C:\>DIR Launches Global ‘Agentic Regulator’ Hackathon to Shape the Future of AI-Enabled Digital Regulation

A pioneering global initiative to build practical, explainable and deployable agentic AI prototypes for regulators and public authorities.

[Cambridge, UK — 8 July 2026] — The Cambridge Digital Innovation and Regulation Initiative (C:\>DIR), hosted by Financial Innovation for Impact (Fii), today announced the launch of the C:\>DIR Global ‘Agentic Regulator’ Hackathon.

A first-of-its-kind global initiative, the Hackathon brings together policymakers, regulators, academics, financial institutions, fintechs, regtechs and technology innovators to collaboratively develop agentic AI capabilities and prototypes for central banks, financial regulators and other public authorities, for example, data regulators, competition agencies, communications and energy regulators. It launches with the support of the BIS Innovation Hub, the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN) and the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF), alongside global supporters, ecosystem partners and academic institutions including the Network for Humanity, the Ethereum Foundation, Google, SWIFT, Ant International, Moneybox, Innovate Finance, GFTN and the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF).

As AI agents are increasingly deployed to execute complex workflows and automate decisions at machine speed across financial and governance systems, public authorities face challenges around oversight, accountability, consumer protection as well as systematic risks, with the pace and autonomy of these systems beginning to outstrip the tools regulators currently equipped to supervise them. Yet agentic AI also presents significant opportunities for regulators themselves: deployed thoughtfully and strategically, the same capabilities can help public authorities improve efficiency, enhance oversight, streamline processes and mitigate risks — enabling supervisors to move at the speed of the markets they oversee, rather than lagging behind them.

The Global ‘Agentic Regulator’ Hackathon is designed to help realise that opportunity and narrow the widening gap. It enables multidisciplinary teams from public and private sectors to harness agentic AI to build practical, explainable and deployable prototypes that strengthen trust, resilience and accountability across an increasingly autonomous financial system and digital economy.

The Hackathon will focus on six priority problem spaces:

  • AI-Enabled Financial and Non-Financial Advice
  • Agentic Payments, Commerce and their Oversight
  • Decentralised Market Infrastructure, Smart Contracts and AI Agents
  • AI-Driven Fraud and Scams
  • Know Your Agent (KY-A), Digital Verification and Digital Public Infrastructure
  • Market Manipulation and Agentic Herding


“Agentic AI is reshaping our digital economy and the way we govern it, creating extraordinary opportunities alongside a new generation of regulatory challenges. Through the Agentic Regulator Global Hackathon, we are convening regulators, technologists, researchers and industry leaders from around the world to build practical, explainable solutions that help public authorities not only keep pace with autonomous systems, but harness them to supervise with greater speed, insight and confidence.” — Bryan Zhang, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Financial Innovation for Impact and C:\>DIR Co-Creator.

“The future of digital finance will be shaped by global collaboration and locally grounded innovation. AFSI is proud to support this initiative as a bridge for Indonesia’s halal digital ecosystem to connect with leading international stakeholders, creating opportunities to showcase our innovation while contributing to a more trusted, inclusive and resilient digital economy.” — Muhamad Ismail, Chairman of Indonesia Sharia Fintech Association (AFSI).

The Preliminary Round of the Global Hackathon will open today and prospective teams are invited to submit their Concept Note and the enclosed Schematics by 31st July. Shortlisted teams will take part in a Final Round of prototype build phase, accessing synthetic datasets and shared tooling and building on the NayaOne technology platform, with dedicated compute credits provided.

The Hackathon carries a total prize pool of US$100,000. Submissions will be judged by a panel of globally eminent regulatory leaders who are fellows of the 2026 C:\>DIR Cambridge Regulator Visiting Fellowship Programme — with the final results announced at the C:\>DIR Summit — Digital Regulation in the Age of Agentic AI on 18 September 2026 in Cambridge. Winning teams will also be invited to present at the Singapore FinTech Festival, hosted by GFTN, and potentially at other key conferences and convenings.

ENDS

The Cambridge Digital Innovation and Regulation Initiative (C:\>DIR) is a global policy convening platform that fosters high-level dialogue on issues at the intersection of digital innovation and regulation between policymakers, regulators and market innovators. It aims to cultivate collaborative communities and public-private partnerships to develop common solutions and shape the future of digital markets and economies, for the benefit of the many.

C:\>DIR is led by Financial Innovation for Impact – an international not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the acceleration of regulatory, supervisory and infrastructure innovation in developing economies. Our mission is to enable more inclusive, sustainable, and effective financial systems, guiding their integration into public and private institutions through technical assistance, training and capacity building. We translate robust, independent research into actionable support for regulators and policymakers facing complex challenges – including digital assets and tokenisation, open finance and smart data, agentic AI, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure, climate transition and regulatory innovation.

Media contact:

Katherine Selby
Communications Manager, Financial Innovation for Impact
katherine.selby@fii.international