2 Tech students are champions at BPI DATA Wave

FEU Tech students, Jansen Moral and Cristen Tolentino, were declared champions of the Digitalization Track at the BPI DATA Wave Hackathon and Summit.

Two students from FEU Institute of Technology (FEU Tech) were declared champions of the Digitalization Track at the recent Bank of the Philippine Islands Data, Analytics, Transformation, and AI (BPI DATA) Wave Hackathon and Summit. 

From left: Jansen Moral, BS Computer Science student specializing in Software Engineering, and Cristen Tolentino, BS Computer Engineering student.

Jansen Moral, a BS Computer Science student with a specialization in Software Engineering, and Cristen Tolentino, a BS Computer Engineering student, bested over 1,000 participants from across the Philippines to earn the coveted top spot in Digitalization for their AI-powered project reimagining how banks operate in the digital age. 

Their innovative solution, Branch Intelligence Platform (BIPBIP), is an AI-powered analytics solution designed to transform BPI’s 1,250+ branch operations. This enables banks to optimize customer flow, staff productivity, and service delivery.  

“Our project helps transform how branches operate”, the duo explained. “By combining AI with data-driven insights, banking becomes responsive to the customer’s needs and [is] more efficient.” 

The team also took pride in adopting the Responsible AI approach, ensuring that their solution maintained transparency, fairness, and trust in this technological innovation. This real-world practicality set their project apart, making this the team’s winning entry, earning them P100,000 cash prize and a direct job offer from BPI. 

This year’s competition required the participants to solve key challenges in modern banking through AI-powered solutions, including: Market Research—developing tools for faster, smarter product prototyping, and market simulation; Digital Trust—AI for Risk-Based Authentication With Zero-Trust Principles, or creating adaptive, behavior-based authentication systems aligned with zero-trust security principles; and Digital twin—AI-Powered Digital Model for Branch Network and Customer Flow Simulation, where banks lack real-time, dynamic, simulation tools to optimize customer flow, resource allocation, and spatial layout in branches, leading to inefficiencies, degraded experiences, and underutilized physical assets.  

More than their triumph, the championship taught Moral and Tolentino lessons about collaboration and innovation.  

“We realized that AI isn’t just about automation, it’s about creating tools that make banking more human-centered and trustworthy,” they said. “True innovation happens when technologists and banking professionals collaborate with industry knowledge and customer-focused values.” 

Preparation is also key, they said. The team immersed themselves in the banking industry’s technical and operational aspects, studied industry benchmarks, interviewed branch managers and customers, and were mentored by business directors.  

The team also joined specialized learning sprints on human-centered market research, AI architecture, and presentation coaching. Simultaneously, they trained in AI model development, data streaming, and dashboard design to ensure their ideas are deployed innovatively and practically in real-world settings. 

Their win is a recognition of their skills and reinforcement of FEU Tech’s reputation as a school of innovation. They showcased how FEU Tech students are capable of shaping the future of digital banking. 

The Hackathon and Summit is a nationwide competition designed to empower Filipino students and young professionals in harnessing the power of data and technology. 

Organized by Eskwelabs in partnership with BPI, the program is anchored on the theme: “Better Philippines Through Innovation.”