RESPECT Becomes a Partner of the Prestigious Mastercard Bank of the Year 2025 Awards

On November 27, the gala evening of the 24th annual Mastercard Bank of the Year awards took place at the Municipal House in Prague. The event attracted hundreds of representatives from banks, insurance companies, fintech firms, and the broader professional community to celebrate the best institutions in the Czech financial market. RESPECT contributed to supporting this prestigious competition.

The main award winner was Česká spořitelna, which also triumphed last year. Kooperativa successfully defended its title of Insurance Company of the Year and also won the category Insurance Company Without Barriers. In the main category, Partners Banka finished in second place and also received the Special Jury Prize for courage and innovation. Air Bank placed third. Česká spořitelna also succeeded in the categories Private Bank of the Year and Responsible Bank of the Year.

“The economy is not built on legislation or regulation—it is built on trust. Trust between financial institutions, trust between institutions and their clients, and trust in the idea that quality has its value. That is why, for a company like ours that strives to give clients peace of mind, supporting a competition that objectively recognizes quality and responsibility makes perfect sense. Supporting such an initiative means supporting a healthy economy,” emphasized Zdeněk Reibl, founder and CEO of RESPECT.

In the category evaluating social responsibility, Generali Česká pojišťovna was named Responsible Insurance Company of the Year and also took second place in the Insurance Company Without Barriers category. The Banker of the Year title was awarded to Štěpán Ašer, Chairman of the Board and CEO of J&T Banka. The Insurance Professional of the Year award went to Jiří Střelický, CEO of ČSOB Pojišťovna.

Based on the best customer experience, evaluated according to the international Nunwood & KPMG methodology, Air Bank was named Bank of Customers, while Direct pojišťovna became Insurance Company of Customers. Technological innovation once again remained a central focus of the jury. The Fintech of the Year award went to the project Tapix by Dateio, while the Insurtech of the Year title was awarded to Direct pojišťovna’s AI-based claims solution. The competition also evaluated the quality of digital services—Air Bank won the Mobile Banking App of the Year category, followed by Česká spořitelna in second place and Raiffeisenbank in third.

“The financial sector is the lifeblood of the entire economy, and the Mastercard Bank of the Year awards serve as its regular and rigorous audit. We congratulate all those who demonstrated a high level of innovation, service quality, and responsible approach to clients. The courage to evolve while staying true to one’s principles is the foundation on which we are building our future as well,” added Zdeněk Reibl.

Mastercard Bank of the Year is the most prestigious Czech award for retail financial products, with more than two decades of tradition. Its aim is to recognize the services and products of banks and insurance companies operating in the Czech Republic that serve retail clients as well as private and corporate customers.