Digital Transformation: AI, ecosystems, and security drive digital-bank innovations
The global financial industry is being radically shaped by three core forces: industrialization of AI; development of expansive digital ecosystems; and refreshed emphasis on providing secure, customer-centric digital services.
These forces are the foundation of the institutions being recognized here. The World’s Best Digital Banks 2025 awards celebrate institutions that are fundamentally redefining financial services. The award winners are not simply adopting technology. They are engineering fully integrated, AI-driven digital ecosystems that provide a superior, seamless, and secure experience for both consumers and corporations. The key trends demonstrate a move toward frictionless, 100% digital operations, prioritizing an integrated experience over traditional, siloed banking models.
Reflecting this shift toward integrated experiences, a dominant trend is the consolidation of services into single digital ecosystems. Institutions are launching financial super apps that offer hundreds of functions—from daily banking, lending, and investment, to nonfinancial services like stock trading, transport payments, and gift card purchases. This super-app strategy is also seen in the corporate sector, with banks offering unified global platforms that consolidate cash, payments, trade, and treasury management across all regions.
Underpinning these expansive ecosystems, AI is moving from the status of a novelty to that of a core operational engine. Banks are leveraging billions in technology investments to deploy thousands of AI and machine learning models across the organization. Innovations include:
- Generative AI: Used for creating next-generation corporate assistants such as DBS’ Joy AI chatbot; and for internal-process improvement, such as summarizing customer service queries for root-cause analysis.
- AI virtual assistants: Cross-functional assistants like Bank of America’s Erica and Isbank’s Maxi are managing billions of interactions, providing personalized advice, and automating IT and HR tasks, establishing AI as a central platform.
- Process automation: AI and machine learning are automating high-volume, time-consuming tasks like trade finance document examination, fraud prevention, and real-time loan approvals—cutting lending time from hours to seconds.
Beyond the internal applications of AI and super apps, institutions are also extending their reach by embedding banking services directly into client workflows and third-party applications. Leading institutions are building open-banking application programming interface (API) platforms that support ecosystems with hundreds of partners, enabling new services like instant foreign exchange and digital bonds. This strategy also powers embedded finance solutions, such as vehicle financing and reverse-factoring APIs, directly meeting partners’ operational needs.
Crucially, as digital ecosystems expand and services are embedded, security is paramount, with a multilayered defense strategy that includes advanced technology like behavioral biometrics, multifactor authentication, and global threat intelligence. Pioneering solutions include Taiwan’s first SIM-card exchange-fraud joint-defense mechanism, which effectively combats fraud by cross-verifying a user’s SIM status when accounts are linked during an e-payment.
Looking ahead, the successful convergence of these core forces—AI, ecosystems, and security—will define the future. The next phase of digital transformation will be defined by the intelligent, ethical, and seamless integration of these forces.
Methodology
Winners were chosen from entries evaluated by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology, and outsourcing. The editors of Global Finance were responsible for the final selection of all winners. Only banks that entered the competition were considered for awards; and awards were given only in those categories, regions, and countries in which there were entries. Winning banks were selected based on strategy, client usage, customer growth, product breadth, tangible benefits, and web/mobile design.
Best Digital Banks 2025
Across the globe, digital banks are transforming corporate and institutional banking by simplifying financial processes, enhancing accessibility, and refashioning themselves as strategic partners for businesses. The regional winners of Global Finance’s 2025 World’s Best Digital Bank awards stand out for their innovative approaches and transformative digital initiatives.
Western Europe and Middle East
Winner Insights
