VÚB Bank is among the top financial innovators

Global Finance magazine has announced the winners of the Top Financial Innovators for 2026 award for the thirteenth time. In the Central and Eastern Europe region, VÚB Bank, a member of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, was among the honored companies. It received the award for the Sofia project, which uses artificial intelligence to support financial advisory services.

Sofia is VÚB Bank’s unique digital solution built on artificial intelligence. It helps personal bankers better understand clients’ needs, prepare more relevant recommendations, and have more personalized conversations about finances.

Unlike typical chatbots, Sofia does not rely solely on pre-programmed responses. It can analyze the context of a client’s financial behavior and support the personal banker in finding solutions that are more understandable, useful, and tailored to the specific client’s needs. In practice, this reduces the time needed to prepare personal bankers, improves the quality of client conversations, and adds greater value to financial advisory services.

“Digital innovations using artificial intelligence are now a natural part of banking and significantly enhance the quality of the advice we can offer our clients. Our Sofia project enables us to provide solutions tailored to specific clients, allowing them to make better decisions with the support of their personal banker. The role of a bank is changing today—from financing to partnership. And that is exactly what we are striving for—to be a partner that helps clients make the right decisions,” says Jozef Kausich, CEO of VÚB Bank.

Global Finance’s “Top Financial Innovators” award recognizes organizations that bring new solutions, technologies, and tools to the financial sector. The winners in seven regions around the world were selected by the magazine’s editors from among the submitted projects. Reporters who are experts in the fields in which these innovators operate contributed to the selection.

“Innovation in banking and financial services is driven by advances in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital payments. This enables faster transactions, better risk management, and more personalized customer experiences,” said Joseph Giarraputo, founder and editor-in-chief of Global Finance, adding: “The award-winning innovators are driving this evolution forward and setting the pace at which the industry is moving toward a more dynamic and technologically advanced future.”