Hanwha Asset Management wraps internal AI hackathon, plans "AI-native" push
In short
Hanwha Asset Management said it completed an internal AI hackathon, "2026 AI PLUSthon", held across September with training, one-on-one mentoring, finals and awards. About 15% of employees took part — 26 teams and 58 people — with 11 teams and 28 people reaching the finals, and a three-person new-employee team, Hints Mate, taking the top prize for a tool that consolidates scattered fund information into a user-customised dashboard. The company said selected ideas will be turned into proof-of-concept work projects as it moves toward becoming an "AI Native" asset manager.
Why it matters
The coverage is a company announcement about an internal training programme, so its significance rests on what Hanwha Asset Management says it plans next: turning hackathon ideas into proof-of-concept work projects and embedding AI across operations, deal sourcing, product strategy and fund management. It offers a small signal of how a Korean asset manager says it is trying to build AI capacity in-house rather than only investing in it.
Key facts
- Hanwha Asset Management said it completed its in-house AI hackathon, "2026 AI PLUSthon". [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The programme ran through September with AI training, one-on-one mentoring, finals, presentations and awards. [ 1 , 2 ]
- 26 teams and 58 people took part, about 15% of all employees; 11 teams and 28 people reached the finals after document screening. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A three-person new-employee team, Hints Mate, won the grand prize for an AI data buildup tool that integrates scattered fund information into a user-customised dashboard. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The company said it will link selected ideas to proof-of-concept work projects and run follow-up development programmes for participants. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Hanwha Asset Management said it aims to embed AI across operations, deal sourcing, product strategy and development, and fund management as an "AI Native" asset manager. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The company said it has directly invested in OpenAI, xAI and Mistral AI in Silicon Valley and used their technologies in its work. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Hanwha Asset Management held and completed the "2026 AI PLUSthon" internal AI hackathon. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- 26 teams and 58 people, about 15% of employees, participated, and 11 teams and 28 people advanced to the finals. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The team Hints Mate, made up of three new employees, won the grand prize for a tool consolidating fund information into a customised dashboard. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The company plans to connect selected ideas to proof-of-concept work tasks and to run follow-up programmes for participants. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The company said it has invested in OpenAI, xAI and Mistral AI and used their technology in its work. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Which ideas other than the grand-prize tool will be taken forward, and on what schedule. Both detailed reports say excellent ideas will be linked to proof-of-concept tasks but name no other projects or dates.
- The specific dates of the finals, presentations and awards within September. The documents say the programme ran during September but give no day-by-day schedule.
- The size or value of Hanwha Asset Management's investments in OpenAI, xAI and Mistral AI. The documents describe the investments as direct but give no amounts or dates.
- Whether the Newsis report carried any hackathon detail beyond its headline. Its feed text concerned an unrelated Nuri rocket launch, so the outlet supports only the fact that the event was completed.