Financial literacy and education challenges confront developing economies and advanced economies alike. Improving financial literacy is correlated with decreasing the risk of personal financial distress, increasing the effective management of money and debt, as well as the increased ability to make better financial decisions. How can we create a simple yet engaging phygital (physical+digital)/digital platform, tool or experience that brings to life financial education at great scale in order to improve understanding of basic financial concepts and equip people across Asia to make more informed financial choices regarding saving, investing, insuring, borrowing and more. The platform/tool/experience should also take into account different language/ vernacular capabilities.

Trust is always the top concern in conducting cross-border trade and overseas expansion. How can we create a secured and automated platform for the accreditation, certification, and validation of proof-of-work or quality of work of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to accelerate to boost trade connectivity between Singapore and India?

Financial fraud and misconduct are one of the biggest issues in safety and soundness of the Financial Sector. Financial institutions have expensive and onerous processes to verify transactions for potential insider trading. How can we better recognise patterns of fraudulent behaviour to automatically flag potential insider trades?

Most consumers are not aware of their carbon footprint in their daily consumption habits. As a result of this lack of awareness and education, there is a general impression that this is not my problem and that there is nothing they should do or change in their daily habits to reduce carbon footprint. For example, most consumers don’t know that the fashion industry produces about 10% of carbon emissions, which is more than the maritime and international flights combined. How can consumers be better educated about carbon emissions and the major contributors to rising carbon footprint in the world? The solution would not only educate, but possibly incorporate gamification elements to encourage consumers to reduce their carbon footprint. This software app should not only be educational, but fun as well to encourage consumers and/or family units to be more conscious of their carbon footprint while taking necessary steps to reduce direct and indirect carbon emissions. Once consumer adoption has taken off, governments or corporates can even contribute by providing incentive awards to families or individuals who generate low carbon emissions.

Everyday, tonnes of food in urban cities is thrown away because they could not be consumed before expiry. Food wastage not only has a big impact on the environment, but also could have been better used to feed communities in need. Create a platform that connects food suppliers (restaurants, grocery stores, catering services) with local food banks and non-profit organisations. The platform should use data analytics to optimise food rescue routes, minimize transportation costs, and maximize benefits to communities in need. Instead of throwing away food that is close to expiry, or has been cooked but not consumed, can we organise rescue efforts for these food items so that they can be redistributed to those in need? Collection and redistribution logistics are key, and the app should optimise timing and route transport so as to minimize transport costs while ensuring food does not sit around and spoil while waiting to be re-distributed to those in need. Transport distances also cannot be too far for the same reasons.

As global warming continues, sea levels are projected to rise, leading to an increased risk of coastal flooding in many cities worldwide. In Asia, several cities are particularly vulnerable to this threat due to their low-lying topography, large populations, and insufficient infrastructure. Develop an engaging web platform or mobile app that improves public awareness of coastal flooding issues. Integrate GIS data, infrastructure information to provide users and urban planners with different scenarios of flood risks. Invite users to contribute to data collection and analysis by reporting flood events, photo sharing or participating in flood risk mapping initiatives. This software app should be able to provide users with basic scenario analysis of flood risk scenarios based on different levels of sea level rise. Which areas are most vulnerable and what other areas will be vulnerable if sea levels rise further? Invite users to crowdsource data collection on flooding through photo sharing and/or other data collection initiatives.