Event Overview

BNB Hack Abu Dhabi brought builders together on December 5 & 6 for two focused days of learning, experimentation, and hands-on creation. 

Hosted at 42 Abu Dhabi, a peer-to-peer coding school built around project-based learning, the hackathon drew 44 teams from across multiple countries, each working on ideas spanning DeFi, AI agents, onchain payments, infrastructure, RWAs, and consumer applications. The energy stayed high throughout, from the opening moments of Day 1 to the final pitches on Demo Night.

Shoutout to the sponsors, ChatAndBuild and APRO for their support towards the builders and the ecosystem.

A Two-Day Program Designed for Builders

The hackathon opened with welcomes from the BNB Chain team, 42 Abu Dhabi, ChatAndBuild and APRO, with an overview of the tracks, rules, and weekend agenda. Builders then heard from He Yi, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Binance, who set the tone for the event with an opening AMA discussing the importance of experimentation and community-driven innovation.

From there, teams got to work. Hacking officially began early afternoon, with projects forming and builders diving straight into prototypes, smart contracts, interfaces, and agent workflows. Throughout the day, workshops covered topics such as AI-driven smart contract automation, building on BSC, prediction market design, and go-to-market strategy. Builders also had access to continuous office hours and technical support, whilst building through the night.

Day 2 started early with teams refining their ideas before submissions closed at 12:30pm. BNB Chain’s internal judging panel reviewed all entries and selected the top five teams to move forward. After short prep time and an on-site demo round, the top three winners of BNB Hack Abu Dhabi were finalized.

Support From Mentors and Ecosystem Partners

Builders had access to a strong group of 14 mentors throughout the hackathon, offering guidance across technical architecture, AI agents, smart contract design, tokenomics, product flow, user experience, growth, and pitching.

Mentors represented a mixture of leading teams in the ecosystem and external partners, including ChatAndBuild, APRO, Trust Wallet, Myriad Markets, AEON, ChainIDE, Akindo, Hubble AI, Pundi AI, Paramita Venture, Vader, Abu Dhabi Blockchain Center, and members of the BNB Chain technical and business development teams. Their support helped teams troubleshoot issues, pressure-test ideas, and prepare for demo evaluations.

Panel: Crypto Incubation in the UAE

Builders also joined a session on crypto startup incubation in the UAE with speakers from Abu Dhabi Blockchain Center, Hub71, and YZi Labs, moderated by Marwan Kawadri, Head of EMEA at BNB Chain. The discussion highlighted why the UAE has become a strong base for early teams, how its environment differs from other global hubs, the local approach to funding, and practical guidance for founders growing crypto products in the region.

Finals Results

Hackathon Winners

Three teams stood out in the hackathon and walked away with ​a slice of $160,000 USD of our prize pool, ​​Kickstart ecosystem support, ​​fast-track interviews for the MVB program via EASY Residency and ​​access to potential investment through the $1B Builder Fund.

First Place: DeFi Pro

DeFi Pro built an AI-powered DeFi assistant on BNB Chain that allows users to lend, borrow, and optimize yields through simple chat commands. It combines an AI agent with Pendle PT leverage, ListaDAO integrations, and live yield data to streamline advanced DeFi strategies.

Second Place: Midas

Midas built an autonomous trading agent that monitors real-time Twitter activity, evaluates potential market impact through an LLM, and executes trades on Opinion Trade prediction markets. The system is powered by a modular workflow engine designed for fast, data-driven decisions.

Third Place: HeroPath

HeroPath is a decentralized prop-trading platform focused on transparent results, accessible capital, and a wide selection of markets and leverage options. It aims to give users a fair, verifiable path to performance-based rewards.

Demo Night Winners

The hackathon transitioned into Demo Night at 4pm, bringing together the top three hackathon teams and three selected ecosystem projects. All six finalists presented in front of a panel of judges from YZi Labs, The Spartan Group, Hashed, Block21, and BNB Chain. 

First Place: SilentSwap

A fast, secure, and fully decentralized protocol for private cross-chain swaps, built to give users confidential transactions across networks.

Second Place: Renaiss

A blockchain-powered collector economy that connects TCG collectors, merchants, and DeFi tools. Renaiss enables verifiable ownership, smooth trading, and instant liquidity for physical assets.

Third Place: Orbit AI

A decentralized orbital AI cloud designed to support high-performance compute through a distributed, censorship-resistant network.

Fourth Place: USD-i

A Shariah-compliant USD-based stablecoin backed by real economic yield, designed for global cash management and value preservation.

Sponsor Track Winners

Our sponsors, ChatAndBuild and APRO introduced special tracks of the hackathon and offered exclusive bounties to fuel the builders’ next stage of growth. Here are the winners:

APRO: VIBE

In the APRO track, VIBE built a community-driven platform built on a game for retail investors.

ChatAndBuild: BNB Phunks

In the ChatAndBuild track, BNB Phunks built an AI agent launchpad for BSC that is self-learning and DeFi-native.

Builder AMAs With He Yi and CZ

Across both days, builders had the chance to hear directly from He Yi and CZ in two open AMA sessions. Yi focused on the early stages of building, sharing practical advice on finding real user needs, testing quickly, and keeping products simple until there is clear traction. 

CZ closed Demo Night with a wider look at where onchain activity is heading, the importance of strong engineering foundations, and why consistent iteration matters more than perfect planning. Together, their sessions gave teams grounded guidance on building, shipping, and staying focused on real problems.

Closing Thoughts

BNB Hack Abu Dhabi brought together a mix of new builders, experienced teams, and ecosystem partners who share a common interest in pushing onchain development forward. The quality of projects, the speed at which teams moved from idea to prototype, and the collaborative spirit across both days all stood out.

Thank you to every participant, mentor, judge, and partner who contributed to this edition of BNB Hack. Special thanks to our sponsors, ChatAndBuild and APRO for supporting the builders and the ecosystem.

We look forward to seeing these projects continue to evolve and meeting more builders at the next stop in the Local Hack series!

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