Triple award win for GFT, Engine by Starling and Salt Bank

London, 19th March, 2025 – GFT, Engine by Starling and Salt Bank have won the “Financial Services Collaboration of the Year sponsored by Maveric NXT” and “Best Use of IT in Consumer Finance” categories at the prestigious 2025 FS Tech Awards, and “Best Digital Bank” at the Fintech Breakthrough Award. The accolades recognise the three partners’ transformative collaboration which showcases leadership in digital banking innovation.

The winning project revolved around developing Romania’s first 100% digital banking platform for Salt Bank, using Engine by Starling's cloud-native technology. This platform allowed Salt Bank to create optimal operations, a customer centric experience, and introduce new financial products suited to current consumer requirements. The project has attracted great attention in the industry as the new bank was built in less than twelve months.

Marco Santos, Global CEO of GFT, stated, “Salt Bank’s innovative approach and Engine by Starling’s technology enabled us to achieve excellent outcomes. These recognitions affirm our focus on developing flexible banking solutions that serve both clients and their customers.”
 

Shilpa Doreswamy, Retail Banking Sector Director of GFT, commented, "What a fantastic triple achievement for GFT to win “Financial Services Collaboration of the Year” and “Best Use of IT in Consumer Finance” categories at the prestigious 2025 FS Tech Awards, and “Best Digital Bank” at the Fintech Breakthrough Award alongside our partner Engine by Starling and our client Salt Bank for setting a new benchmark in digital banking!"

"The build and launch of Salt Bank in just 12 months emphasises GFT’s global leadership in digital banking on modern platforms. It was an honour to be part of such a wonderful team and win the FS Tech Awards on the night."

Salt Bank's digital transformation tackled important industry issues, such as the inefficiencies in outdated systems and constraints in scalability. The solution enhanced operational efficiency and accelerated the deployment of new services.

The FStech Awards recognise and celebrate companies that have demonstrated excellence and innovation within the UK and EMEA financial services sector.

The Fintech Breakthrough Award is the premier recognition platform for companies and individuals driving significant advancements in the financial services industry through breakthrough technology.