and Interaction Program. The Special Award Winners will also attend this program, which consists of a week in Madrid and a non-consecutive week in Mexico City, focussed on development of the winning projects. This will include meetings with BBVA executives and tailored training sessions and guidance.

If you think you may have a suitable project, you can find out more about the competition and watch last year’s winners’ experiences on the Immersion and Interaction Program on BBVA’s competition page, where you’ll also find the link to register for entry.

Kara Copple
An experienced business and finance writer, sometimes moonlighting as a fiction writer and blogger.