Warsaw, Poland – November 25, 2025 – The 11th annual CEE SME Banking Conference brought together over 110 SME bankers, fintechs and tech companies from the CEE region. 30 speakers from 13 countries shared their view and experience in digital SME banking and finance in the region. The event featured dynamic panel discussions, practical case studies, and an awards ceremony recognizing the best SME banking and technology solutions in CEE. Olena Gryniuk(CEE Director at SME Banking Club) hosted the whole event.
Conference Highlights
The conference focused on digital transformation, AI adoption, personalization of SME offer, seamless onboarding of SME customers, Digital SME Lending and Risk Management, and embedded SME lending, offering actionable insights for banks and fintechs navigating a rapidly evolving landscape.
Key Panels and Discussions
- AI in SME Banking
Moderated by Diederick van Thiel (CEO, Advicerobo), this panel examined the practical impact of AI on SME banking and honest discussion about the real challenges and obstacles in AI implementation.
Wojciech Nowak (Software Delivery Director at Asseco Poland), Mohamad Khalili (Sales Director for CEE at Backbase, Netherlands), and Máté Jendrolovics (CEO at Intuitech, Hungary) presented their use cases of AI applications in banking operations, including the usage of AI agents in the SME lending process. Paweł Jaszewski (Customer Lifecyle Tribe at BNP Paribas Bank Polska) shared with the audience how they apply AI in their organization.
Main Takeaway: AI is no longer experimental—banks are shifting from pilots to real business value. According to the joint SME Banking Club & Asseco Poland’s report (download here: ), 15% of banks in the CEE region broadly use AI in their daily operations, 33% have implemented several use cases, and another 33% are experimenting with or pivoting AI applications.
- Personalization of SME Banking Offers
Led by Olena Gryniuk (SME Banking Club), this session highlighted personalization as a key competitive advantage. Živana Domazet (Head of Marketing at NF Innova), Andras Rung (CEO at Ergomania), and Luis Rodriguez (Product Evangelist at Strands) shared the following thoughts on the topic:
- To personalize the offer, banks should understand SMEs’ needs in detail, make use of the data they have, and leverage data for real-time, contextual offers.
- Balancing personalization with privacy concerns is key. Customers are getting ready to give access to their data if they see real benefit for themselves.
- Discussed practical steps for banks to start personalization using SME ecosystems
- Takeaway: Progress on personalizing SME offer remains slow in the region, but personalization is critical for differentiation and growth.
- Seamless Digital Onboarding
Moderated by Kamila Wincenciak, this panel, featuring Václav Mladěnka (Mobile security & digital identity Business Leader at Monet+, Czechia), Wojciech Widenka (Client Onboarding Director at ING Bank Poland), Benia Sereda (Product Owner (Digital SME Banking at Santander Bank Poland), addressed the state of digital onboarding in CEE and envisioned the future:
- 60% of banks offer digital onboarding for sole proprietors, but legal entities still face branch-based processes
- ING Bank Poland stands out as a pioneer, enabling onboarding for companies with up to three owners
Takeaway: Full digital onboarding for SMEs requires integrated identity solutions and streamlined authentication under PSD3.
- 4. Digital SME Lending and Risk Management
Sergii Demchuk (CEO & Co-founder at Novalend) shared the details of their digital SME lending process, which they built in Poland.
Christian Ruehmer (CEO at Q-Lana) didn’t just cover the main components of good SME Risk Management (data management, risk appetite, and customer-centric approach) but also shared real examples of how AI empowers relationship managers, strengthens portfolio oversight, and improves early-warning detection.
Tim Mussche (EMEA Director at nCino) continued the topic of AI application in digital SME lending processes and how it can enhance strategic decision-making, optimize risk management, and improve customer satisfaction, as well as how AI agents can help eliminate manual work.
Kamil Gosławski (Head of Banking and Insurance at CRIF Poland) focused on automated real-time risk assessment for SMEs and how CRIF can help banks in that process.
Julija Varneckienė (COO at CapitalBox) shared their experience with AI-driven risk assessment and digitalization of SME lending process in Capitalbox, and the future of frictionless lending.
Michal Pawlik moderated the session.
This discussion also revealed that:
- 43% of lenders offer online/mobile loan applications in the CEE region, and 26% have fully automated SME lending processes
- Automation is crucial for cost-effective small-ticket lending and expedited access to financing.
- Embedded SME Lending
Moderated by Katalin Kauzli (PartnerHUB), this panel showcased how lending is being integrated into SME platforms like ERPs and e-commerce, and also online and mobile banking applications. Case studies from Lemonero (The Czech Republic), Raiffeisen Bank Serbia, and Banca Transilvania (Romania) demonstrated:
- Embedded lending accelerates adoption and improves customer experience
- Strategic partnerships and ecosystems are essential for success
Takeaway: Embedded lending is the next frontier for SME finance.
- SME Service Models
The final panel, led by Olena Gryniuk, with participation of Rafal Neska (Co-founder at WiseRabbit, Poland), Dan Emilian Croitoru (Business Partner at Erste Group Bank, Austria), Thorsten Seeger (Member of the Management Board at SME Bank, Lithuania), Magdalena Brzozowska-Tomczyk (Head of SME Marketing at Bank Millennium, Poland), the panel explored what is the best SME service model which works now and which will define the future. Key insights:
- SMEs today are served through digital channels, relationship managers, and hybrid models.
- To make RMs effective, advanced CRM tools are required to deliver personalized service.
- Digital channels are most effective when offers are seamlessly integrated into SME workflows.
Takeaway: The future is a mix of automation, personalization, and ecosystem-driven engagement.
Awards Ceremony
The day concluded with the CEE SME Banking & Tech Awards at Skyfall Warsaw, celebrating the most innovative solutions in SME banking and technology across the region.
The results of the CEE SME Banking Awards are based on our author’s research – the SME Banking Studies and rankings.
Meet our Winners!
Best Online Banking for SMEs. CEE 2025 – Pekao bank, Poland
Best Digital SME Customer Onboarding. CEE 2025 – ING Bank Poland
Best Mobile Banking for SMEs. CEE 2025 – Raiffeisenbank Česká republika
Best Digital SME Ecosystem. CEE 2025 – BT Go, Banca Transilvania (Romania)
Best Digital SME Lending (Legal Entities), Banks. CEE 2025 – ING Bank Poland
Best Digital SME Lending (Private Entrepreneurs), Banks. CEE 2025:
Raiffeisenbank Austria d.d. Zagreb
Raiffeisen banka a.d. Beograd
Pekao bank (Poland)
ING Bank Poland
Best Digital SME Lending, Fintechs. CEE 2025:
Novalend (Poland)
Omnicredit (Romania), part of Pragma Group
Best Embedded SME Lending, Banks. CEE 2025 – ĆSOB
Best Embedded SME Lending, FinTechs. CEE 2025:
Lemonero (The Czech Republic) – for Merchant Finance product
PragmaGo – for PragmaPay (BNPL for B2B)
Congratulations!
For the third year in a row, we award not only banks and fintechs in the CEE region but also tech companies – our Partners with the help of open voting.
Meet our Winners!
Best Digital Banking Platform. CEE 2025 – Backbase
Best Digital ID & Customer Authentication. CEE 2025 – Monet+
Best SME Lending Software. CEE 2025 – Intuitech
Best AI–tool for SME Banking. CEE 2025 – nCino
Best E-invoicing Solution. CEE 2025 – PartnerHUB
SME Banking Club sincerely congratulates the Winners!
For more pictures, go to our Flickr page.
Watch the full Awards Ceremony:
SME Banking Club thanks all our Partners for their cooperation and support!
Next Year:
Save the date for CEE26 SME Banking Conference & Awards on November 26, 2026. Location to be announced soon.
