Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards 2026

Created in 2013, the Banking Innovation Awards are now recognized as the global benchmark for banking innovation.

Submit

In partnership with

Infosys Finacle

Inspiring better banking across 100+ countries.

View website

Innovation Awards Hub

About the awards

Banking is being redefined by bold ideas and breakthrough innovations. From reimagining customer experiences and launching new products to harnessing modern technologies, transforming operations, and advancing sustainability, banks around the world are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Now in its 13th edition, the Qorus–Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards celebrates the most impactful banking innovations emerging from across the globe. The program shines a spotlight on Next-Gen banking initiatives that push boundaries and set new benchmarks for what banking can achieve. Over the years, the awards have become a much-loved global platform for celebrating banking innovation—bringing together the industry’s brightest ideas, visionary innovators, and transformative initiatives that are shaping the next era of banking.

This year again, we would be pleased to recognize neobanks and fintech players with special awards across different categories.

Winners gallery

Our criteria

An innovation committee shortlists the best innovation in each category based on 4 criteria:

Originality: The uniqueness of the idea in the marketplace and its potential as a gamechanger.

Impact: The innovation’s capacity to generate a superior, long-term competitive edge. This includes KPIs such as RoI, NPS, cost reduction, churn rate, employee engagement score, customer lifetime value (CLV), time reduction, carbon footprint, etc.

Universality: The innovation’s potential to be relevant and/or adapted for use in other markets, or even industries.

Form quality: A detailed description of the project in its various phases, its results, and the addition of presentation slides, videos or images to visualize and better understand the project.

Key dates

Categories

Business Model Innovation

This category honors creative new strategies and initiatives that transform the bank’s business model to expand or redefine its role in the evolving ecosystem. This category aims to acknowledge banks that have spearheaded transformative efforts to compete in the realm of "new-age banking". This includes scaling novel models like a digital-first proposition, embracing embedded finance, marketplace banking, super apps, BaaS, API monetization, and alternate revenue models.

Customer Experience Innovation

This category showcases initiatives that leverage modern technologies and AI to reengineer customer experiences across digital and physical channels, including conversational banking, unified digital engagement, and seamless omnichannel journeys. It also recognizes impactful marketing, sales, and distribution innovations that create engaging brand experiences, optimize channels and advertising, and strengthen customer communication. Entries should demonstrate measurable impact on customer satisfaction, loyalty, retention, and advocacy.

Operational Transformation

This category awards banks that have successfully navigated complexities through process re-engineering and operational transformation, laying the foundation for profitable and resilient growth. Initiatives include scalable automation and process transformation that enhances efficiency, risk management, cybersecurity, and governance. The category also recognizes workforce transformation efforts that strengthen employee experience, reskilling, and organizational readiness for the future.

Social, Sustainable & Responsible Banking Innovation

This category honors banks that demonstrate leadership in ESG through responsible operations and innovative customer offerings. It recognizes initiatives that advance financial inclusion, rural banking, climate-linked financing, and measurable community impact. Entries should reflect a strong social purpose, commitment to sustainable growth, and meaningful support for customers and communities in their long-term journey.

Product and Service Innovation

AI-led Value Creation

This category recognizes pioneering AI-driven banking initiatives leveraging predictive, generative, and agentic AI to deliver substantial business value. It honors solutions that enhance operational effectiveness, decision-making, and customer experiences at scale, supported by robust data foundations. Entries must demonstrate measurable ROI and reflect strong responsible AI practices, including governance frameworks that ensure ethical, secure, and sustainable AI deployment.

Modern Tech Innovation of the Year

This category recognizes banks leveraging modern technologies to architect the future of banking. It celebrates impactful use of Blockchain, Open APIs, IoT, Mixed Reality, stablecoins, and digital assets to unlock new possibilities. The award also honors contemporary core transformation initiatives, including composable architectures and “hollowing the core” strategies that modernize infrastructure while enabling agility, scalability, and innovation at speed.

Transformative Innovator of the Year Closed for submission & Jury member choice

The winner is a bank or banking group that has successfully achieved a best-in-class transformation approach to create and deliver tangible value. Their corporate vision also commits it to continuous innovation and a journey of digital transformation to ensure the organization remains relevant, agile, and capable of adapting to the ever-evolving business landscape.

Business Banking Innovation

This category recognizes banks that are driving breakthrough business banking innovation and digitization across channels, cash management, payments, treasury, trade and supply chain finance, and similar areas. It showcases banks driving such digital innovation to deliver tailored, efficient solutions enabling SMEs, mid-sized businesses, and large corporates.