NALSAR, Hyderabad emerged as the winners of the first edition of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) - Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co (SAM) FinTech Moot Court Competition, held at NLSIU Bangalore.

Jindal Global Law School took the runner-up spot.

The NLSIU-SAM Fintech Moot Court Competition & Conference sought to address budding issues in the field of fintech regulation and attracted participation from law schools across the country.

A total of 36 teams registered, with 24 teams advancing to the oral rounds. Issues that took centre stage revolved around virtual digital assets, fractional ownership, and regulatory frameworks.

The competition's final bench comprised distinguished persons from the legal community. Senior Advocates Sajan Poovayya, Jayna Kothari and Madhavi Divan; Dean of Vinayaka Mission's Law School Ananth Padmanabhan; and SAM Partner Shilpa Mankar Ahluwalia were the judges.

The moot problem was drafted by Dr Padmanabhan, and focused on critical issues within the rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem.

The event brought together leaders from the fintech industry to engage in a broader dialogue on the legal frameworks governing these upcoming technologies.

Speaking on the competition, NLSIU Vice-Chancellor Prof Sudhir Krishnaswamy said,

"This collaboration with SAM for the FinTech Moot Court Competition created an outstanding opportunity for students to engage with some of the most complex regulatory challenges in the fintech ecosystem. We are glad that we’ve brought academia, the legal profession and fintech industry pioneers together at this event and we look forward to collaborating further. Together we aim to engage with frontier law, technology and regulation issues in this rapidly evolving sector."