Welcome SME Banking Awards 2024

The awards recognized outstanding achievements and contributions in SME banking, celebrating the best of the best. The 3rd edition of the awards had garnered significant attention, with numerous deserving recipients recognized for their excellence in serving small and medium-sized enterprises.

Current phase

Ceremony phase

Who made it to TOP 3?

Our Awards shortlisting process involves a panel of independent experts who carefully examined all submissions we received during the open submission  phase. The experts shortlisted the entries in each category, and the nominees were published online on our website. Who made it to TOP 3? We unveiled the winners during Reinvent Forum in Milan on 15 June 2023. 

We are currently working on the timeline for the 2024 edition of the Awards. Stay tuned to find out more information about the categories and deadlines, which we will share soon!

 

 

 

Banks and bankers had the opportunity to showcase their skills and shine brightly in the industry. The awards recognized outstanding achievements and contributions in SME banking, celebrating the best of the best. The 3rd edition of the awards had garnered significant attention, with numerous deserving recipients recognized for their excellence in serving small and medium-sized enterprises. These awards are a platform for industry professionals to come together, exchange ideas, and inspire each other for future advancements in SME banking.

2023 Awards timeline

We are calling all leaders,innovators and institutions in the SME banking space! It's time to show off your skills and shine bright in the industry.

Our internal committee has reviewed all profiles and shortlisted the final list of nominees in each category. Nominee profiles are now be published!

Everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute to selecting this year's winners! Whether you choose to vote in one, two, or all three categories, the power is in your hands. Feel free to return and submit your vote at any time during the voting phase. Your voice matters in shaping the outcome of this prestigious event!

We unveiled the winners during Reinvent Forum in Milan on 15 June 2023.

Meet the winners of 3rd edition!

SME Neobank of the Year 2023

1st
Allica Bank
Conrad Ford is Chief Product & Strategy Officer at Allica Bank, a British modern relationship bank,...
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2nd
OakNorth Bank
We often read that the offers of traditional banks are not adapted enough to SMEs. So,...
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3rd
Validus Capital
Based in Singapore, Validus offers a “business account that does it all” in Southeast Asia. We...
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SME Banker of the Year 2023

1st
Jenine Zachar Head: Enterprise & Direct Banking Segment Standard Bank
Despite experience in teaching, communications, consulting, process engineering, and digital solutioning, I’m constantly surprised that my...
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2nd
Michal Boleslawski Global Head of Business Banking ING GROUP
He is responsible for corporate banking (SME/MC/SEM) in all markets where the group has such operations:...
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3rd
Julie Hall Veterans Business Banker CBA - Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Julie Hall is a resilient, energetic, self-driven and customer-centric SME Banker at the Commonwealth Bank of...
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SME Bank of the Year 2023

1st
Starling Bank
Banking was broken – so we decided to fix it. The vision? Fast technology, fair service...
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2nd
CBA - Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Commonwealth Bank is Australia’s leading business bank, supporting Australians to start, run and grow their business...
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3rd
Akbank
Akbank was founded in Turkey on 1948, as a privately-owned commercial bank, and continues to serve...
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Vote now!

Your voice plays a crucial role in shaping the outcome of these Awards. Together, we can make a significant impact on the final results and determine the deserving winners of SME Banking Awards 2023.

Vote is now closed! Come back later to see the winners

SME Neoplayer of the Year 2023

We are introducing neobanks or challenger players established within last 10 years who are on their way to make a significant impact on the banking industry over the next 5 years by providing improved user experience and more accessible financial services.

Conrad Ford is Chief Product & Strategy Officer at Allica Bank, a British modern relationship bank, committed to empowering established SMEs to succeed. He tells us more about the bank's positioning a...
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We often read that the offers of traditional banks are not adapted enough to SMEs. So, we set out to discover new players dedicated to SMEs. Federico Sforza, CEO of Banca AideXa, gives us his point of...
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kompasbank is a Denmark-based neobank for SMEs that began operating in full in January 2022 and currently operates in Denmark, Germany and Spain. We interviewed its Founder and Co-CEO Michael Hurup An...
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We often read that the offers of traditional banks are not adapted enough to SMEs. So, we set out to discover new players dedicated to SMEs. Rajesh Gupta, CFO of OakNorth Bank, gives us his point of v...
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We often read that the offers of traditional banks are not adapted enough to SMEs. So, we set out to discover new players dedicated to SMEs. Doris Messina, CEO and Founder of Tot, gives us her point o...
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Based in Singapore, Validus offers a “business account that does it all” in Southeast Asia. We interviewed Vikas Nahata, their Co-Founder and Executive Chairman.
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We often read that the offers of traditional banks are not adapted enough to SMEs. So, we set out to discover new players dedicated to SMEs. Jayesh Patel, Chief Executive Officer at Wio Bank, gives us...
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SME Bank of the Year 2023

These outstanding banks have demonstrated innovative and digital offerings that are designed to meet the unique needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, whether it's through new financial products, digital banking services, or exceptional customer support.

Akbank was founded in Turkey on 1948, as a privately-owned commercial bank, and continues to serve its customers in the fields of corporate and investment banking, commercial banking, SME banking, con...
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Commonwealth Bank is Australia’s leading business bank, supporting Australians to start, run and grow their business for over a century. With more than one million small, medium and commercial busines...
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Emirates NBD Group serves its customers (individuals, businesses, governments, and institutions) and helps them realise their financial objectives through a range of banking products and services incl...
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KBC is an integrated bank-insurer, with a leading position in our home markets in Belgium and Central and Eastern Europe, with a selective presence in the rest of the world. At KBC, we put the client...
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Why we're here: We're here to serve customers well and help our communities prosper. We're more than 32,000 colleagues, supporting more than eight and a half million customers in Australia and oversea...
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Since its incorporation in 1952 as Kuwait’s first indigenous bank and the first shareholding company in the entire Gulf region, NBK has been known as ‘The Bank You Know and Trust’. Thanks to the recog...
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We are a South African (SA) based financial service provider, with presence in Southern, East, West and Central Africa, who is passionate about Small Business: A bank where small business is a BIG dea...
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Banking was broken – so we decided to fix it. The vision? Fast technology, fair service and honest values, all at the tap of a phone, all the time. Once we'd secured our banking licence, we set about...
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TBC Bank is a leading company in the region. It is distinguished with its utmost care for its clients, constant striving for novelty and everlasting pursuit for development. Success of TBC bank is con...
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UnionBank embraces the future of banking and is committed to be the Philippines’ leading digital bank to best serve the growing needs of Filipinos everywhere. The Bank has always been among the first...
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SME Banker of the Year 2023

We are introducing the nominees for SME Banker of the Year - bold and innovative leaders who have made it their professional mission to serve SMEs. With a passion for helping SME business owners succeed, these nominees have inspired their team members to do the same. Their dedication to the SME segment has made a significant difference in this vital sector of the economy, making them a standout leader in the world of SME banking. Get to know this exceptional nominee and be inspired by their commitment to serving SMEs!

António Fery Antunes Head of Direct Channels for SME and Corporates Millennium BCP
António Fery Antunes is theHead of Direct Channels for SME and Corporates at Millennium bcp, which develops the digital value proposition for Business Customers. At Millennium bcp since 1995, worked a...
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Bülent Oğuz Executive VP SME Banking & Chief Diversity Officer Akbank
Bülent Oğuz joined Akbank in March 2003 and served as Vice President and Senior Vice President of SME and Consumer Banking respectively. Oğuz was appointed as Executive Vice President in charge of SME...
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Carlo Panella Head of b-ilty Division ILLIMITY GROUP
Carlo is a management engineer with a managerial background focused on transformation, starting in multinational companies such as DHL and Vodafone. In 2000, he joined WeBank, transforming it into a...
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Jaya Balan Kathiravalu Head of SME Banking Malaysia, Group Commercial Banking CIMB
KJ Balan is the Head of SME Banking, Group Commercial Banking, CIMB Bank Bhd, Malaysia. He has over 30 years’ experience in banking. He started his career as a junior banker, as an operation executive...
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Jenine Zachar Head: Enterprise & Direct Banking Segment Standard Bank
Despite experience in teaching, communications, consulting, process engineering, and digital solutioning, I’m constantly surprised that my career of choice turned out to be Business Banking. Working w...
View more
Julie Hall Veterans Business Banker CBA - Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Julie Hall is a resilient, energetic, self-driven and customer-centric SME Banker at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia well-known for a combination of robust leadership capabilities, superior communi...
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Michal Boleslawski Global Head of Business Banking ING GROUP
He is responsible for corporate banking (SME/MC/SEM) in all markets where the group has such operations: from Benelux to Germany, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Australia. From 01.2021 till 12.2022 Head...
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Voting criteria

Originality

Why is the solution different? How inventive, innovative, unique and distinguished is the solution in the market?

Internationality

Performance at the cross-country level, the degree of internalization

Impact – Traction

Is the solution capable of generating significant revenue and have strong traction?

Business Potential - Pain solver

How big and important is the business problem and the level of pain being solved? Is this solution going to solve it at scale?

Wow factor

How excited are you about the project?

Meet the jury members

profile picture of Agnieszka Wolska

Agnieszka Wolska

BNP Paribas (Poland)

Vice President of the Management Board, responsible for SME and Corporate Area

profile picture of Andrii Hidulian

Andrii Hidulian

Raiffeisen Bank International

SME Segment Lead

profile picture of Arild Langberg Johannessen

Arild Langberg Johannessen

SpareBank 1 SR-Bank

Director Strategy & Business Development SME

profile picture of DC Lim

DC Lim

UOB

Group Head, BizSmart and Ecosystem

profile picture of Dhiraj Kunwar

Dhiraj Kunwar

Rakbank

Managing Director,SME Business,Commercial Banking , Asset Backed/Real Estate Finance

profile picture of Don Ludlow

Don Ludlow

Royal Bank of Canada

Vice President Small Business, Business Financial Services Strategy & Partnerships

profile picture of Han Peng Kwang

Han Peng Kwang

Wing Bank

Chief Executive Officer at Wing Bank

profile picture of Helene Panzarino

Helene Panzarino

The London Institute of Banking & Finance

Associate Director, Centre for Digital Banking and Finance

profile picture of Jack de Mooij

Jack de Mooij

Rabobank

Directeur MKB, Head of SME, Commercial Banking

profile picture of José De Souza

José De Souza

Banco Pichincha

Product owner

profile picture of Juan Huitz

Juan Huitz

Erste Group

Corporate Business Partner

profile picture of Ken Burke

Ken Burke

Qorus

SME Banking Community Chairman & Senior Advisor

profile picture of Lukas Dzuroska

Lukas Dzuroska

Qorus

Head of Communities

profile picture of Magdalena Zmitrowicz

Magdalena Zmitrowicz

Bank Pekao

Deputy CEO

profile picture of Marcus O'Toole

Marcus O'Toole

Senior Vice President Global SME Segment Solution's & Distribution

profile picture of Martin Hyde

Martin Hyde

J.P. Morgan

Executive Director

profile picture of Özkan Erener

Özkan Erener

VeriPark

CEO

profile picture of Rajeev Chalisgaonkar

Rajeev Chalisgaonkar

Mashreq

Executive VP, Head of Business Banking & NeoBiz

profile picture of Sofia Wallén

Sofia Wallén

Swedbank

Head of Segment LCI and Head of Strategic Client Interaction & Event

profile picture of Stergios Zlatanos

Stergios Zlatanos

Piraeus Bank

Head of Business Banking

profile picture of Gábor Tenke

Gábor Tenke

MKB Bank

Director of SME Strategy

profile picture of Zubair Ahmed

Zubair Ahmed

VeriPark

Managing Director, MEA

Join our live event

Award ceremony

Join us at Reinvent Forum Milan as we celebrate the TOP 3 in each category and announce the winners!

Relive the last year's awards

Rewatch last year's online ceremony to relive the excitement of the winners' announcement, gain inspiration from the guest speeches, and learn valuable insights from the panel discussions with the esteemed jury members!

Reach out to us if you have any questions or issues!

profile picture of Miroslava Tokarova

Miroslava Tokarova

Qorus

Communities Manager

profile picture of Dorota Valkova

Dorota Valkova

Qorus

Communities Manager