Reporting Session for “Bloomberg Kyushu Code Crunch 2025”

On January 26, 2026, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) hosted a reporting session on “Bloomberg Code Crunch 2025.” Code Crunch is a hands-on program in which participants use Bloomberg’s data analytics platform BQuant and financial datasets to develop and present applications or services within a set timeframe.
For this year’s program, students from APU and the Kyushu Institute of Technology formed a joint team and tackled a challenge presented by Oita Bank related to qualitative risk analysis using news data on the bank’s equity investment division. The team developed a highly advanced application capable of predicting financial market movements using news sentiment datasets, ultimately winning the Grand Prize. The reporting session brought together approximately 30 participants, including Mr. Norman L. Tweeboom, Japan Country Manager at Bloomberg L.P.

At the opening of the event, Mr. Tweeboom addressed the students by reflecting on his own career: “Throughout my career, I have worked with banks, government agencies, and service providers around the world, including here in Japan. In today’s era of increasing uncertainty, what matters most is innovation, decision-making capability, and resilience. Transformation cannot be driven unilaterally—it begins with listening, understanding challenges on the ground, and working together. As AI and digital technologies rapidly evolve, my message to you is simple: Stay curious. Stay hungry. I believe that a commitment to continuous learning is what will allow you to thrive in a time of change and help shape the future of Japan and the next generation.”

Following his remarks, Bloomberg representatives introduced the company’s initiatives, including the Bloomberg Kyushu Code Crunch program: “Bloomberg integrates comprehensive market data, including equities, fixed income, FX, commodities, economic indicators, and corporate financials, with cutting-edge technologies such as AI to support analytics and workflow optimization. This initiative in Kyushu marks the first time in Code Crunch history that students and a financial institution collaborated to develop an application. The program aims to contribute to regional talent development while supporting local financial institutions through the use of BQuant Desktop. In response to the risk management challenge presented by Oita Bank, the students developed a market prediction and visualization tool using news sentiment data and machine learning.”

The student team that received the Grand Prize then presented their application. Participants shared reflections such as “Even without prior knowledge of finance or programming, a small spark of curiosity was enough to take on the challenge” and “This was a practical learning experience beyond what we could gain from regular university coursework.”

Students also emphasized how the program taught them the importance of continuous learning, noting that “starting from not knowing is normal,” and that ongoing effort leads to growth. Faculty advisors highlighted the value of collaboration between students with technical expertise and those driven by curiosity and motivation, expressing high expectations for future value creation through similar initiatives.