For a second consecutive year United Bulgarian Bank (UBB) has won the big prize at the annual b2b Media Awards for business. UBB and DZI, both part of the Belgian financial group KBC, grabbed 8 prizes in total, 7 of which „gold“.

The innovative for the Bulgarian market opportunity, enabling anyone to become a UBB client remotely and only via the mobile application UBB Mobile, without visiting a bank branch, has been distinguished with first place in the Innovative Idea of the Year and Business Idea of the Year categories.

 
Moreover, two of the UBB and DZI communication campaigns have been singled out as the best projects, respectively in the Innovation in Marketing and Innovation in the PR Sphere categories. The Digital Ink campaign of UBB promoted the first multibanking in a mobile app in Bulgaria via an out-of-the-box augmented-reality exhibition, where paintings came to life before the eyes of visitors. The Black Friday 13-th campaign, realized by guts&brainsDDB agency for DZI, was awarded a prize at a competition for a second time within a week, after being declared earlier The Best Digital Sales Campaign at the IAB MIXX Awards 2020. Through this campaign DZI offered its clients to protect themselves from bad luck with an insurance, instead of with superstitions.

 
The eSOS mobile app, developed jointly by DZI, VIVACOM and Sirma Group Holding became Number 1 in the Mobile Innovation category. The application has been developed with the aim to help people in trouble in contacting a First Aid team or their close ones.

 
KBC Group Inspiration Day was awarded a prize in the Innovative Project category. With it the employees of the Belgian bank-assurance group exchange experience about the financial sector novelties, which implementation is currently underway.

 
For all those achievements and for the realization of a total of 47 innovation projects by the KBC Group companies in Bulgaria over the last 2 years the innovation leader of the Group, Christof De Mil was awarded the Business Leader of the Year prize. He commented the following with regard to the prize: „We have launched a brand new way of working with and thinking about innovations in our company. Today, we can now boast that the Belgian Group in Bulgaria has been pointed out as an albino bird – an example of a successful transformation to the digital business of the new normal.“

 
„UBB deserves the big prize under the „Innovation at Times of Crisis“ motto with its unprecedented response to the altered market conditions over the recent months. I am proud to share that the accelerated digitalization of the Bank has resulted in better and more secure environment for both clients and employees. Achievements are a fact – contrary to expectations we register growth in sales at times of crisis and even our market share is growing“, shared Peter Andronov, Chief Executive Officer of UBB and Country Manager of KBC Group for Bulgaria.