Learning in Action, Leaders in the Making: How HKICC 2025 Shapes Tomorrow’s Business Leaders

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Sixteen teams. One week. Countless hours of brainstorming, strategizing, crafting of proposals, and presenting. The HKUST International Case Competition (HKICC) 2025 brought together some bright undergraduate minds from around the world. The students came here as ambitious participants, and emerged as confident problem-solvers.

A Global Stage for Future Leaders
Supported by HSBC for the third consecutive year, HKICC stands as Asia’s premier competition to cultivate business talent. Since its launch in 2003, the initiative has been a flagship event of the HKUST Business School, providing a platform for high-performing  student teams from renowned business schools worldwide to compete in solving complex business problems. The competition challenges students to leverage their innovative approaches to address real-world scenarios with a global perspective.

“At HSBC, we are dedicated to fostering innovation and supporting the next generation of talent,” said Mr. David GRIMME, Chief Operating Officer, Asia and Middle East, HSBC. “HKICC provides a platform where participating students can tackle real-world challenges through creativity, strategic thinking and collaboration.”

During the week-long contest, 16 teams from universities across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and the USA dived deep into research, analysing data, debating strategies, and refining their proposals. 

When Ideas Are Put to the Test
This year’s competition centered on real-world challenges in the application of AI in fraud detection within the banking sector, pushing participants to face the complexities of developing innovative solutions in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. From the fast-paced Mini Case to the in-depth Main Case, teams were challenged to develop actionable strategies that could withstand scrutiny from seasoned industry professionals. 

Data, risk, and human judgment intersected as groups intensely brainstormed their thoughts and debated on ideas under tight deadlines, translating classroom concepts into pragmatic strategies. The most effective learning takes place when ideas are confronted with the realities faced by organizations in today’s environment.