October 29, 2015

New Breed of Banks Sweeps Efma and Accenture 2015 Global Banking Innovation Awards



Winning innovations are mostly from emerging-market banks


AMSTERDAM; Oct. 29, 2015 – Efma, an association of 3,300 retail financial services companies in more than 130 countries, and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) have announced the winners of their third annual Global Distribution & Marketing Innovation Awards for financial services. The program, jointly launched by Efma and Accenture, recognizes financial services firms for the most-innovative projects and initiatives in distribution and marketing.

More than 200 financial institutions from 59 countries submitted 500 case studies of innovations within 10 categories: Customer Experience; Digital Distribution; Physical Distribution; Digital Marketing; Best New Product or Service; Best Innovation in Payments; Big Data & Analytics; Sustainable Business; Most Disruptive Innovation; and Global Innovator of the Year.

The winners were selected by a combination of votes from a panel of judges comprised exclusively of senior retail bankers from around the world and online votes from Efma members.

“Innovation is the only way for banks to succeed in an industry that is undergoing a profound transformation, and it’s interesting to note that since we launched this award program, many of the innovators recognized by these awards in previous years were from emerging markets,” said Piercarlo Gera, global managing director of Accenture Distribution and Marketing Services. “This new breed of banks is made of players that invest in digital innovation and are making real impact in terms of customer experience enhancement.”

This year’s winners are:

Patrick Desmarès, Efma’s secretary general, said, “As we reviewed the 500 innovations submitted this year, we realized that banks are finally entering the age of customer-driven innovation. At a time when competition is intense, banks must offer relevant, personalized and seamless experiences across channels to attract and retain customers. The winning institutions are innovating to provide a better customer experience and develop stronger customer relationships.”

“This year’s winners confirm that banks in all corners of the globe are responding to the universal rise of – and fully embracing – digital, which is absolutely critical today given changing customer behaviors, new regulations and emerging competition from new entrants,” said Gera. “Like with our Fintech Innovation Labs, our objective with this award program is to nurture and foster digital innovation in financial services.”

To learn more about these innovations, watch the replay of the award-ceremony in Amsterdam at www.accenture.com/dmiawards and continue following the conversation on Twitter at #DMIAwards15.

About Efma
As a global not-for-profit organization, Efma brings together more than 3,300 retail financial services companies from over 130 countries. With a membership base consisting of almost a third of all large retail banks worldwide, Efma has proven to be a valuable resource for the global industry, offering members exclusive access to a multitude of resources, databases, studies, articles, news feeds and publications. Efma also provides numerous networking opportunities through working groups, online communities and international meetings. For more information: www.efma.com or info@efma.com.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 358,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$31.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2015. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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Contacts:

Francois Luu
Accenture
+ 33 660 538 428
francois.luu@accenture.com

Karine Coutinho
Efma
+ 33 1 47 42 69 82
karine@efma.com