GCash brought together more than 2,385 young innovators from across the Philippines for ImaGnation: GCash Innovation Challenge 2026, a nationwide competition challenging students to develop technology-driven solutions for the real-world challenges faced by micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The three-day hackathon and case competition attracted 477 registered teams across 10 regions, with more than half of all participants coming from outside Metro Manila, including CALABARZON, Central Visayas, Central Luzon, and Northern Mindanao.

Anchored on the theme “Negosyo Nation: Powering the Rise of the Filipino Entrepreneur,” the competition encouraged students to explore how GCash’s digital payments, credit, insurance, merchant solutions, and analytics can work together to address the financial and operational needs of Filipino entrepreneurs. Through InnovLabs, GCash’s innovation platform, participants also gained hands-on experience with artificial intelligence tools, prompt engineering, and app prototyping.

Turning Ideas Into Practical Solutions

The Top 10 teams advanced to an intensive Bootcamp and Hackathon Proper at GCash headquarters in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. There, 50 students worked alongside GCash employee mentors, product leaders, and technical coaches to refine their concepts.

Using InnovLabs, participants developed UI/UX prototypes without having to build complex backend systems from scratch. Mentors helped teams validate their ideas, strengthen their business cases, and consider fintech regulations and the needs of actual MSME users.

“Empowering local entrepreneurs is one of the most vital economic missions in the country today, and ImaGnation offers a real sandbox for bright young minds to make an impact. Maximize this event, ground your technology in real customer problems, and help us build innovations that move both local businesses and the entire nation forward,” said Rowie Zamora, chief strategy officer at Mynt, Inc., the parent company of GCash.

The competition’s nationwide reach also highlighted the growing pool of young technology talent beyond the capital.

“Seeing student teams join us from across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao shows how far the reach of ImaGnation has grown. Over half of our registered entries came from outside Metro Manila, proving that game-changing tech ideas and brilliant problem-solvers are thriving in every corner of the Philippines,” said Robert Gonzales, chief people officer at Mynt, Inc.

Young Innovators Reimagine Fintech

The competition culminated in the Challenge Finals, where five finalist teams presented their business cases to GCash executive leadership. Their concepts tackled practical challenges affecting Filipino entrepreneurs and communities, demonstrating how existing digital financial tools could be combined and adapted to meet specific needs.

“We learned how to bring existing features together and build around them, and that’s something that’s new and exciting for us to figure out,” said Jezreel, a representative of one of the finalist teams.

For Faye, an Industrial Engineering student from Team Krimstix, the experience also provided a closer look at career opportunities in financial technology.

“This hackathon really opened my eyes to how much room there still is to innovate in fintech. It inspired me to invest my time and skills into building a future career in this space,” she said.

As part of the program, the winning teams will receive guaranteed internship placements at GCash, giving them the opportunity to work with product and technology leaders and further develop their ideas beyond the competition.

Through ImaGnation, GCash continues to connect emerging talent with real business challenges, industry expertise, and technology. By empowering young Filipinos to create solutions for local entrepreneurs, the initiative supports a broader innovation ecosystem and advances the company’s vision of Finance for All.

For more information, visit GCash.