TEAM ALACARD CLINCHES RUNNER UP TITLE AT NEXG GODAMLAH 2.0 SMART ID HACKATHON

USM, Penang, 11 January 2026 - Team AlaCard, a joint team from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), emerged as the runner up in the Security Track category at the NexG GodamLah 2.0 Smart ID Hackathon Grand Finale held recently.

The team outperformed most of the 701 participants representing 186 teams to secure a place among the top nine finalists before clinching second place overall. The achievement earned them a cash prize of RM1,000.

The competition, held at Cyberview, Cyberjaya, was organised by Kolaxus and NexG Berhad in collaboration with the USM Cybersecurity Research Centre (CYRES) and Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM).

The team’s success was driven by the guidance of Ts. Dr. Mohd Najwadi Yusoff, as well as early advisory support from Associate Professor Dr. Aman Jantan from the School of Computer Sciences, which helped shape the direction of the project.

Team AlaCard comprises Gan Min Hui from the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, USM; Koh Kean Hoe, Ernest Lim Shun Hang and Zoe Chan Zi Yi from the School of Computer Sciences, USM; and Choong Kar Jun from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering Mechatronics, UTM.

Their innovation, AlaCard or Privacy Preserving Eligibility Verification, is a high impact digital security solution that enables the verification of eligibility for government subsidies or assistance without exposing sensitive personal data.

By leveraging Zero Knowledge Proofs and asymmetric cryptography based on Public Key Infrastructure, the system can mathematically verify a user’s eligibility in a simple yes or no outcome without requiring the sharing of MyKad numbers or income details.

The solution is expected to reduce subsidy leakages and identity fraud by 70 to 90 per cent, while also supporting MyDigital ID integration and physical MyKad biometric verification.

Text: Gan Min Hui / Photo: Courtesy of NexG GodamLah 2.0