RiskON 2026: Turning Real-World Challenges into Innovative Solutions

Article published by the UZH Department of Finance  – the following is an edited version, read the full article here. 

The fourth edition of RiskON brought together 58 master’s students from universities across Switzerland and Liechtenstein at the University of Zurich. Working in 16 interdisciplinary teams, participants had 24 hours to develop innovative solutions to four real-world risk management challenges. 

The challenges were provided by Julius Baer, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Vontobel and UBS and ranged from AI-powered compliance and operational risk monitoring to market data and optimization. Supported by industry experts and coaches, the students developed their ideas before presenting them to a jury of leading representatives from the Swiss financial sector. 

RiskON brings together students, academia and industry to combine fresh perspectives with practical expertise and advance innovation in risk management. The hackathon was hosted by the UZH Department of Finance in collaboration with the UZH Innovation Hub and N9 House of Innovation.