Qorus and Accenture Announce Winners of 2022 Banking Innovation Awards

Qorus, a global association for retail financial institutions, and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced the winners of the ninth annual Qorus-Accenture Banking Innovation Awards during a live ceremony in Barcelona.

The awards serve as a catalyst for innovation in the banking sector by honoring the best ideas and practices transforming the industry for the benefit of banks and customers alike.

The awards competition attracted more than 680 entries from 57 countries, with applicants ranging from agile start-ups to the world's largest financial institutions. Winners were selected across eight categories through a peer-based voting process combined with a panel of judges from leading global financial firms. Criteria that judges considered included originality; strategic capacity to generate a long-term competitive edge and return on investment; and adaptability for use in other markets and countries.

The winners of the Qorus-Accenture Banking Innovation Awards 2022 are:

• DBS Group (Singapore) ? was named Global Innovator 2022 for its inspiring approach to industrializing innovation across the organization. DBS´s digital innovation efforts produced more than 20 solutions, including DBS Digital Exchange, a chatbot with deep sentiment analysis. The company also leveraged artificial intelligence and machine learning in many digital offerings, including a comprehensive digital training platform, Client Connect.
• CaixaBank (Spain) ? received the Analytics & Artificial Intelligence award for its Nao voice-activated banking channel, which adapts the style and content of its conversations to each customer. Nao allows customers to access their accounts by using a mobile app, website, smart speaker, contact center and online messaging service and issue instructions by voice or text. It can engage in natural language conversations that address all of CaixaBank's products and services.
• KEB Hana Bank (South Korea) ? won the Digital Marketing & Sales award for the My Branch platform, which allows the bank's managers and tellers to tailor the characteristics of a digital version of their branch to suit the specific requirements of customers. The platform also enables the bank to build digital branches to serve specific groups of customers such as students, members of special interest groups, or employees of a particular company.
• KBC GROUP (Belgium) ? received the Future Workforce award for an intelligent digital assistant, Kate for Employees, that guides staff when they work with the bank's customer relationship management applications. The solution, which has increased staff productivity and reduced sales costs, uses artificial intelligence to help employees receive incoming calls, prepare for appointments, and inform customers about new products and services.
• HSBC (United Kingdom) ? won the Offering Innovation award for its Fraud and Cyber Awareness App, which informs retail and business customers about the latest fraud trends, scams and cyberattacks and recommends measures to protect them from such hazards. The free app is available in the U.K., UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Turkey.
• Fiat24 (Switzerland) ? was named the winner of the Neobanks & Specialized Players award. Fiat24 is a Web3 banking ecosystem that allows account holders to access assets and perform multi-currency transactions by using a non-fungible token (NFT). The ecosystem, which runs on the Ethereum blockchain, also comprises its own metaverse in which Fiat24 customers can establish a presence by buying virtual land.
• Banco do Brasil (Brazil) ? won the Reimagining the Customer Experience award for advancing its commitment to Open Finance by giving its customers the ability to use the WhatsApp messaging service to give their consent to the regulated sharing of their data.
• Banco Pichincha (Ecuador) ? won the Social, Sustainable & Responsible Banking award for its Digital Microcredit solution, which helps small-scale entrepreneurs issue loans quickly and without the need for supporting documents or guarantors. To protect borrowers from becoming over-indebted, the digital microcredit facility includes links to the bank's online financial education offerings.

"The Qorus-Accenture Banking Innovation Awards aim to foster meaningful innovation within the sector by rewarding impactful ideas and sharing successful experiences," said John Berry, Qorus CEO. "We are seeing a continuous transition from transactional-based financial institutions to data-driven organizations, which is critical for improving customer services. At the same time, banks are focusing their efforts on enhancing the customer experience: simplifying processes, personalizing offers, and enabling end-to-end self-service. We also, encouragingly, witness an undeniable willingness within banks to tackle environmental and societal improvement."

David Cordero, who leads Accenture's European Banking practice, said, "This year's winners illustrate how banks are embracing technology to create new business models and transform the way products and services are delivered. Given the current macro environment, we think rising interest rates could be the next innovation catalyst for the industry, spurring banks to reimagine deposit accounts and other product lines to focus on the broad financial needs of customers."

To find out more about the award-winning innovations, follow the conversation on LinkedIn at #BankAwards22 or visit www.bankinginnovation.qorusglobal.com.

About Qorus
A global non-profit association established in 1971 by banks and insurance companies, Qorus (formerly known as Efma) helps its members to reinvent themselves to thrive ? to go further, be faster and work together. Its global ecosystem brings valuable insights, inspiring events, rich data, and active global communities all in one place.

With over 50 years of experience, Qorus provides a neutral space for best-practice sharing and collaboration, while offering diverse knowledge and a global reach ? to more than 1200 financial groups in 120+ countries. Headquartered in Paris, Qorus serves financial institutions on all continents, with offices in Andorra, Bangkok, Bratislava, Brussels, Dubai, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, London, Milan, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Learn more at www.qorusglobal.com.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Technology and Operations services and Accenture Song ? all powered by the world's largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 721,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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