Summary of "Re{solve} Hackathon Workshop: What Can You Build in Fintech with Starknet"

This workshop, led by Omar Pel, focuses on the fintech development opportunities enabled by Starknet, a Layer 2 blockchain solution integrating both Ethereum and Bitcoin ecosystems. The session covers the technical advantages of Starknet, what fintech products are feasible to build now, and the support available for developers in the Starknet ecosystem, especially during the upcoming hackathon.

Key Technological Concepts and Features

Starknet Technical Advantages:
- Native Account Abstraction: Enables seamless, Web2-like user experiences with easy login (email, biometrics) and gasless or near-zero cost transactions.
- Speed and Cost Efficiency: Transactions finalize in under a second with fees less than one cent, making micropayments and high-frequency use practical.
- Multi-chain Layer 2: Starknet uniquely supports both Ethereum and Bitcoin markets, allowing Bitcoin assets to be used within Ethereum DeFi ecosystems.
- Security and Integrity: Leveraging Ethereum and Bitcoin cryptography, Starknet has maintained a secure, failure-free mainnet since 2021.
User Experience Goal: To replicate the ease of use seen in popular Web2 apps like Instagram or WhatsApp for crypto applications, making blockchain accessible even to non-technical users (e.g., elderly).

Product and Market Opportunities in Fintech

Omar presents a framework plotting opportunity size against Web2 developer familiarity, highlighting five prioritized fintech opportunities Starknet developers can target:

Cross-border Payments (Highest Priority)
- Large market with high fees and inefficiencies in traditional remittances.
- Use cases like WhatsApp-integrated remittance bots offering gasless, stablecoin-based transfers with predictable, low fees.
- Examples include Dollar App (Latin America) which uses USDC/USDT behind the scenes to offer near-bank services with competitive exchange rates.
- Potential to expand into underserved regions like Africa, Brazil, India.
Bitcoin DeFi
- Over $2 trillion in idle Bitcoin capital represents a huge opportunity.
- Enable Bitcoin holders to use BTC as collateral for loans, earn interest, or stake BTC to secure the Starknet network.
- Ideas include one-click Bitcoin yield optimizers, native Bitcoin lending platforms, and BTC-backed stablecoins integrated with Lightning Network payments.
Mobile-First DeFi
- Most users globally rely on mobile devices; however, most DeFi platforms are desktop-centric.
- Build embedded wallets with biometric login and gasless transactions.
- Possible products: mobile savings apps, peer-to-peer payment systems using QR codes, micro-investment platforms for emerging markets.
AI-Powered Financial Services
- AI portfolio managers that rebalance based on market signals.
- Automated yield farming optimizers.
- Conversational trading interfaces where AI agents securely interact with on-chain protocols.
Identity and Compliance
- Digital identity solutions that preserve privacy using zero-knowledge proofs.
- Privacy-preserving credit scoring.
- Self-sovereign identity wallets.
- Starknet offers privacy tracks and workshops to support these developments.

Additional Use Case: Real Estate Crowdfunding

Example from Mexico where a fintech fractionalizes real estate investments offering 9-11% APR.
Opportunity to open this market to global crypto investors (e.g., Japanese, Koreans) via USDC or BTC, enabling cross-border capital flow into real estate with attractive yields.

Developer Support and Ecosystem

Hackathon Focus: The Re{solve} Hackathon is the entry point for developers to build MVPs in fintech using Starknet.
Learning Resources: Workshops, bootcamps (base camps), and mentorship are provided to help developers learn Cairo (Starknet’s programming language, Rust-like and safety-first) and build effectively.
Funding Opportunities:
- Seed grants of $25,000 (non-dilutive) for promising startups post-hackathon.
- Growth grants up to $1 million without equity.
- Connections to VC networks and accelerators ("startup houses") for scaling.
Community and Mentorship: Active Telegram groups, resources channels, and developer relations teams available to support ongoing development.
Open Track: While the focus is fintech, developers can build in gaming, privacy, or any other area within Starknet.

Summary of Recommendations

Focus on building fintech solutions that leverage Starknet’s unique technical advantages: speed, low cost, ease of use.
Prioritize cross-border payments and Bitcoin DeFi due to large market size and untapped potential.
Consider mobile-first DeFi and AI-powered financial services as growing opportunities.
Explore identity and compliance solutions with privacy-preserving technology.
Use the hackathon as a launchpad to build MVPs, gain mentorship, and access funding.
Innovate beyond provided ideas; the ecosystem encourages surprising and novel solutions.
Engage