Declared a Nationwide Search: "Fintech Academy" Hunts for Talent
Russia’s VTB Bank, the Financial University, and IT holding T1 are launching a large-scale competition called “Fintech Academy.” Designed as a talent elevator, the initiative aims to shape the next generation of leaders for the country’s digital economy.
From the Classroom to the Corporate Sandbox
Russia is seeing a new model of collaboration between business and education, one that could redefine how student startups evolve. The Fintech Academy contest, launched on September 29, 2025, is not just about prize money—it’s a carefully structured mechanism by VTB, the Financial University, and T1 that integrates young talent directly into real-world technology processes.
Behind the surface—two tracks, “Idea” and “MVP,” with a demo day finale set for December 12—lies a strategic goal: creating a streamlined, effective channel for turning student solutions into the ecosystems of major financial players.
Participants (teams of one to five undergraduate and graduate students from Russian universities) can move from idea to pilot, supported every step of the way—from mentorship to testing under corporate conditions. The prize fund is 1.2 million rubles (about $14,400), but more important are the opportunities: winners gain access to VTB’s and T1’s accelerators and the Financial University’s business incubator. This is a tangible path from student initiative to commercially viable product.
Yury Polyakov, Vice-Rector for Innovation at the Financial University, put it this way: “Launching the Fintech Academy is a logical step in our strategy to build a continuous education-to-innovation pipeline. We are creating a bridge between academic knowledge and market demands, giving students a chance to see the applied value of their ideas. This competition is a true social elevator for talented teams.”
A Lift Into the Profession
The Fintech Academy goes far beyond a typical hackathon. For the industry, it’s a powerful tool to expand the funnel of promising projects and nurture import-independent technologies. For students, it offers more than prizes—it’s a direct lift into the profession. Mentorship from practitioners, structured project tracking, and, most importantly, the chance to launch a pilot within VTB’s massive ecosystem make the program especially valuable.
The project also carries export potential. Its focus on anti-fraud tools, OpenAPI services, payment technologies, and AI solutions is no coincidence—these are inherently scalable. With T1’s expertise and track record in financial sector integrations, student-developed solutions gain a chance at product maturity. For startups, it’s a rare opportunity to plug into a ready-made “bank + integrator” pipeline and access international markets with technology already tested by demanding partners.
Bank — University — Startup
The Fintech Academy is not an isolated idea but part of a broader chain of established partnerships. It aligns with a series of initiatives that have, for years, reinforced the “bank — university — startup” link.
In 2025, T1 and VTB organized the Data Fusion Contest, an annual championship in data analysis and machine learning. In May, VTB and the Financial University ran the “Spring School” education program. The bank-university-R&D link has also been strengthening: in 2023, the Higher School of Economics held a fintech school with VTB and the Bank of Russia. In 2024, the Central Bank of Russia and VTB launched the “Machine Learning PRO” intensive program.
Together, these initiatives show that the financial sector is not just interested in academic R&D—it is actively investing in it, shaping a sustainable ecosystem to support young specialists and technologies.
Experts predict the Fintech Academy will be a long-term project. The expected outcome: steady growth in quality student projects gaining fast-track entry to corporate accelerators. Within 12–24 months, the first integrations of winning projects into VTB and T1 products are likely, especially in AI, risk management, and RegTech.
Looking five years ahead, this may be where projects are born that, after gaining “industrial hardening” in the Russian market, will be ready for global expansion. For now, it’s clear that December 12 will mark the debut of new fintech stars.
