SME Bank, the fully digital neobank dedicated to serving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), today announced it has been recognized as the winner of the Best Breakthrough Bank of the Year Lithuania 2025 in the prestigious International Banker 2025 Banking Awards.

The award confirms SME Bank’s success in leveraging a fully digital model to provide agile, accessible, and market-leading financial solutions that are transforming how Lithuanian enterprises secure funding and manage growth.

The judging panel cited SME Bank’s innovative use of cutting-edge technology to dramatically streamline lending, offering significantly faster credit decisions than traditional banking models, a crucial factor for SMEs reliant on quick access to capital to seize business opportunities.

Audrius Milukas, co-founder of SME Bank, commented on the achievement: “We are deeply honored to be named the Best Breakthrough Bank of the Year Lithuania 2025 by International Banker. This recognition validates our strategic focus on the SME sector, which forms the backbone of the Lithuanian economy. Our fully digital approach is designed to break down bureaucratic barriers and accelerate access to finance, ensuring our entrepreneurs are not just keeping pace, but leading their respective markets.”

Redefining SME Finance Through Digital Agility

SME Bank’s breakthrough success is defined by its commitment to three core principles:

• Digital Accessibility: Offering a full suite of banking and lending products through one intuitive digital platform, eliminating the need for complex, time-consuming branch visits.
• Speed and Efficiency: Utilizing advanced technology for rapid, transparent credit decisions and disbursement, addressing the primary need of a growing SME.
• Dedicated Partnership: Providing tailored financing solutions, ensuring that every Lithuanian entrepreneur finds a solution that fits their unique business cycle.

Ambition – scale across Europe

The Best Breakthrough Bank in Lithuania award is a milestone of SME Bank’s journey of scaling its success across Europe. Besides Lithuania, SME Bank services are already available in Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and the Netherlands, with further markets on the horizon.

Thorsten Seeger, Board Member of SME Bank and Chief International Business Officer, added, “Our ambition is to scale this success across Europe. Our fundamental mission is to empower SMEs across the entire continent by making access to finance simpler, faster, and truly inclusive.”

About SME Bank:

SME Bank is the first digital bank in Lithuania dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), rapidly expanding its activities and continuing to implement innovative solutions tailored specifically to the needs of this sector. The bank offers fast, efficient, and convenient financial services that allow SMEs to focus on their growth and development.