Reserve Bank of India Announces Winners of HaRBInger Fourth Edition Global Hackathon in Bengaluru
Why it matters
The Fourth Edition of the Global Hackathon, HaRBInger – Innovation for Transformation, was initiated on October 23, 2025, under the theme 'Secure Banking: Powered by Identity, Integrity, and Inclusivity'. This institutional drive aimed to address critical gaps in the digital financial ecosystem, specifically focusing on Tokenised KYC, Offline Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), and enhancing overall trust in digital transactions. The competition progressed through three distinct phases, beginning with the shortlisting of 49 entries from an initial pool of 496, eventually narrowing to 21 finalists for the solution development phase.
The significance of this event lies in the practical integration of emerging technologies into the Indian banking framework. By incentivizing the development of prototypes like EarthId’s 'Sangrah' and Team A-SPARSH’s Software-Defined Secure Element, the Reserve Bank of India is facilitating a transition toward decentralized, privacy-preserving financial services. These solutions address the 'double spending' problem in offline e-rupee transactions and provide inclusive grievance redressal mechanisms for Divyang customers and senior citizens. The immediate consequence of these results is the potential adoption of these technologies into regulatory frameworks, subject to further refinement and compliance checks.
| Category | Winner/Runner-up | Solution Name | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokenised KYC | EarthId Technology Ltd. (Winner) | Sangrah | Privacy-preserving digital tokens for user-controlled wallets |
| Offline CBDC | Team A-SPARSH (Winner) | A-SPARSH | Atomic proximity-based transfers via Bluetooth and NFC |
| Best All-Women Team | Bank of Baroda (Winner) | NIDAAN | AI-based inclusive grievance redressal platform |
| Tokenised KYC | Baldor Technologies (Runner-up) | Kavach | Decentralized identity using DigiLocker and CKYCR |
Glossary
Tokenised KYC: A process where verified identity attributes are converted into secure, tamper-proof digital tokens for reuse across financial institutions without disclosing raw data.
Offline CBDC: A digital version of sovereign currency that allows peer-to-peer transactions without requiring active internet connectivity.