Awards for Excellence national winners 2026: Kosovo’s best retail bank

ProCredit Bank Kosova experienced accelerated client growth in 2025, driven by enhancements to its digital onboarding, product offerings and everyday banking experiences.
A fully digital onboarding journey was introduced, allowing end‑to‑end remote account opening and significantly reducing friction for new clients, while a redesigned mobile banking application became the primary service channel with faster navigation and integrated features such as Shake‑to‑Pay, transfer‑by‑phone functionality and in‑app referrals.
The rollout of Apple Pay extended international standard mobile payments to retail customers, alongside the launch of the TOP credit card, which expanded unsecured payment options and supported higher card usage across the customer base. Product rationalisation also advanced through targeted packages, including a cost‑free everyday banking offer, contributing to a 40% increase in newly acquired retail customers year-on-year.
The bank paired these customer‑facing changes with investment in lending infrastructure, progressing a new loan origination system to standardise and accelerate credit decisions, while maintaining partnerships with housing developers to support mortgage flows. The flagship Pako Zero offer provides a transparent, cost‑free everyday banking solution that supports strong customer acquisition and improved the overall client experience.
Digital reliability and security were strengthened through enhanced system architecture, biometric authentication and real‑time transaction monitoring, reducing service interruptions and contributing to increased use of digital channels.
Segment‑specific propositions spanning students, salary clients and affluent customers drove higher engagement and product uptake across the retail base. This was reinforced by targeted cashback campaigns, retail discount partnerships and lifestyle benefits, including transport discounts, back‑to‑school offers, electronics retailer partnerships and festival ticket giveaways.

Facts Only

* ProCredit Bank Kosova experienced accelerated client growth in 2025.
* A fully digital onboarding journey was introduced for remote account opening.
* A redesigned mobile banking application became the primary service channel.
* The mobile application integrated Shake-to-Pay, transfer-by-phone functionality, and in-app referrals.
* Apple Pay extended international standard mobile payments to retail customers.
* The TOP credit card was launched, expanding unsecured payment options.
* Product rationalization included a cost-free everyday banking offer.
* Newly acquired retail customers increased by 40% year-on-year.
* A new loan origination system was progressed to standardize and accelerate credit decisions.
* Partnerships were maintained with housing developers to support mortgage flows.
* Digital reliability was strengthened via enhanced system architecture, biometric authentication, and real-time transaction monitoring.
* Segment-specific propositions targeted students, salary clients, and affluent customers.

Executive Summary

ProCredit Bank Kosova saw accelerated client growth in 2025, resulting from improvements in digital onboarding, product offerings, and banking experiences. The bank introduced a fully digital onboarding process for remote account opening to reduce friction for new clients. A redesigned mobile banking application became the primary service channel, incorporating features like Shake-to-Pay, transfer-by-phone functionality, and in-app referrals. International payments were expanded via Apple Pay, and unsecured payment options increased with the launch of the TOP credit card. Product rationalization included cost-free everyday banking offers. These changes contributed to a 40% year-on-year increase in newly acquired retail customers. The bank simultaneously invested in lending infrastructure by progressing a new loan origination system and maintained housing developer partnerships for mortgage flows. Security was enhanced through improved architecture, biometric authentication, and real-time monitoring of transactions. Segment-specific propositions targeting students, salary clients, and affluent customers increased engagement, supported by targeted cashback campaigns and lifestyle benefits like transport discounts.

Full Take

The narrative frames growth as a direct consequence of digital transformation coupled with operational refinement in lending. The pattern observed is the leveraging of technological friction reduction (digital onboarding, mobile UX) not just for customer acquisition but as a foundation for deeper service integration and risk management (loan origination systems, biometric security). This suggests that efficiency gains are being strategically reinvested into core banking functions rather than remaining siloed in the front-end experience. The focus on segment-specific propositions demonstrates an understanding that a monolithic offering is insufficient; success lies in tailoring value propositions to distinct customer needs. A key tension emerges between the expansive, frictionless pursuit of retail growth and the underlying necessary complexity introduced by sophisticated risk infrastructure like the new loan system. The implication for agency is whether this accelerated expansion is sustainable or if it masks potential structural vulnerabilities arising from rapidly deployed digital systems. What role does the investment in lending infrastructure play in ensuring the quality of the newly acquired customer base? What are the unseen costs associated with achieving these growth metrics?