Salt Bank Reaches 500,000 Customers in Its First Year as Romania’s Pioneering Digital Bank, Powered by Engine by Starling and GFT

Salt Bank Reaches 500,000 Customers in Its First Year as Romania’s Pioneering Digital Bank, Powered by Engine by Starling and GFT

(IN BRIEF) Salt Bank, launched as Romania’s first digital bank in April 2024, has quickly captured the market, reaching 500,000 customers in just one year. Developed in only 12 months by teams from Salt, Engine by Starling, and GFT, the bank’s cloud-native platform features a user-friendly mobile experience tailored to the needs of Romanians. The platform includes self-service features such as card controls, spending insights, and Saving Spaces, coupled with 24/7 customer support via multiple channels. This focus on digital innovation and customer convenience has led to the introduction of new financial tools like Subscription Manager, PayBill, and AutoSaver, which streamline money management for its users. The bank’s strong performance has been acknowledged with several awards for business excellence and leadership in the banking sector. With ambitions to grow its customer base to 700,000 in 2025 and a target break-even date set for late next year or early 2027, Salt Bank’s rapid expansion is bolstered by the robust support of its technology partners—Engine by Starling and GFT. This accomplishment reinforces the increasing demand for accessible, innovative digital banking solutions in Romania.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 10-Apr-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Salt Bank, Romania’s first digital bank, has achieved an impressive milestone, reaching 500,000 customers just one year after its public launch in April 2024. Built in only 12 months by collaborative teams from Salt, Engine by Starling, and the key implementation partner GFT, Salt Bank has set a new standard for digital banking in Romania. The bank’s innovative, cloud-native platform was specifically designed with the needs of Romanians in mind, offering a seamless mobile experience that simplifies financial management through features such as card controls, spending insights, and Saving Spaces. In addition, the bank provides round-the-clock support via in-app chat, phone, and email to ensure that a human touch is always available whenever needed.

Salt Bank’s focus on continuous innovation has led to the rapid rollout of a variety of new products, including Subscription Manager, PayBill, and AutoSaver, all of which are designed to help customers consolidate expenses and automate savings. This commitment to enhancing the customer experience has not only won the bank multiple industry awards for business excellence and banking leadership within Romania, but has also reinforced its strong market presence. Looking ahead, Salt Bank aims to expand its customer base further to 700,000 in 2025, as it continues to grow rapidly and solidify its position among the Top 10 banks in the country.

Gabriela Nistor, CEO of Salt Bank, commented, “We are already among the Top 10 banks in Romania, growing faster than anticipated, and our market performance confirms our success. Our journey to break-even is on track to be reached by the end of next year or early 2027. The support of our technology partners, Engine and GFT, has been integral to our achievements, and we are excited for the future as we continue on this upward trajectory.”

Sam Everington, CEO of Engine by Starling, added, “As Salt’s core technology partner, we are extremely proud of their outstanding success. The strong customer demand for digital-first banking is evident, and their innovative platform is clearly making an impact. Our robust and flexible technology foundation has enabled Salt Bank to roll out new products and features quickly, propelling them forward as a business.”

Chris Ortiz, Group Chief Executive at GFT, stated, “We are proud to have laid the technological foundation for Salt Bank’s rapid growth in the Romanian market. Bringing the bank to life within just 12 months and reaching 500,000 customers in a year is remarkable—it underscores the significant demand for banking innovation and sets the stage for even greater achievements in the future.”

Media Contact:

Dr Markus Müller
Group Public Relations
+49 711 62042-344
markus.j.mueller@gft.com

SOURCE: GFT Technologies SE