Citizens Bank Invites Innovators to Tackle Banking Sector Challenges at Second Citizens Challenge Hackathon

Citizens Bank is inviting early-stage startups, developer teams, students and other innovators to put their creativity and talent to work to solve some of the thorniest issues currently faced by banks at its second hackathon, from Oct. 4-6 at District Hall in Boston’s Seaport District. The Citizens Challenge hackathon reflects increasing customer demand for seamless digital solutions and the importance of meeting that demand for banks such as Citizens, which is currently hiring hundreds of software engineers and establishing technology hubs in Boston, Rhode Island, Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn.

This year’s hackathon, held in conjunction with District Hall and the Open Bank Project, includes coaching, workshops, mentoring sessions, get-togethers and prizes for great ideas. Citizens is actively engaged with the broader fintech community across the country as a founding partner of MassChallenge Fintech and a key supporter of Queen City Fintech in Charlotte, N.C. Earlier this year, Citizens received the Corporate Innovation Award from Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play Fintech.

The event will be a fast-paced, 24-hour challenge aimed at developing data-driven solutions to overcome daily operational challenges. Participants will access simulated data in a mock environment to tackle one of three hackathon challenges that correspond to consumer and commercial banking issues, plus a shared challenge. The challenges are:

1. Consumer Challenge: How can participants help the bank improve the speed and efficiency with which it serves its customers?
2. Commercial Challenge: How can the bank onboard clients in a more efficient way?
3. Shared Challenge: How might data be used to make mobile-first customers smarter about their spending and savings?

“We are excited to be hosting our second Citizens Challenge Hackathon as we look to connect with top software engineering talent from across the country to provide next-generation solutions for our customers,” said Michael Ruttledge, Chief Information Officer at Citizens Bank. “We have built the essential foundation for innovation at the bank by fostering a culture that prioritizes digital-savvy talent, development and continuous improvement. Our objective is to deliver exceptional end-to-end customer experiences by using the most innovative solutions.”

Prizes will be awarded for creative ideas. In addition, there will be networking and learning sessions with mentors who will help build, design and pitch the participants’ ideas to the judges. More details can be found at https://citizenschallenge.com/. To register for the event, click here.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $162.7 billion in assets as of June 30, 2019. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a 24/7 customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 2,900 ATMs and approximately 1,100 branches in 11 states in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers corporate, institutional and not-for-profit clients a full range of wholesale banking products and services, including lending and deposits, capital markets, treasury services, foreign exchange and interest rate products, and asset finance. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

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