Consumer lending growth driven by digitalization and service speed, says Ihor Kliots
Digitalization and the speed of access to financing are the key drivers of growth in Ukraine’s consumer lending market. This view was shared by Ihor Kliots, Product Owner of the Online Lending Team at JSC OTP Bank, during the roundtable discussion “Consumer lending has recovered: what Ukrainians are borrowing for in 2026,” organized by the Financial Club.
According to him, the speed of access to funds and the convenience of digital services have become decisive factors for most customers when choosing a bank.
“Customers apply for a loan not because they see an attractive interest rate, but because they need to address a specific financial need. If a bank enables them to obtain funds quickly, it creates a positive customer experience. In our surveys, the speed of loan approval and disbursement consistently ranks among the product’s key advantages,” said Ihor Kliots.
He emphasized that competition among banks is increasingly shifting toward the quality of customer experience, decision-making speed, and the level of digital services. In most cases, customers first turn to the bank they use daily and only then consider alternative offers.
OTP Bank is seeing growth across all consumer lending segments. According to Ihor Kliots, one of the contributing factors is the increasing level of financial literacy among the population.
Ukrainians are increasingly using credit products as a financial planning tool rather than solely as a way to cover a shortage of funds. At the same time, customer behavior shows a tendency to choose the longest available loan terms while actively taking advantage of early repayment options.
According to Ihor Kliots, the market is expected to continue developing, with competition among banks becoming even more intense.
“We expect the consumer lending market to maintain its positive momentum, while competition among banks will continue to intensify, particularly in the areas of customer experience, service speed, and service quality. For customers, this will mean more choice, more flexible products, and solutions that are better tailored to their individual needs,” the expert 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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