Awards for Excellence country/territory winners 2026: Hong Kong’s best digital bank – ZA Bank
ZA Bank reached a defining milestone in 2025, becoming the first digital bank in Hong Kong to surpass one million users while also reporting its first interim profit of HKD49 million ($6.25 million). Achieving profitability within four years of launch highlights the scalability and robustness of its business model, proving that a digital-only bank can combine rapid growth with financial sustainability.
Central to this success is ZA Bank’s effort to combine everyday banking, investing and business services within a single digital ecosystem. Retail customers can access deposits, payments, stocks, funds and cryptocurrencies through a single app, while SMEs can open an account in as little as two hours through a fully digital onboarding process.
The model has delivered measurable value to customers, including nearly HKD700 million in savings on fund subscription fees, while global transfer volumes doubled during the year. Customer engagement has deepened alongside that growth, with more than half of users selecting ZA Bank as their default receiving bank through Hong Kong’s Faster Payment System. Investment assets under management rose 125% year-on-year, while customer deposits exceeded HKD21 billion.
Innovation has been characterised by a focus on expanding financial access while maintaining trust and security. ZA Bank strengthened its position in digital assets through retail cryptocurrency trading and became Hong Kong’s first digital bank to provide stablecoin custody services under the Hong Kong Monetary Authority sandbox. It also launched Hong Kong’s first free in-app credit alert service with TransUnion, giving customers greater visibility and control over their financial wellbeing.
ZA Bank’s services are supported by an AI-enabled operating platform that performs more than 600,000 risk assessments daily, ensuring speed, security and system resilience for its rapidly growing customer base.
In just a few years, ZA Bank has emerged as one of Hong Kong’s leading digital banks, pairing strong growth and early profitability with a record of innovation that is consistently raising the bar for the sector.
