Ukraine sets the trend in banking technology – O. Klymenko
Ukrainian banks often outperform their European counterparts in the high level of digital services and customer solutions. This was highlighted by Oleh Klymenko, Management Board Member of OTP BANK JSC responsible for retail business development, during the DIGITAL BANKING CONFERENCE 2025. The event, organized by the Ukrainian Association of Fintech and Innovation Companies (UAFIC), focused on the digital transformation of the banking sector.
According to O. Klymenko, technological advancement is only truly successful when it balances four key values. “The first level is operational — the foundation. It is crucial for customers: products must be convenient and comfortable to use, with flawless functionality. The second level is emotional: how do clients feel when using our services? The third level is about life change. Services should help people transform their lifestyle, making it more efficient and of higher quality,” he noted.
As an example, he highlighted the ability to buy and sell domestic government bonds (OVDP) directly in the OTP Bank UA mobile app — a solution that enables clients to save, securely store funds, easily manage their bonds, and support the state. However, he added that identifying such “life-changing” opportunities is not an easy task. The fourth level, O. Klymenko explained, is the social component — for instance, enabling customers to make charitable contributions online.
He also emphasized that these four levels are equally important for offline services and personal customer interactions, including in physical branches. “Branches today are crucial as trust points, acquisition channels, and spaces for client onboarding. This is where the first connection is established — the foundation for long-term cooperation with the Bank,” O. Klymenko stressed. He added that OTP BANK’s strategy is to build the most competitive teams by investing in top talent, maintaining a balanced role model, and strengthening performance through technology and product development within the so-called PhyGital concept.
O. Klymenko noted that despite the high level of technological advancement, allowing clients to fully delegate financial decision-making to AI is not yet on the Bank’s agenda due to numerous sensitive security and compliance considerations. “It will take significant effort for AI agents to learn to operate within the banking ecosystem. This is closer to rocket science. Meanwhile, at OTP BANK we are already actively leveraging AI to optimize and enhance internal processes and improve customer experience,” he concluded.
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Public Joint Stock Company OTP Bank is a subsidiary of OTP Bank, which is the largest independent Central-Eastern-European banking group. JSC OTP Bank is one of the largest domestic banks, a recognized leader in the financial sector of Ukraine. The Bank provides a full range of financial services to corporate and private customers, as well as to small and medium enterprises. The bank entered the Ukrainian market in 1998, and since then it enjoys a staunch reputation of socially responsible, reliable and stable institution providing its consumers with services of European quality standard.
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