Best bank: Moldova Agroindbank
Moldova Agroindbank combined strong retail growth with deeper digital integration and product expansion that materially increased customer engagement, access and efficiency over the year.
Retail activity strengthened across core lines, with deposits reaching MDL1.5 billion ($86 million), up 25% year-on-year, and loans reaching MDL821 million, increasing by around 42% year-on-year, alongside the addition of more than 130,000 new customers to take the total above 1.1 million.
Digital became the primary delivery channel, with around 80% of sales generated digitally compared with 67% a year earlier, supported by more than 640,000 monthly active users and a mobile platform used by over 900,000 customers. Continued investment in onboarding enabled account opening in around two minutes, while remote KYC supported fully digital access, including for diaspora customers.
Product development was centred on embedding lending and payments within a single digital environment. Cash loans, cards and revolving credit were integrated into streamlined journeys, with 78.5% of cash loans originated digitally, while buy now pay later volumes exceeded MDL138 million across more than 27,000 contracts.
Customer experience was supported by simplified journeys, in-app servicing tools and expanded functionality across payments, insurance and merchant services. Infrastructure and ecosystem enhancements included the rollout of SEPA connectivity, an acceptance network exceeding 25,000 POS terminals and in-app partner marketplaces, contributing to cashless transactions surpassing 50% of volumes and extending use across everyday banking activities.
Best retail bank: Moldova Agroindbank
Moldova Agroindbank’s retail banking proposition in 2025 shifted towards a more data-driven, customer-centric model, combining digital infrastructure upgrades with more personalised products and broader financial inclusion.
Retail balances expanded significantly, with deposits reaching MDL1.5 billion ($86 million) and loans rising to MDL821 million. Revenue growth outpaced cost increases, while the customer base surpassed 1.1 million, reflecting sustained acquisition momentum.
The bank strengthened its retail offering through deeper customer segmentation, with distinct offerings across mass, premium and private banking clients enabling more targeted product design, higher product penetration and stronger long-term relationship value.
Investment in advanced data analytics and AI capabilities enhanced customer engagement and risk management. Tools such as next-best-offer engines, behavioural scoring and real-time insights supported more relevant product recommendations, improved credit performance and more efficient collections processes.
Product development extended beyond core lending to include integrated protection, savings and insurance solutions, alongside flexible repayment and in-app self-service features. This increased customer control over financial decisions and strengthened resilience through embedded credit protection and transparent pricing tools.
Financial inclusion remained a key growth driver. Expanded access to salary, social and youth card programmes, alongside fully remote onboarding for diaspora clients, broadened participation in formal banking and supported higher transaction activity.
Loyalty and ecosystem initiatives further deepened engagement, with personalised cashback, partner offers and AI-driven recommendations increasing transaction frequency and encouraging repeat usage.
Best bank for corporates: OTP Bank
OTP Bank’s corporate offering in Moldova combined strong expansion in structured financing with rapid progress in payments infrastructure and digital delivery in 2025.
A central development was the bank’s integration into SEPA in October, which quickly accounted for 93% of euro transactions by number and 86% by volume, reshaping cross-border payment execution for corporate clients. This was complemented by participation in the national instant payments system, enabling IBAN-based transfers with automated beneficiary data retrieval, reducing errors and processing friction across domestic B2B flows.
The rollout of an in-house POS acquiring platform at the start of the year extended transaction capabilities further, introducing mobile and integrated terminals aligned with different corporate operating models.
On the financing side, the bank participated in syndicated structures including a $325 million pre-export facility and a $43 million pre-crop financing, linking local corporates to international liquidity pools and risk-sharing frameworks. In addition, its product suite expanded through government and IFI-backed programmes launched during 2025, offering fixed-rate funding at around 5% to 5.5%, grant components of up to 30% and guarantees covering up to 80% of exposures, improving credit access for investment projects.
Digitalisation of corporate financing accelerated with the launch of a fully digital e-factoring platform in May, enabling end-to-end invoice processing, ERP integration and funding decisions within minutes; volumes reached €13 million over the year on €15 million turnover.
These developments were reinforced by operational changes including automated KYC through national data infrastructure and remote onboarding, alongside simplified credit processes delivering lending decisions within one day.
