Finknect Challenge Finals: 'Foreigner Financial Service' Wins Grand Prize, Beating 12 Teams

## KakaoBank Opens the Future of Fintech with 'FINNect Challenge'! Discovering Innovation from 12 Teams Amidst Regional Startup Boom KakaoBank's efforts to spread the wind of financial innovation to local communities have borne fruit again this year. The 'FINNect Challenge' successfully concluded its second season, discovering 12 excellent preliminary startup teams with brilliant ideas in the fields of inclusive finance and fintech. This social contribution program supports promising talents, from university students to general preliminary entrepreneurs, to pursue their startup dreams in the inclusive finance and fintech sectors. Carefully selected startup teams are provided with professional special lectures and customized mentoring from KakaoBank's practitioners, as well as opportunities to link with the Korea Fintech Support Center's robust startup support programs, laying a practical foundation for growth. This challenge saw over 110 teams apply, foreshadowing fierce competition. Only 33 teams secured a spot in the finals through regional preliminaries held across five regions nationwide (Seoul, Gyeonggi·Incheon·Gangwon, Chungcheong, Honam·Jeju, and Gyeongsang), with the program's sincerity particularly shining through in its aim to provide more opportunities for preliminary entrepreneurs in regional areas where startup infrastructure is relatively scarce. On August 29, at the integrated final stage held at the Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center, 12 teams competed fiercely, pouring out innovative ideas to solve financial problems. As a result, 'WelKome,' a team that introduced a customized mobile financial service for foreign residents in Korea, won the grand prize. 'TILT,' a pre-inheritance preparation service, and 'Dolbomdari,' an AI-based integrated welfare center management solution, received excellence awards, proving their potential. For three years, KakaoBank, in collaboration with the Korea Fintech Support Center, has been leading the creation of a fintech startup ecosystem by operating various programs such as 'FINNect Innovation School' and 'FINNect Global,' which helps domestic and international fintech companies expand overseas. A KakaoBank official emphasized, "We are fully supporting preliminary entrepreneurs to actualize their innovative ideas in inclusive finance and fintech, and further lead them to actual startups," adding, "Moving forward, we express our ambition to contribute to fostering the next generation of leaders in the financial industry through promoting fintech startups and building a stronger financial social safety net."