Team Make1tFeature emerged as Champion at the PayHack 2023 24-Hour Hackathon, held from 27 to 28 May 2023 at Asia School of Business, Kuala Lumpur.

The team consisted of Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) student and team leader Tan Jing Jie, who also completed his bachelor degree in Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT); other FICT alumni Yam Zi Ying, Tan Wei Mun and Lim Jun Wei; and Chin Shi Xuen from INTI International University & Colleges.

They walked away with RM20,000, a trophy, and certificates for their prize-winning application named, EveryPay. The application aimed to help senior citizens adopt digital payments, especially those who are intimidated by the ever-changing advancements in technology.

Expressing his gratitude, Jing Jie said, “This event provided me an invaluable learning experience and exposure to my first physical hackathon. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to PayNet Head, Fraud & Projects Aloysius Kin Faa Chong for his mentorship and support in nurturing the initial idea. In this hackathon, we focused on the challenge: Financial Inclusion. With the rise in online payment scams and fraud, many individuals in the silver-haired community feel apprehensive about using digital payment systems. To address this concern, we devised an application, EveryPay, which has a streamlined user interface that facilitates straightforward interactions, eliminating the need for extensive navigation within the application. Subsequently, we implemented a “parenting” system, wherein younger individuals are able to oversee their dependents’ (i.e., parents) transactions, thus offering reassurance to the silver-haired community”.

“This feature enhances confidence among users, as they can rely on their trusted guardians (i.e., their adult children) to diligently monitor and attend to any financial matters. Last but not least, this prototype can extend its ability using machine learning to highlight any sensitive transactions,” Tan added.

“As the team leader of Make1tFeature, I would like to express my immense gratitude to my teammates for their outstanding skills and teamwork, which led us to achieve the championship in this hackathon. Despite our different paths after graduation, with some pursuing postgraduate studies, diving into the industry, focusing on research and development, and starting a business; we united with diverse backgrounds and expertise to embark on this hackathon, and created something remarkable. Once again, I express my gratitude for shortlisting us from among the 100 groups, who participated in this physical hackathon. It presented a remarkable and invaluable opportunity for us to acquire such meaningful expertise. Looking forward to Make1tFeature again in the future,” he enthused.

Organised by Payments Network Malaysia (PayNet) and Jomhack Malaysia, with ecosystem partners Microsoft, MDEC, MyStartup and Cradle, the competition comprised of university students, working professionals, and freelancers, along with startup teams, who were tasked with hacking solutions that could accelerate Malaysia’s digital payments ecosystem. PayHack 2023 aimed to explore participants’ expertise in digital identity, financial crime, data analytics, information security and quality assurance; and develop new and innovative solutions to accelerate the digital payments ecosystem in Malaysia.