Shinhan offers VND200M AI grants

Bank-startup programs usually promise “innovation” and then hand founders a pitch stage. This one is more concrete. Shinhan Future’s Lab Vietnam has opened Global Shinhan InnoBoost 2026 — a program that puts startups into actual proof-of-concept work with Shinhan’s businesses in Vietnam, including Shinhan Finance, Sh(futureslab.com.vn)ons are open from April 1 to May 3, 2026, and the setup is pretty direct: up to 8 startups, an 11-12 week PoC, and up to VND 200 million per startup if the pilot works. (futureslab.com.vn) ### What is Shinhan actually offering? This is an open-innovation program, not a no-strings grant contest. The core offer is a structured PoC with Shinhan entities in Vietnam, followed by a September 2026 demo day and then a “nurturing” phase for startups that keep moving. Shinhan’s own materials frame the value as direct access to internal teams, data, infrastructure, mentoring, milestone reviews, and a possible commercial partnership after the pilot. (futureslab.com.vn) ### Who can apply? The bar is higher than “(futureslab.com.vn) Vietnam by the time the PoC starts, a working MVP or existing PoC, and at least 5 team members. Shinhan is targeting early-stage through mature startups with traction and scalable business models, and the working language can be Vietnamese or English. (futureslab.com.vn) ### Why is the VND 200 million detail important? Because the money is tied to execution, not just selection. The terms say the (futureslab.com.vn)h means Shinhan is paying for validated progress rather than handing out marketing checks. Basically, the grant matters — but the bigger signal is that Shinhan wants startups to survive enterprise reality and prove they can ship. (futureslab.com.vn) ### What does Shinhan Finance want built? A lot (futureslab.com.vn)nhan Finance themes include intelligent document processing, fake-document detection, video-based eKYC, AI-driven CRM, open-banking APIs for credit scoring and instant loan approval, cybersecurity, customer-behavior prediction, BI automation, and voice-to-text tools. That lines up with the broader banking pain points in Vietnam — faster underwriting, lower fraud, and fewer manual back-office steps. (fundsforcompanies.fundsforngos.o([futureslab.com.vn)t-program-for-startups-vietnam/)) ### Is this only for finance startups? Not really. Shinhan says it wants fintech and beyond — including AI and data intelligence plus tech-driven categories like SalesTech, MarTech, and e-commerce tech. The key is whether the startup can propose a collaboration model that creates value for a Shinhan company. So a team building voice AI, fraud tools, analytics, or workflow automation could fit even if it does not look like a classic lending startup. (futureslab.com.vn)get stuck at the same point — they can demo well, but they cannot get data, internal sponsors, compliance feedback, or a real operating environment. Shinhan is explicitly offering those pieces. That makes this less like a startup competition and more like a fast lane into enterprise validation, which is often the part that actually changes a company’s trajectory. (opportunities.startuplinkx.com)se on May 3, 2026. After that, the top 30 startups move into interviews between May 20 and June 5, selected teams are announced in early June, and the PoC phase runs through the summer before a September demo day in Vietnam. So the window is short, but the timeline after selection is pretty well defined. (futureslab.com.vn) The bottom line is simple: Shinhan is not just asking startups for ideas. It is asking them to come build inside a live financial ecosystem — and paying the ones that can make the pilot work.