RiskON 2026 Student Hackathon: "Transforming Uncertainty into Opportunity"
Initiated by Prof. Walter Farkas and co-organized by the Department of Finance
The RiskOn Hackathon is an innovative initiative that brings together students and finance professionals to tackle real-world risk management challenges.
Launched in 2023 by Prof. Walter Farkas and co-led by Dr.Daniel Fasnacht, the event aims to advance risk management in Switzerland by combining the fresh perspectives of Master’s and Executive Education students with the expertise of seasoned practitioners. Participants collaborate to develop innovative solutions to non-financial, financial, and digital risks.
Challenges 2026
Students from universities across Switzerland and Liechtenstein will collaborate to address real-world risk management challenges, with their proposals evaluated by a jury of leading figures from the Swiss finance industry. Teams will be formed with fellow students to take part in this hackathon, where participants will have 24 hours to develop innovative risk management solutions.
Challenges:
1. AI that knows the answer - or knows who knows
2. Development of a Radar for External Operational Risk Events
3. Market Data Cleansing and Enrichment for Financial Simulations
4. Build an OR (Operations Research) Agent – From Business Question to Optimal Decision
More information and registration: https://www.riskon.ch/
Program
Date: 1-2 September 2026
Location: University of Zurich (UZH)
| Day 1 | Day 2 | ||
|
12:00 |
Welcome and Lunchbox |
09:00 | Start Second Day |
| 13:00 |
Opening: Prof. Dr. Harald C. Gall, |
15:30 | Pitches |
| 13:30 |
Kickoff Challenges |
18:00 | Apéro Riche & Award Ceremony |
|
Open end |
20:00 | Facultative RiskON Afterparty | |
Sponsors and Supporters
This fourth edition of the RiskON Hackathon will be hosted again by the Department of Finance in collaboration with UZH’s Innovation Hub and N9 House of Innovation. The academic lead partner is the renowned Master of Science UZH ETH in Quantitative Finance.
The event is supported by leading institutions across the Swiss financial ecosystem. Lead Partners include Julius Bär, UBS, Vontobel, and Zürcher Kantonalbank. Ambassador Partners are LGT Private Banking and EFG International. The event is further supported by strategic partners including the Innosuisse Innovation Booster AI and the Swiss Risk Association.
More information:
RiskON 2025: https://www.df.uzh.ch/en/news-events/events/2025/2025-risk-on.html
RiskON 2024: https://www.df.uzh.ch/en/news-events/events/2024/riskon-2024.html