The Global Shinhan InnoBoost 2026 is an open innovation program designed to foster collaboration between startups and Shinhan Financial Group in Vietnam. This 11-12 week initiative provides a platform for 5-8 selected startups to engage in a Proof of Concept (PoC) with Shinhan's various business units. Participants have the opportunity to validate their solutions, with each successful PoC being awarded a reward of VND 200 million. The application period is scheduled from April 1 to May 3, 2026.
Ideal Candidate Profile
• Tech-Enabled Industries: Seeking startups in Fintech & Beyond, AI & Data Intelligence, and Tech-Driven Innovation, including SalesTech, MarTech, and E-commerce Tech.
• Stage: Open to early-stage and mature startups that possess a breakthrough Minimum Viable Product (MVP), demonstrate strong traction, and have a business model ready for scaling.
• Collaboration Focus: Applicants should propose technical solutions or partnership models designed to create new market value in collaboration with Shinhan companies.
Collaboration Areas with Shinhan Bank
• AI Personal Financial Coach: Embed an AI assistant in the SOL app to analyze customer data and proactively suggest financial plans and products.
• AI-Powered Customer Engagement Automation: Automate personalized customer communication across multiple channels based on real-time behavior triggers.
• AI-Powered Loyalty & Personalized Offers: Build a smart loyalty system using dynamic QR and AI to deliver location-based and behavior-driven offers.
• AI Call Bot for Collections & Sales: Deploy an AI voice bot to handle debt reminders and outbound sales calls with natural conversation capabilities.
• AI for Internal Reporting & BI Automation: Enable teams to query business data via conversational AI, with a human-in-the-loop review workflow.
• Embedded Installment & BNPL for E-commerce: Integrate Shinhan’s lending directly into e-commerce checkouts for real-time, AI-powered installment approvals.
• SoftPOS for SOHO & Micro Businesses: Utilize NFC/SoftPOS technology to turn merchants' smartphones into POS terminals.
• AI Voice Biometrics for Fraud Prevention: Verify caller identity in real-time during underwriting and hotline interactions using voice biometric AI.
• AI-Driven SME Credit Scoring via POS Data: Use AI to assess merchant sales data from POS systems to generate pre-approved credit limits for SMEs.
• AI-Powered Branch Traffic Prediction & Smart Queue Management: Apply AI to historical and real-time data to predict branch waiting times and optimize staffing.
Collaboration Areas with Shinhan Finance
• Intelligent Document Processing (IDP): Implement an IDP solution to automate the extraction, classification, and validation of loan and credit card documents.
• Falsified Document Detection: Implement AI-based technology to detect forged or altered documents in real-time.
• Video Call Process Enhancement with eKYC: Improve video call verification with liveness detection and biometric matching.
• AI-based CRM: Use machine learning on customer behavior data to provide predictive analytics for up-selling, cross-selling, and retention.
• Open Banking API for AI Credit Scoring & Instant Loan Approval: Explore AI-driven credit scoring using alternative data within regulatory sandbox frameworks.
• BNPL/Personal Loan Partnership: Develop collaboration models for risk, revenue, and cost-sharing for BNPL and personal loan products.
• AI for ICT Cybersecurity: Focus on IT security solutions for threat intelligence, risk detection, and prevention.
• AI-based Customer Behavior Prediction: Forecast new customer interests by analyzing data from sources like telcos, social media, and e-commerce.
• AI for Management Business Intelligence Reports: Enable management to use a conversational interface to generate business intelligence reports.
• Voice-to-Text Solution: Implement a solution to transcribe Vietnamese speech into text and auto-fill designated fields in any system.
• Earned Wage Access & Salary-Linked Lending: Partner with fintechs to verify employee salaries for paperless salary loans and Earned Wage Access.
• MicroBiz Loan for Digital Economy Sellers: Offer an AI-powered microloan product for online sellers and gig workers using alternative credit scoring.
Collaboration Areas with Shinhan Securities
• AI-Native Rapid POC Partnership: Collaborate with startups to rapidly develop service prototypes using LLMs and AI coding tools.
• AI-Enhanced Investment Experience Experimentation: Pilot AI-driven investment services that integrate entertainment elements to increase user engagement.
• AI-Powered Financial Content Generation & Personalization: Utilize AI to automatically generate and personalize investment news, research summaries, and content.
• AI-Based End-to-End Accounting Automation: Implement an integrated AI solution for accounting, including automated entries, OCR, reconciliation, and anomaly detection.
• RegTech / Compliance Tech: Seek AI-driven solutions for regulatory analytics, AML/KYC automation, and data privacy.
• Digital Assets & Tokenized Securities: Explore next-generation financial infrastructure, including digital asset payments and tokenized securities (STO).
Collaboration Areas with Shinhan Life
• Data Analytics & BI Platform: Develop standardized DW/ODS, Sisense dashboards, and real-time analytics for decision support.
• Voice AI Rating System: Review and improve the processing time and accuracy of AI for voice recording scripts required for UL products.
• AI-Powered Insurance Claims Fraud Detection: Build an AI system to detect fraudulent insurance claims by analyzing diverse data points.
• AI-Powered Digital Health Ecosystem for Customers: Create an integrated digital health platform combining health tracking, telemedicine, and insurance services.
Program Benefits
• Proof of Concept (PoC) Validation: Validate solutions through a real-world PoC, test product-market fit, and demonstrate feasibility to partners and investors.
• Cash Funding: Receive up to VND 200 million per startup, awarded for successful PoC outcomes to support product development.
• Demo Day & Showcase: Participate in a Meet-up Day, networking events, pitch sessions, and a final Demo Day for exposure.
• Expert Mentoring: Access dedicated 1:1 consultation with industry experts and receive ongoing mentorship throughout the PoC.
• Business Matching: Connect with Shinhan, ecosystem partners, and relevant corporate stakeholders to explore collaboration opportunities.
• Ecosystem Networking: Gain access to the SFL-V ecosystem, including startups, mentors, and investors.
• Market Expansion: Receive promotion opportunities in Vietnam and international markets, with support for regional expansion.
• Co-hosting Events: Opportunity to co-host events with Shinhan Future’s Lab for enhanced branding and visibility.
• On-Demand Training: Benefit from tailored learning sessions delivered by industry experts.
• Direct Collaboration: Engage in practical PoC development directly with Shinhan companies.
• Innovation Workspace: Utilize conference and collaboration spaces for events and meetings.
• Investment Linkage: Tap into a network of investors and partners for potential funding opportunities.
This program presents a significant opportunity for startups to collaborate directly with a major financial institution, test their technologies in a live environment, and accelerate their market entry and scaling efforts. Interested companies that meet the criteria are encouraged to review the complete program details and application requirements through the official channels.