DBS Bank plans to hire 100 software developers after a two-day hackathon that will test the candidates.
The bank said in a statement that it is the first bank in South-east Asia to adopt such a recruitment approach.
In recent years, companies seeking to improve their capacity in the digital arena have started hosting hackathons with increasing frequency. These typically last between two and five days, and involve a large group of people working together to solve - or hack - a problem. The goal is usually to come up with usable software.
Hackathons have been gaining popularity as a recruitment tool among tech companies, especially in vibrant start-up markets like India.
The DBS recruitment drive, dubbed DBS Hack2Hire, will include an online assessment challenge to gauge the programming and technical capabilities of candidates, followed by a live two-day hackathon session, where their approach to problem solving will be tested.
Shortlisted candidates from the second round will be offered full-time roles at DBS - making them its first hires via hackathons.
DBS' group head of core systems technology, Ms Soh Siew Choo, said: "We are seeing rapid advancements in banking technology using cloud, machine learning and big data, which are paving the way for a new world of seamless banking.
"We want to bring developers well versed in these new technologies into the bank to accelerate our digital transformation efforts. We believe that recruiting via a hackathon is an innovative and effective way to attract the right talent."
At the hackathon, to take place next month, top talent will work on coding for projects related to data analytics, machine learning, and cloud native application development. These projects span the entire spectrum of the bank's operations, from how to enhance the customer experience during loan applications, to digitisation of finance operations.
DBS' move to hire 100 developers is in line with the transformation of the banking sector, where Singaporeans have to acquire and utilise deep skills to stay relevant.
DBS Hack2Hire is conducted in collaboration with leading technology providers Amazon Web Services, Cloudera and Pivotal.
