Participants engaged with some of the most pressing challenges in financial services — from ESG-aligned investment strategies and sustainability-related issues to AI in finance, data ethics, and fintech innovation. The trainings aimed to develop forward-thinking skills that equip participants to tackle these complex, real-world problems with clarity and purpose. The solutions proposed were not only innovative but also pragmatic — designed to be effective, regulation-aware, and tailored to real banking needs. Teams worked to find intervene areas, assess risk-prone zones, and propose approaches grounded in operational feasibility. Some of the specific challenge areas included decarbonisation, poverty and inequality, internal financing priorities. 

Open call with global reach with an Online application where participants shared a concept summary submission, and we proceeded with the selection of diverse, high-potential participants and then started the warm-up webinar to align expectations and introduce key themes

We placed two expert mentors at the core of the participant experience: A Design Thinking coach guided participants through ideation, problem-framing, and user validation and an Agile coach helped teams rapidly iterate, manage workflows, and deliver functional outputs.

Kreativdistrikt proposed and executed “Shaka-kachi Week,” a series of three interconnected hackathons hosted in London, Frankfurt, and Dubai. Each event was hybrid by design, allowing for online participation and global accessibility. However, the magic didn’t come from the format alone — it came from the experience of architecture itself.

Each hackathon was framed as a journey, beginning with a warm-up phase where applicants submitted a concept summary and joined an online briefing session. From there, selected participants were grouped into teams and immersed in a 12-hour creative sprint supported by two lead mentors: one expert in Design Thinking and the other in Agile methodologies. These mentors didn’t just guide from the sidelines — they actively co-facilitated team development, offering structured workshops, toolkits, daily check-ins, and pitch refinement sessions.

By the end of each hackathon, every team had crafted a concise concept summary, a compelling pitch deck, and, in some cases, functional prototypes — all presented live to external experts.

Shaka-kachi Week helped SMBC position itself as more than a bank — as a global player investing in the future of people, planet, and prosperity. It unlocked fresh thinking from a generation eager to engage with meaningful work and proved that hackathons can do more than build prototypes — they can build community. The project also sparked internal discussions at SMBC around future talent engagement strategies, with Shaka-kachi Week serving as a model for future initiatives.

Kreativdistrikt managed the entire lifecycle of the hackathon series: from creative concept and challenge design to participant recruitment, content creation, logistics, and full event production. We crafted a unified brand identity for Shaka-kachi Week, coordinated mentorship and jury panels, built hybrid facilitation tools, and ensured a smooth, inclusive experience for both in-person and online participants. Post-event, we delivered media materials, reports, and strategic recommendations.