FundConnectHK LogoFund Connect HK

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 account connectivity and parallel paper and live divisions across a three-month official contest.

Follow-Up Cooperation Pool

Approx. HKD 100M

Potential AUM Cooperation Ceiling

Award winners and other high-potential teams may enter the follow-up cooperation pool. Participation does not guarantee a capital allocation.

Register Now

2026.10.26 — 2027.01.27

Main Contest

Interactive Brokers (IBKR)

Currently Supported Broker

1–5 people

Recommended Team Size

  • Organizer

  • Co-organizer

  • Supported broker

  • Strategic Media Partner

  • Partner institution

  • Partner institution

  • Data Partner

  • Data Partner

  • Data Partner

  • Data Partner

  • Index Calculation Partner

  • Data Partner

  • Data Partner

  • Data Partner

  • Supporting Organization

  • Supporting Organization

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.

Host

FUND CONNECT HK

Focused on quantitative investing, asset management and fintech, connecting strategy developers with institutional capital.

Co-Organizers

HKU Web3 Institute

Connecting academic research, fintech talent and quantitative-finance practice.

Official Format

One Platform, Two Competition Divisions

The competition currently supports Interactive Brokers (IBKR) account connectivity. Any later supported brokers will be announced through official competition channels.

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 is currently supported. Later brokers will be announced through official competition channels.

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

  1. 01

    Hands-On API Trading

    Real-market data, API trading access and complete strategy records.

  2. 02

    Visible Performance

    Ongoing visibility into returns, drawdown, stability and rankings.

  3. 03

    Professional Review

    Combines trading performance, strategy logic, risk management and a live presentation.

  4. 04

    Exposure and Connections

    Media coverage, offline roadshows, mentor exchange and institutional introductions.

  5. 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 eligible teams in each division advance to the presentation; places pass down the ranking when a team is ineligible. The final score weights trading at 70% and the presentation at 30%.

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 eligible teams by trading-stage score in each division

Strategy Logic

40 points

Core logic, research framework, data use, signal generation and methodological completeness

Risk Management

40 points

Position sizing, stops, risk exposure, extreme markets and abnormal-trade handling

Presentation and Q&A

20 points

Strategy understanding, clarity, responses and live presentation

Final score = trading-stage composite score × 70% + presentation score × 30%

Event Details

Rules & Entry Requirements

Main Contest

26 Oct 2026, 00:00 — 27 Jan 2027, 06:00 (HKT)

Event Format

Hong Kong, China · Online + Offline

Currently Supported Broker

Interactive Brokers (IBKR); later brokers subject to official announcement

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

Signup Stage

2026.08.01 — 10.23

All teams must register by 23 October at 23:59 (HKT)

Qualification Review and Account Connection

After registration — 25 Oct

Qualification reviews run on a rolling basis. Account setup, data authorisation and platform connection must be completed before formal trading begins.

Pre-Competition Preparation

From registration — 10.25

Roadshows, trading guidance, training and community Q&A

Main Contest

2026.10.26 — 2027.01.27

Trade through a supported-broker account connected to the platform and confirmed by the Organiser

Final Presentation and Review

February 2027; date to be announced

The top five eligible teams by trading-stage composite score in each division attend the presentation; places pass down the ranking when a team is ineligible

Results and Awards

Expected in February 2027; date to be announced

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 recommended paper funding
Capital Risk
No real-money profit or loss
Cooperation Opportunity Reference
In principle, approximately 10% of potential AUM cooperation is planned for this division

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
In principle, approximately 90% of potential AUM cooperation is planned for this division

How to Participate

Four Steps to Registration and Qualification

All teams must register by 23 October 2026 at 23:59 (HKT). Account setup, remaining documents, data authorisation and platform connection must be completed before formal trading begins.

01

Submit Team Details

Provide team, captain and contact details, then create a login account.

02

Complete Members and Strategy

Complete the captain and participating members' CVs and submit one original strategy. All required materials must be in before formal trading begins.

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

Three category awards in each division

Best Market Neutral, Best Systematic Directional and Best Long-Only / Index Enhancement: in principle, one winner per category in each division, ranking first by trading-stage composite score and beating the corresponding 90-Day Average SOFR. Awards may remain vacant.

Performance Awards

Return, Sharpe and Alternative Data

One Best Return and one Best Sharpe Award in each division. Eight AIVIX awards in total across both divisions require application and data use through the Team portal and are ranked by trading-stage composite score; allocation between divisions follows the final platform announcement.

Cooperation Opportunity

Explore AUM of up to approx. HKD 100M

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.

  1. 01

    Winning Teams

    The top three in both divisions, special-award winners and other high-potential teams may enter the candidate pool.

  2. 02

    Cooperation Candidate Pool

    Further assessment covers strategy performance, risk capability and cooperation conditions.

  3. 03

    Resource Support

    Media exposure, brand visibility, expert exchange and university or institutional connections.

  4. 04

    Asset-Management Opportunity

    Explore potential cooperation with a total AUM ceiling of approximately HKD 100 million.

  5. 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 formal Rules dated 13 October 2026. Read the official PDF for the full terms.

  • During the competition, live-division teams must apply to the Organiser and obtain confirmation before making deposits, withdrawals or other external fund transfers.
  • 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.
  • After registration, complete the captain and participating members' CVs, strategy document and competition-account details before formal trading begins.
  • 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.
  • Teams must check broker-account access, permissions, data connectivity and paper-funding settings; they bear responsibility if account issues affect participation or results.
  • 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. Teams meeting neither condition may continue and display results but cannot enter the presentation or award candidate lists; presentation places pass to eligible teams in trading-stage composite-score order.
  • 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.
View the Rules Summary and Official PDF

Competition FAQ

2026 Hong Kong Quant Trading Competition FAQs

Quick answers about the format, divisions and registration process.

What is the 2026 Hong Kong Quant Trading Competition?

It is a quantitative trading competition organized by FundConnectHK and co-organized by the HKU Web3 Institute for students, researchers, professional quant teams and fintech teams.

Is this a quant competition or a trading competition?

Both terms on this page refer to the 2026 Hong Kong Quant Trading Competition. It evaluates trading performance, strategy logic, risk management and a live presentation.

Which divisions are available?

The competition has paper-trading and live-trading divisions. Both require a supported broker account that has been connected to and confirmed by the platform, subject to the published competition rules.

How do teams register?

Use the registration link on this page to submit team, captain and contact details, then complete member, strategy, broker connectivity and pre-competition testing requirements.

2026.10.26 — 2027.01.27

A Unified Three-Month Contest Awaits

Complete team registration, strategy materials and IBKR account setup, then demonstrate your strategy under unified rules.

Register NowBack to Home

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