Host
FUND CONNECT HK
Focused on quantitative investing, asset management and fintech, connecting strategy developers with institutional capital.
Hong Kong, China · Online + Offline
- Organizer:
- Fund Connect HK
- Co-organizer:
- HKU Web3 Institute
2026 Hong Kong Quant Trading Championship
Open to students, researchers, professional quant teams and fintech teams, with current support for IBKR and other broker account connectivity and parallel paper and live divisions across a three-month official contest.
Follow-Up Cooperation Pool
HKD 100 Million
Potential Assets Under Management
Award winners and other high-potential teams may enter the follow-up cooperation pool. Participation does not guarantee a capital allocation.
2026.09.28 00:00 — 12.29 06:00 HKT (Tentative)
Main Contest
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and others
Currently Supported Broker
1–5 people
Recommended Team Size
Co-organizer
Partner institution
Community partner
Partners
Competition Background
Connecting Quant Talent, Research and Industry
The 2026 Hong Kong Quantitative Trading Competition seeks to discover and develop global quant-finance talent, connect young researchers and developers with financial institutions, and strengthen Hong Kong's quantitative-finance ecosystem.
Co-Organizers
The University of Hong Kong Web3 Research Institute
Connecting academic research, fintech talent and quantitative-finance practice.
Official Format
One Platform, Two Competition Divisions
The competition currently supports account connectivity with Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and other brokers, giving teams at different stages a clear and traceable framework for demonstrating their strategies.
Format Highlights
parallel paper and live divisions
Students and new-strategy teams may enter the paper division; mature strategy teams may enter the live division.
Supported-Broker Data Connectivity
IBKR and other brokers are currently supported; actual availability follows the latest official competition announcement.
Trading and Presentation Review
Trading performance accounts for 70% of the final score and the strategy presentation for 30%.
Strategy Categories
Market Neutral / Relative Value
Long-short equities, statistical arbitrage, pairs trading and similar strategies
Systematic Directional
Trend following, futures CTA, multi-asset timing and similar strategies
Long-Only / Index Enhancement
Long-only, multi-factor stock selection, index enhancement and similar strategies
Mixed / Other
Multi-strategy combinations or strategies that do not fit another category
High-frequency, intraday, machine-learning, options, derivatives and volatility are strategy tags rather than separate categories.
Who It Is For and Why It Matters
Take a Strategy from Code to Real Opportunity
Students, researchers, professional quant teams and fintech founders are welcome. Performance is judged not only by return, but also by risk control, stability and sustainability.
Eligible Participants
University Students and Research Teams
Teams in financial engineering, mathematics, statistics, computer science, AI and related fields.
Independent Researchers with Trading Strategies
Independent researchers, traders and strategy developers.
Professional Quant Teams
Established teams with strategies, trading records or other verifiable capabilities.
Fintech Teams
Startups working on AI finance, trading systems or data analytics.
What Participants Gain
- 01
Hands-On API Trading
Real-market data, API trading access and complete strategy records.
- 02
Visible Performance
Ongoing visibility into returns, drawdown, stability and rankings.
- 03
Professional Review
Combines trading performance, strategy logic, risk management and a live presentation.
- 04
Exposure and Connections
Media coverage, offline roadshows, mentor exchange and institutional introductions.
- 05
Commercial Pathways
Outstanding teams enter the candidate pool for Money Manager and AUM cooperation.
Scoring · Total 100%
Trading Performance and Strategy Presentation Determine the Final Score
Four metrics form the 100-point trading-stage score. The top five teams in each division advance to the presentation, with trading weighted at 70% and the presentation at 30% in the final score.
Trading-Stage Score Weighting
Four metrics are standardized within each strategy category and then weighted
Total 100%
25%
Return Performance
Primarily measured by cumulative net return during the competition
35%
Risk-Adjusted Return
Measured by the Sharpe ratio and return generated per unit of risk
25%
Maximum Drawdown Control
Measures maximum drawdown and subsequent recovery
15%
Strategy Stability
Positive-return period ratio, return volatility and persistence
Trading metrics are generally standardized to 0-100 within the same strategy category and then combined by weight.
Presentation Score · 100 Points
Live Review of Strategy Research and Risk Controls
Top five trading-stage teams in each division
Strategy Logic
40 pointsCore logic, research framework, data use, signal generation and methodological completeness
Risk Management
40 pointsPosition sizing, stops, risk exposure, extreme markets and abnormal-trade handling
Presentation and Q&A
20 pointsStrategy understanding, clarity, responses and live presentation
Final score = trading-stage composite score × 70% + presentation score × 30%
Event Details
Rules & Entry Requirements
Main Contest
2026.09.28 00:00 — 2026.12.29 06:00 HKT (Tentative)
Event Format
Hong Kong, China · Online + Offline
Currently Supported Broker
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and others; actual availability follows official announcements
Eligible Participants
University students, research teams, individual researchers, professional quant teams and fintech teams
Team Requirements
Recommended team size: 1-5; each participant may join only one team
Strategy and Accounts
One strategy, one platform account and one independent official competition account per team
The competition account must be opened and lawfully held by a verified team member. IBKR teams must configure an Activity Flex Query and provide a valid Flex Web Service Token and Query ID. This access is read-only for competition data and scoring; it cannot place orders or transfer funds.
If dates change, the latest notice in the registration system and official channels will prevail.
Timeline
Key Milestones (Tentative)
Signup Stage
2026.08.01 — 09.18
Teams with an eligible account must register by 18 September at 23:59; teams needing a new account must register by 14 September at 23:59
Qualification Review and Account Connection
After registration — 09.25
Teams opening a new account must finish by 23 September; all teams must connect their account by 25 September
Pre-Competition Preparation
From registration — 09.27
Roadshows, trading guidance, training and community Q&A
Main Contest
09.28 00:00 — 12.29 06:00
Trade through a supported-broker account connected to the platform and confirmed by the Organiser
Final Presentation and Review
2027.01.01 — 01.15
The top five trading-stage teams in both paper and live divisions attend the strategy presentation
Results and Awards
2027.01.18 — 01.22
Final results are announced; the exact date, venue and participation arrangements will be notified separately
Competition Divisions
parallel paper and live divisions
Both divisions must use a supported-broker account connected to the platform and confirmed for the competition; capital and risk exposure differ under the rules.
Division
Paper Division
- Suitable For
- Students and new-strategy teams
- Trading Environment
- Simulated real-market trading
- Initial capital allocation
- USD 1,000,000 in paper capital in principle
- Capital Risk
- No real-money profit or loss
- Cooperation Opportunity Reference
- About 10% of the potential AUM cooperation opportunity in principle
Division
Live Division
- Suitable For
- Mature strategy teams
- Trading Environment
- Live market trading
- Initial capital allocation
- Initial NAV of at least USD 50,000 in principle
- Capital Risk
- The team bears real trading profit and loss
- Cooperation Opportunity Reference
- About 90% of the potential AUM cooperation opportunity in principle
How to Participate
Four Steps to Registration and Qualification
The following dates are tentative: Teams with an eligible account must register by 18 September. Teams needing a new account must register by 14 September and finish opening it by 23 September. All teams must connect their account by 25 September.
01
Submit Team Details
Provide team, captain and contact details, then create a login account.
02
Complete Members and Strategy
Build a recommended team of 1-5 people and submit one original strategy; the supporting document may be completed before formal trading starts.
03
Open and Connect the Competition Account
A verified team member uses their own supported-broker account to complete data authorisation and platform connection.
04
Complete Review and Pre-Competition Testing
Complete identity, strategy and account review, then perform the required test order and data-synchronisation checks.
Awards and Follow-Up Cooperation
Recognition, Exposure and Long-Term Opportunities
Paper and live divisions are awarded separately, with additional strategy-category and performance awards. Neither winning nor entering the candidate pool guarantees capital allocation.
Overall Ranking Awards
Top Three in Each Division
The paper and live divisions each award a champion, runner-up and third place.
Strategy-Category Awards
One Award in Each of Three Categories
Best Market Neutral, Best Systematic Directional and Best Long-Only / Index Enhancement Strategy, subject to the required return threshold.
Performance Awards
Return, Sharpe and Alternative Data
Awards include Best Return, Best Sharpe and the AIVIX Alternative Data Application Award.
Cooperation Opportunity
Explore HKD 100M in AUM
Award winners and other high-potential teams may enter the candidate pool. This is a potential opportunity, not an automatic or guaranteed allocation.
Post-Competition Pathway
From a Winning Team to Long-Term Cooperation
The competition is only the beginning. Outstanding teams will be assessed on performance, risk management and cooperation readiness, then connected with brand, institutional and asset-management resources.
- 01
Winning Teams
The top three in both divisions, special-award winners and other high-potential teams may enter the candidate pool.
- 02
Cooperation Candidate Pool
Further assessment covers strategy performance, risk capability and cooperation conditions.
- 03
Resource Support
Media exposure, brand visibility, expert exchange and university or institutional connections.
- 04
Asset-Management Opportunity
Explore cooperation opportunities involving HKD 100 million in assets under management.
- 05
Long-Term Development
Explore Money Manager pathways, institutional cooperation and asset-management team building.
Contest Rules
Entry Notes (Excerpt)
These are highlights of the latest rules. Read the full Competition Rules issued on 29 July 2026.
- Each team may use only one platform account and one independent official competition account and may enter one strategy. Multiple strategies must be combined as a mixed strategy.
- Each participant may join only one team. Multi-account position splitting, profit/loss splitting, reverse hedging, lending, sharing, proxy trading or managed competition accounts are prohibited.
- Stocks priced below USD 1.0 or with 30-day average daily turnover below USD 3,000,000 may generally only be closed, not newly opened.
- A team must either maintain at least 50% average daily exposure with no more than 10 cumulative cash-only trading days, or at least 100% average daily turnover. Otherwise its results may remain displayed, but it is ineligible for awards.
- All strategies must be original. External data, open-source tools and third-party services must be lawfully sourced, clearly licensed and explainable to the judges.
- Cheating, falsified materials, leaderboard manipulation or other serious misconduct may result in cancellation of results, eligibility, awards and follow-up cooperation candidacy.
09.28 — 12.29(Tentative)
A Unified Three-Month Contest Awaits
Complete team registration, strategy materials and IBKR account setup, then demonstrate your strategy under unified rules.