Open Payments Hackathon 2026 — Info & Registration Session

30-day online hackathon | R35 000 in prizes | Teams of 3-5 or register individually

• Registration: 1–30 September
• Build Period: 5 October–5 November
• Grand Finale: 21 November · Cape Town

Interested in joining the Cape Town Open Payments Hackathon 2026?
Join us on 1 September for an online info and registration session where we'll introduce the hackathon, unpack the challenge, explain how teams and registration work, and answer your questions.

Whether you've already registered, are planning to register, or are simply curious about taking part, you're welcome to join.

The Challenge
How can we make digital payments better for Mzansi's spaza shops?
Spaza shops play an important role in South Africa's communities and informal economy, but many still face challenges around accessible, affordable and practical digital payments.

Your challenge is to design and build an innovative payment solution for spaza shops using Open Payments and Interledger technologies.

There's no prescribed solution. Teams are encouraged to explore the problem, identify a meaningful payment challenge and develop their own approach to solving it.

What we'll cover
We'll discuss the challenge, how Open Payments and Interledger fit in, registration and team formation, what you'll need to build and submit, judging, available resources and support, and what to expect throughout the hackathon.

Who can take part?
Developers, designers, students, fintech enthusiasts and curious problem-solvers are all welcome.

You can enter as a team of 3–5 or register individually and be matched with other participants. You don't need to be an expert in open payments or Interledger.

The hackathon is hosted by the Cape Town Software Development Meetup with support from the Interledger Foundation.

Find out more & register:
https://hackathon.devmeetup.capetown/