Building Boldly in Rome: NUS Fintech Society Wins Big at ETHRome 25
When five members of the NUS Fintech Society touched down in Rome this October, they carried not just laptops, but the quiet ambition to make their mark on one of Europe’s most respected blockchain hackathons: ETHRome 25.
Three days later, they did just that. Competing as solo developers among more than 120 participants, the team brought home four awards across sponsor challenges – a remarkable feat that spotlighted both their technical talent and resilience.
A hackathon build “by builders, for builders”
Billed as “the leading ETHalian hackathon crafted by builders, for builders”, ETHRome 25 took place at Talent Garden Roma from 17-19 October 2025. The event gathered developers from across the world to tackle Web3’s biggest questions – from AI integration and decentralised (DeFi) to data privacy – with a prize pool exceeding US$60,000.
Representing NUS were:
- Chu Wei Rong – Year 4, Computer Science
- Poh Say Kong – Year 4, Computer Science
- Jeriel Chan Zhi Yang – Year 4, Computer Science
- Jefferson Lee Chun Yin – Year 4, Business Analytics
- Lim Teng Hong (Kevin) – Year 3, Information Security
Coding without sleep, fuelled by pizza and adrenaline
The hackathon officially began on the evening of 17 October, but the students had started brainstorming weeks earlier – connecting with mentors and sponsors such as Civic, iExec, ENS, and Base to explore problem statements and technical details.
“The final night before the deadline was a true test of endurance,” recalled Wei Rong, Blockchain Co-Director of NUS Fintech Society. “We barely slept, pushing to get our products fully functional. But when everything came together at the last moment, it was incredibly rewarding.”
By Sunday morning, after more than 24 hours without sleep – and countless cups of coffee – all five members had working projects ready to present.
Turning code into reality
Each student competed solo, tackling a different challenge. Collectively, their efforts earned:
- 1st Place (Civic) – Smart Nexus by Jefferson Lee
- 2nd Place (Civic) – Munus by Jeriel Chan
- 3rd Place (iExec) – ExecSwap by Poh Say Keong
- ENS Pool Prize – Trick or TrETH by Chu Wei Rong
Their fifth project, BasePay MiniApp by Lim Teng Hong (Kevin), added to the team’s diverse showcase of blockchain solutions.
“Across the three days, I attended workshops and refined my project based on sponsor feedback,” said Jeriel Chan, whose Munus platform connects freelancers and clients through AI agents and blockchain-secured payments. “As the saying goes – Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Munus was built in three.”
Competing in the heart of Web3 Europe
What struck the team most was the energy of the European blockchain scene.
“The Web3 community in Italy is very competitive,” said Jefferson Lee, whose Smart Nexus won Civic’s top prize. “There was even a month-long ‘hack village’ before the event where local hackers trained together. It pushed us to innovate boldly to stand out.”
Say Keong’s ExecSwap earned third place under iExec for introducing privacy-preserving DeFi protocols using cryptographic commitments.
“Through experimentation, I learnt how trusted execution environments can power new privacy solutions for DApps,” he said.
Wei Rong’s Halloween-inspired Trick or TreTH – an on-chain trick-or-treat game – won an ENS Pool Prize for its creative take on blockchain community engagement.
Beyond the code
After submitting their projects, the students celebrated the only way one should in Rome – with a sunset stroll to the Colosseum and “the best carbonara ever”.
“ETHRome opened my eyes to how developers are using AI to accelerate project building,” said Wei Rong. “Since execution is becoming easier with AI, creativity and critical thinking now matter more than ever.”
“Participating in ETHRome expanded my understanding of DeFi,” added Say Keong. “It was a chance to apply what we’ve learnt at NUS to real-world challenges and connect with people across the global blockchain community.”
The NUS Fintech Society’s success at ETHRome 25 reflects its growing presence in the global hackathon circuit, following previous outings such as ETHOxford. It reinforces NUS School of Computing’s reputation for nurturing technically skilled, forward-thinking innovators – and showcases how cross-disciplinary collaboration between computing and business students continues to power Singapore’s fintech future.
From sleepless nights in Talent Garden Roma to wins across multiple sponsor challenges, the experience captured what NUS Fintech Society stands for – building boldly, thinking critically, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
