Qorus and Infosys Finacle Reveal 2026 Banking Innovation Award Winners in Rome

The 13th Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards have highlighted a significant global shift toward AI-driven transformation, with over 200 financial institutions competing for recognition in Rome. For fintech professionals, these awards serve as a benchmark for where the industry is successfully scaling new business models and predictive technologies beyond the experimental phase.

What was announced

The winners of the 13th edition of the Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards were honored during a ceremony at the Infosys Finacle Conclave 2026 in Rome, Italy. This year’s program saw a substantial increase in global participation, with 538 projects submitted for evaluation. These submissions came from 206 financial institutions representing 68 different countries, highlighting the widespread nature of digital transformation efforts within the sector.

The awards were distributed across ten distinct categories designed to capture the breadth of modern banking. These included Business Model Innovation, Product and Service Innovation, Business Banking Innovation, and Predictive, AI-led Value Creation. Other categories focused on Operational Transformation, Customer Experience Innovation, and Social, Sustainable & Responsible Banking Innovation. The program also recognized technical excellence through the Modern Tech Innovation of the Year and Neobank and Fintech Innovation categories, culminating in the Transformative Innovator of the Year award.

The selection process relied on a dual-layered evaluation system. It combined a vote from a community of industry peers with the assessments of an expert jury panel. This panel consisted of 81 senior global banking executives, ensuring that the winning projects met high standards for both peer relevance and executive-level strategic impact. The ceremony served as the centerpiece of the annual leadership conference, bringing together industry leaders to review initiatives that have moved beyond the experimental stage into scalable production.

"This year’s edition was an inspiring demonstration of innovation across the banking industry, bringing together institutions from around the world to showcase initiatives that are shaping the future of financial services. The evening was filled with valuable insights and clearly demonstrated that we are at the dawn of a new era, where AI is becoming an integral part of nearly every initiative—transforming them and pushing the boundaries of what is possible."

John Berry, Chairman, Qorus

The companies involved

Infosys Finacle is a prominent player in the banking technology space, operating as part of EdgeVerve Systems. EdgeVerve itself is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys, the global consulting and IT services giant. Finacle provides a suite of cloud-native solution suites for core banking, digital engagement, and liquidity management, serving financial institutions in over 100 countries. Its market position is defined by its ability to provide the underlying architecture for both established traditional banks and emerging digital-only challengers.

Qorus is a global association that serves as a network for retail financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies. The organization facilitates knowledge sharing and networking to help its members navigate the challenges of digital transformation and changing consumer behaviors. By partnering for these awards, the two organizations combine technical infrastructure expertise with a broad industry network, positioning the awards as a primary indicator of global banking trends and technological adoption rates across diverse regulatory environments.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has previously tracked the implementation of the technologies celebrated at these awards. We reported on how Canada’s UNI Financial Cooperation Modernizes Branch Network with Infosys Finacle AI Platform, a project that aligns with the AI-led value creation themes seen in Rome. Additionally, our coverage of the Investec Taps Infosys Finacle and Microsoft Azure for Global Digital Banking Overhaul highlighted the scale of digital transformation currently being undertaken by major institutions. The long-standing nature of this recognition program was also noted when Qorus and Infosys Finacle Collaborate to Recognise Banking Innovation Initiatives Worldwide was announced in 2024, marking a continued effort to benchmark global banking progress.

What this means

The high volume of entries—538 projects from 68 countries—indicates that innovation has shifted from a peripheral R&D activity to a core survival strategy for global banks. The emphasis on "Predictive, AI-led Value Creation" suggests the industry is moving past the initial hype of generative AI toward functional, ROI-driven applications that impact the bottom line. However, the variety of categories raises questions about whether these institutions are achieving deep systemic change or merely launching isolated digital "islands." For the wider market, the pressure is now on to prove that these innovations can scale across legacy architectures to deliver measurable impact at a global level.