GIFT City, IIM Bangalore to organise National Finance Olympiad 2026; registration closes October 31

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT), in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore), will organise the GIFT Finance Olympiad – National Student Case Challenge 2026 ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2027. The national competition will invite postgraduate students to develop solutions to real-world challenges related to the GIFT International Financial Services Centre (GIFT IFSC).

The deadline for submitting entries for the first stage of the competition is October 31, 2026. The initiative is being organised in collaboration with IIM Bangalore’s Centre for Capital Markets and Risk Management (CCMRM).

The competition is open to postgraduate students enrolled in any recognised college, university or business school in India, irrespective of their academic discipline. Each team must consist of four students, with interdisciplinary teams encouraged.

The competition will be conducted in three stages: a national online case challenge, regional finals in four cities and a grand finale.

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GIFT Finance Olympiad 2026: Two case challenge tracks

Participants can choose between two tracks focusing on financial product development and institutional strategy.

The first track, Markets and Product Design, will examine a proposed launch of single-stock futures linked to large Indian companies for global investors through GIFT IFSC.

The second track, Institutional Strategy and Governance, will focus on how exchanges and clearing corporations operating in GIFT IFSC should assess and structure partnerships with global exchanges, custodians and other market infrastructure institutions.

The cases are designed to help students examine commercial, regulatory and operational challenges associated with introducing financial products and strengthening market infrastructure.

GIFT Finance Olympiad 2026: Regional final dates

The regional finals will be held in four cities in November and December 2026. The schedule is as follows:

Shortlisted teams will participate in an in-person case round, which will include a live presentation and questions from the jury. The winning team from each city will advance to the Grand Finale.

At the final stage, the selected teams will work on an extended case study and present their recommendations.

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Evaluation criteria and competition objectives

Entries will be assessed on analytical quality, strategic depth, feasibility, understanding of market trade-offs and presentation. Participants are permitted to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for research and drafting, but they must disclose their use.

The evaluation will place emphasis on original analysis, practical feasibility and a clear understanding of the risks and trade-offs involved in the proposed solutions.

The competition aims to give students an opportunity to explore financial product innovation, institutional partnerships and governance challenges associated with GIFT IFSC. It also seeks to encourage practical solutions that could contribute to the long-term competitiveness of GIFT IFSC as an international financial centre.