Call for Applications: 3rd NLS-SAM FinTech Moot Court Competition

Provisional registration closes on 18 August 2026, with final registration due by 24 August 2026.

NLS-SAM FinTech Moot Court Competition, 2026

Published on:

21 Aug 2026, 9:52 am

2 min read

The Moot Court Society of National Law School of India University (NLSIU), in association with Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co (SAM) has announced the third edition of the NLS–SAM FinTech Moot Court Competition, scheduled on November 28 and 29, 2026.

This competition is dedicated to the evolving field of fintech law, at the intersection of finance and cutting-edge technology. This year's moot problem is focused on the legal, constitutional, and regulatory challenges arising from the deployment of artificial intelligence and machine learning systems in financial services.

The problem was selected to deliberate on real-world questions ranging from the constitutionality of a blanket prohibition on AI- driven credit underwriting and KYC verification, the fundamental rights of informal-income applicants systematically excluded by opaque algorithmic decisioning, and the application of copyright law to the training of machine learning models on proprietary datasets, so that participants engage with issues currently before policymakers, regulators, and courts at the intersection of emerging technology, financial inclusion, and intellectual property.

Eligibility

The Competition is open to all students enrolled bona fide on a regular basis in an undergraduate or postgraduate law course (including LL.M. programmes) or its equivalent conducted by any recognised institution, provided that only students in their 2nd year or above of the B.A. LL.B. (or any integrated 5-year law programme) and the 3-year LL.B. programme shall be eligible to participate.

Further, a recognised institution shall be entitled to send only one team to the competition. Where a university has constituent colleges, each college may register a team, or the university may be represented by a team comprising students from different constituent colleges.

Registration Details

Deadline for provisional registration: August 18, 2026;

Deadline for final registration: August 24, 2026.

A non-refundable upfront registration fee of ₹2,500 will be charged. Teams which qualify for the offline oral rounds shall be required to pay an additional participation fee of ₹7,500. This fee is inclusive of accommodation, food, and travel to and from the venue to the accommodation provided.

Please find the form for final registration, and the payment link for the registration fee.