More than 100 financial sector marketing, communications, and customer experience experts gathered in Kyiv on August 18 for the FinMarketing 2026 conference. The professional event focused on the transformation of financial marketing, the essential role of trust, and emerging approaches to client engagement across Ukraine.
Industry leaders discussed how marketing strategies in banking and financial technology are shifting away from conventional product advertising. Discussions highlighted a growing emphasis on building long term customer relationships, personalizing financial services, and managing corporate reputation.
Banking Budgets and Strategy Shift
Rostyslav Diuk, chairman of the board of the Ukrainian Association of Fintech and Innovation Companies, opened the conference by presenting analytical data on banking sector marketing budgets. His presentation detailed the specific amounts financial institutions are investing in marketing, public relations, and brand development.
Diuk said the budget figures demonstrate a fundamental change in the role of marketing within financial businesses. He noted that marketing increasingly impacts customer trust, overall client experience, and core business strategy rather than operating purely as a promotional mechanism.
Financial Communication Rules for 2027
A key session at the event was a panel discussion focused on new rules of financial communications that will determine brand success in 2027. Panelists analyzed changing audience behavior and evaluated how trust, personalization, technology, and emotional connection shape customer loyalty.
Larysa Irkha, head of public relations at online lender Moneyveo, shared practical insights on strategic communications. She said public relations for financial institutions should not function merely as a tool to communicate decisions after executives have already made them.
Irkha said communications specialists must be involved during the initial design of a business decision. She noted that early involvement allows companies to assess customer perception, anticipate media inquiries, address potential sources of misunderstanding or distrust, and manage reputational risks before launching products.
She added that this integration brings a vital external perspective into decision making. In financial services, where trust relies on consistent decisions, transparency, and listening to clients, public relations serves both as a company voice and as a market feedback channel to analyze consumer signals.
FinMarketing Awards Winners
The event concluded with the FinMarketing Awards ceremony, honoring companies setting new benchmarks in Ukrainian financial marketing. Award winners included digital lender monobank, state owned lender Oschadbank, Moneyveo, payment platform NovaPay, and several other financial firms.
The honors covered achievements in brand development, community engagement, customer experience, digital communications, inclusiveness, purpose driven initiatives, and overall brand transformation. Event organizers noted that financial brands are increasingly competing for consumer attention, trust, and presence in daily life.
