Best bank 2025: Zagrebačka banka
Zagrebačka Banka has delivered robust financial results, advanced its digital transformation and strengthened customer engagement across its core operations.
Over the past year, its financial results reflected solid expansion, with income and operating revenues both rising and its lending activities broadening. The bank maintains a commanding presence across core lending categories and derivatives – in 2024 it held a 35% market share in mortgage, consumer and NFC loans, and had a 56% market share in derivatives. Net loans increased by 8.1% in 2024, reaching €13.7 billion.
In the SME segment, the bank achieved notable profit growth and attracted a significant influx of new business, adding 6,689 new SME clients in 2024, while mobile-banking penetration among SME users reached 77%.
Driven by a commitment to digital transformation, the bank introduced an end-to-end digital onboarding process through its mobile app and deployed a real-time customer relationship manager platform to deliver tailored communications at scale. It also pioneered flexible payment options for debit-card users, setting a new standard in consumer finance offerings.
On the customer-service front, the bank expanded its voicebot to handle a substantial share of call-centre traffic in Croatian, underscoring its focus on efficient, tech-driven engagement. Despite intensified competition from emerging fintech players, Zagrebačka Banka sustained its leading share of retail card transactions, an achievement that highlights its resilience and ongoing dedication to meeting evolving client needs.
Best investment bank 2025: Zagrebačka banka
Zagrebačka banka delivered notable achievements across equity offerings, sovereign bond placements and strategic corporate financings.
In October 2024, it managed the Bosqar equity offering, raising €49.1 million. The placement was oversubscribed by 1.2x and priced at €250 per share, reflecting strong demand from both domestic and international investors.
On the sovereign front, the bank arranged the Republic of Croatia’s €1.5 billion international Eurobond due 2034. With orders from roughly 140 investors and more than 5x oversubscription, the deal underscored the banks deep placement capabilities and global reach.
Beyond capital markets, Zagrebačka banka advised the Fortenova Group on the sale of its agricultural segment to Podravka for €333 million – a transaction signed in July 2024 and closed in January 2025, demonstrating its M&A advisory strength in the region.
The bank also facilitated the sale of approximately 1,800 mobile towers from Telekom Srbija to an Actis-led consortium in 2024, as well as the sale of Summit Leasing from Apollo and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to Nova Ljubljanska Banka.
Additionally, the bank arranged a €462 million club loan facility in 2024 for a Croatian road infrastructure firm, supporting both refinancing and capital expenditure. This financing highlights the lender’s strategic role in advancing national infrastructure development.
Best digital bank 2025: Raiffeisenbank
Raiffeisenbank Croatia has pioneered digital banking solutions that streamline lending, accelerate onboarding and enhance customer engagement.
Raiffeisenbank facilitated over €140 million in SME financing through its fully digital lending journey, serving more than 3,000 businesses. This robust digital channel has become the backbone of its corporate lending strategy, delivering speed and efficiency.
Its mobile application, mojaRBA, reached 225,590 active users in 2024, with over 5,000 downloads each month. High adoption levels have been mirrored by strong satisfaction ratings, reflecting the app’s intuitive design and functionality.
77% of cash loans were disbursed digitally, while the bank maintained a 50/50 channel split between online and in-branch services. This balanced approach ensures that customers can choose the channel that best suits their needs without compromising convenience.
To accelerate onboarding, Raiffeisenbank integrated end-to-end digital solutions within its mojaRBA app. Loan decisions now take just four minutes and funds are disbursed in 14 minutes, registering a significant improvement in processing times.
Additionally, the Merchant Portal, RaiConnect app, and chatbot services have extended real-time transaction visibility and support, underscoring the bank’s commitment to harnessing technology for superior customer experience and operational excellence.
Best bank for SMEs 2025: Raiffeisenbank
Raiffeisenbank’s SME banking business has delivered strong growth, industry-leading sustainable financing and cutting-edge digital solutions.
Building on robust retail performance, Raiffeisenbank grew its SME customer base by 7.4%, underlining its expanding role in the segment.
Responding to the rising demand for responsible lending, the bank allocated 14% of its SME loan portfolio to ESG projects via its new sustainable financing programme. This focus on sustainability initiatives is illustrative of the bank’s pledge to support businesses that balance profitability with positive social and environmental impact.
Technological advances in 2024 further strengthened the bank’s SME offering. An end-to-end online lending system now approves applications in just four minutes and disburses funds within 14 minutes, significantly reducing turnaround times and enhancing customer satisfaction.
To streamline point-of-sale operations, the bank introduced RaiPOS softPOS, which transforms any compatible mobile device into a payment terminal. This solution empowers SMEs to integrate card acceptance smoothly into their existing digital workflows.
Another point of differentiation was the bank’s mojaRBA BIZ platform, which provides full digital onboarding and comprehensive account management. By enabling SMEs to open accounts and oversee their finances entirely online, the service is driving greater accessibility and operational agility for its business clients.
Best bank for ESG 2025: Zagrebačka banka
Zagrebačka banka has embedded sustainability at the heart of its strategy, weaving environmental, social and governance considerations throughout its operations. By modernising tools, processes and reporting, the bank reemphasised its commitment to responsible finance.
Inn 2024, the lender introduced a dedicated ESG loan-labelling framework to streamline the assessment of sustainable investments and guard against greenwashing and launched a new ESG loan labelling tool. Its updated product guidelines now encompass a wide range of green measures, from energy-efficient transport solutions to enhanced building performance and improved water management systems.
In line with international net-zero commitments and group-level sustainability policies, the bank has systematically integrated climate-related risk analysis into its lending decisions. This proactive stance was evident in its support for renewable energy projects and infrastructure upgrades that facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. The bank invested €21 million in a 40MW brown-field windfarm project and approved a long-term loan of €25 million for a green transition hotel, aligned with EU taxonomy standards. The loan is currently in the disbursement period.
Zagrebačka banka has also intensified its internal ESG education programme, delivering tailored training modules across all levels of the organisation. By equipping leaders, risk specialists and frontline staff with the necessary knowledge, the bank fosters a cohesive, informed approach to sustainability. The bank delivered 2,794 ESG-related training hours to 1,214 employees in 2024.
The bank also allocated €57.5 million for the construction of an ESG-compliant logistics unit.
In another illustration of its transparency efforts, the bank published its first local sustainability report under the new corporate reporting standards. This milestone enhanced stakeholder engagement and aligns its disclosures with wider group strategies.
Best bank for consumers 2025: OTP Bank
OTP Bank has delivered excellent results across financial performance, supplemented by ongoing digital innovation and consumer-centric services
The bank reported a 19.81% increase in total interest income to €138.078 million and an 18.07% rise in retail net income after tax to €67.823 million, highlighting solid profitability and operational effectiveness.
This momentum carried over into lending, where cash loan sales surged 37.77% to €577.236 million and housing loan balances climbed 11.07% to €1.75 million, reflecting successful strategies in meeting consumer financing needs and supporting home ownership.
Additionally, OTP Bank enhanced customer convenience by rolling out contactless identification at 211 ATMs and expanding its deposit ATM network to 77 devices. The introduction of AI-based fraud detection alongside cybersecurity education initiatives further underlines the bank’s commitment to safeguarding transactions and raising digital security awareness.
The bank’s drive for social inclusivity and financial education was evident in its 2024 product launches. Notable examples included the Children Planned Savings product and the OTP Basic package, designed to foster financial literacy among youth and broaden access to core banking services.
Best securities house 2025: InterCapital
InterCapital is Croatia’s leading securities house, due to its strategic focus on expanding regional exchange-traded fund (ETF) access and strengthening its market-making capacity.
The year marked the launch of the innovative InterCapital Romania Govt Bond 5-10 year ETF, which broadened investor exposure to Romanian sovereign debt, a significant feat demonstrating their commitment to enhancing regional financial instruments.
The firm expanded its ETF market-making activities to include five products on the Zagreb Stock Exchange, playing a pivotal role in boosting liquidity and transparency. This helped InterCapital captured a 29% share of Croatian equity and ETF trading – more than double its closest competitor’s 14%.
In the bond markets, InterCapital continued its dominance by leading the Croatian bonds with a 33.7% share. It also maintained its top-ranking position on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, commanding a significant 26% share. These figures not only underscore InterCapital’s leadership in the bond trading domain but also reflect its robust performance across diverse trading platforms.
In corporate finance, InterCapital advised Mlin i pekare on its €98 m reverse takeover of Čakovečki mlinovi, creating Croatia’s eighth-largest retail group with revenues of €350 million. This transaction further demonstrated the firm’s expertise in major corporate deals, while reinforcing its dominance in Croatia’s securities market.
