Banks Face the Time of the Greatest Transformation So Far

Croatian finance and IT leaders gathered at a Combis panel called DiscussIT "Innovation for a Better Society". The financial sector is moving towards more intensive application of technological innovations, which together with the COVID-19 pandemic, which is intensively changing people's habits, will strongly influence the transformation of this industry in the coming years.

In a brief introduction, Combis CEO Goran Car pointed out that technology can do almost anything, but digital vision and motivation are extremely important, i.e., the response of every bank to the question of what exactly it wants to achieve with the help of technology. "The goal of us in IT, Combis included, is to talk about important topics and education in order to become more aware that through technological innovation we can positively influence society," Car said.

Croatian National Bank Governor Boris Vujčić believes that the citizens of Croatia are open to new technologies and that users will profit more significantly in the future because banks will increasingly adapt to consumers and their needs, and customer orientation will be especially visible in digital, technological approach. "The future of banking is linked to innovation and digitalization, while maintaining a focus on security and trust; these are trump cards that can never go out of style," said Vujčić.

Liana Keserić, President of the Management Board of RBA Bank, started her career in the IT sector within the banking industry. That is why she strongly believes that digital services must be intuitive and easy to use. “The scenario we strive for is that users immediately, when they first encounter a service, feel that they can use it comfortably and easily. If that does not happen, interest disappears, even if the app contains many advantages and functionalities", says Keserić, who sees the trends of digital transformation in banking in a positive light.

"Clients today expect to be able to do business with the bank from anywhere, quickly and digitally. And we want to provide our clients with just that, offering them transparent and easily understandable products on attractive terms, along with exceptional service and digital user experience,“ said Roberto Bitunjac, Member of the Management Board for Technology and Operations of Sberbank.

Hrvoje Prpić, an expert on cryptocurrencies, entrepreneur, and investor, spoke about the cryptocurrency market, which he says is there to stay. “We can say for ourselves today that we have witnessed the historic event of the first cryptocurrencies that will last for hundreds and maybe thousands of years. Just as people were part of history at the end of the nineteenth century when paper money was introduced, so today we are part of history when cryptocurrencies are created,“ said Prpić.