From 9 to 11 June 2017, the third International Hackathon organised by the BNP Paribas Group was held worldwide, running simultaneously in Luxembourg, Berlin, Brussels, Istanbul, Nanjing, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Singapore and Warsaw, with a total of 160 start-ups taking part.
With a firm focus on openness, this event brought together around 10 start-ups and almost 100 internal experts and coaches in Luxembourg to address digital developments and their impact on client experience. Over the course of a weekend, the Luxembourg-Kirchberg BNP Paribas site was thus transformed into a hub for sharing experience, culture and expertise around a central theme: “optimising client experience in the Bank.”
At the end of the week-end, a panel of judges composed of senior executives from the Group in Luxembourg and external professionals selected the winning start-up: Tetrao. Created in 2014, Tetrao provides Artificial Intelligence technology enabling the automation of any process carried out by a human being in a web browser. Within the context of the Hackathon, its technology allowed human behaviour to be simulated in order to accelerate data gathering from different web sources. If the joint project is successful, this technology will reduce the time it takes to open accounts for professionals from several months to a few days.
Carlo Thill, Country Head of BNP Paribas in Luxembourg, who attended the event, stated “We are proud to have participated in the BNP Paribas International Hackathon for the first time. As a long-standing corporate partner, our bank is constantly in search of innovation in order to ensure our clients receive the best experience possible. As such, it seemed only natural that BNP Paribas in Luxembourg would take part. At the end of the week-end, one start-up came out on top, but all participants, including the start-ups, coaches, experts and facilitators, have achieved a great deal during this experience!”
After this initial weekend, Tetrao, the winning start-up, will have the opportunity to develop its solution during a co-creation phase. Over ten weeks, it will receive the support of experts from the Bank to turn its project into an operational solution, to be unveiled on 1 December 2017 at the Demo Day in Paris. It will then compete with the 27 winners from the other participating countries.
“When we talk about digital, we are really referring to a very broad range of changes for the Bank. These relate to products and services, innovation policies, client relations, operations, optimum use of data assets, staff working methods, talent management, brand strategy and more. Such transformation is even more complex because it lies at the crossroads of technology, client expectations, competitive strategies and regulation. This event offers a unique opportunity for us to open ourselves up and plan effectively for the challenges that await us. The very positive feedback received from participants and the possibility for collaboration with certain start-ups serve as encouragement to forge ahead,” concluded Agnès Gerbaud-Seuret, the Bank’s Chief Transformation Officer.
The BNP Paribas International Hackathon reflects the accelerated pace of BNP Paribas’ digital transformation and has a special, long-term place in its open innovation ecosystem. The Hackathon weekend was the first step on a journey extending throughout 2017, and beyond.
