The Prestigious Mastercard Bank of the Year 2024 Awards Announce Their Winners. RESPECT Was One of the Main Partners of the Evening.

The results of the 23rd annual Mastercard Bank of the Year awards were ceremonially announced yesterday evening at the Municipal House in Prague. RESPECT was one of the main partners of this prestigious event and actively contributed to the professional evaluation process. Petr Sejval, Credit Risk Director of the Receivables division, served on the main jury, while Lukáš Přívratský, Head of Digital & Innovation, was a member of the expert jury for the Fintech and Insurtech category.

The gala evening brought several notable results. The winner of the main category, Mastercard Bank of the Year, was Česká spořitelna, which replaced Komerční banka at the top position after three years. In the insurance sector, Kooperativa pojišťovna defended its title and also received the Customer Insurance Company award. The prestigious Insurance Company of the Year award was presented on stage by Zdeněk Reibl, CEO of RESPECT.

“For more than three decades on the Czech and international markets, we have learned that trust and professionalism are essential in insurance, just as they are in banking. RESPECT has grown from a small family business into one of the most significant insurance brokers on the market, primarily thanks to our fair approach to clients and professional expertise. With this experience, we truly appreciate the importance of the Bank of the Year awards, which have been highlighting quality services in the financial market for many years. We are proud to have been a main partner of this year’s edition,” said Zdeněk Reibl, CEO of RESPECT.

The Responsible Insurance Company of the Year award went to Generali Česká pojišťovna, which also won in the Insurance Company Without Barriers category. The award was presented by Jakub Matyáš, Managing Director of RESPECT.

The title Banker of the Year was awarded for the second consecutive time to Michal Strcula, CEO of Air Bank. His bank also again became Customer Bank of the Year based on the best customer experience. The Customer Bank and Customer Insurance Company awards were determined according to the international Nunwood & KPMG methodology. The title Insurance Professional of the Year was once again awarded to Martin Diviš, CEO of Kooperativa.

The evaluation of banks and financial institutions covered multiple categories and assessed both traditional banking services and modern technological solutions. Representatives of RESPECT contributed their expertise in both areas.

“Being part of the main jury was a unique opportunity to evaluate the best banks on the Czech market. We focused particularly on innovative approaches, service quality, and the overall value delivered to clients,” said Petr Sejval, Credit Risk Director of the Receivables division at RESPECT.

Komerční banka received the Responsible Bank of the Year award for its commitment to ESG values, while ČSOB won the Bank Without Barriers category, which focuses on the employment of people with disabilities in cooperation with the Charter 77 Foundation – Konto Bariéry.

An important part of this year’s edition was also the evaluation of innovative financial technology solutions. In this category, Lukáš Přívratský contributed his expertise as a member of the expert jury:

“The digital transformation of the financial sector brings constant new challenges and opportunities. In our evaluation, we focused primarily on innovative solutions that genuinely improve clients’ lives and move the entire sector forward.”

This year’s edition also introduced several new categories, including Mobile Application of the Year and Developer Bank of the Year. In the Fintech of the Year category, the startup FLOWPAY won with its solution for operational financing of small and medium-sized enterprises, while the Insurtech of the Year award went to the Tuito Accelerate service.

Photo: Veronika Rose