Finance awards 2027: how banks, insurers, investment and advisory firms choose the right category

Finance awards 2027 in short: pick the category that matches the work you want recognised, not the broadest title on the list. A broker belongs in a broker category and a payments provider in a payments category. A bank with a strong digital result may do better in a service category than in a whole-bank one. Then support the case with two or three results you are already allowed to publish.

Why the category decides the comparison

A finance nomination is never judged on its own. The jury reads it next to the other entries in the same category and scores all of them against the same published judging criteria. The category therefore defines who you are compared with and which results the jury expects to see.

Financial services is a wide field. A commercial bank, a life insurer, an insurance broker, a wealth manager and a tax advisory firm all work in finance, but they create value in very different ways. When a business enters a category built for a different model, its strongest results can look ordinary simply because they answer a different question. Choosing carefully is the cheapest improvement any finance entry can make.

Finance sub-sectors and the categories that fit them

The table below maps common finance business models to category names that already appear in our finance winner records, along with the kind of result that best fits each. The full list sits on the award categories page.

What the finance winner records show

Our CRM holds 36 winner records classified under the finance industry. They span all four regional programmes and nine countries. The spread by sub-sector is a useful guide to where finance recognition has been concentrated.

By programme, 29 of the records sit in the Arabian programme, three in the Europe programme, three in the Asia programme and one in the UK programme. Two patterns stand out. First, insurance broking is the single most frequent finance category, which shows how much a specific, well-matched category helps. Second, investment firms often choose a category tied to the asset class they specialise in, such as equity or real estate, rather than a general investment title.

Figures come from the Best of Best Awards CRM winner snapshot and count finance-industry winner records only. They do not describe nominations.

Company, service or leadership category?

Finance categories fall into three broad types, and the choice between them often matters more than the choice between two similar names.

• Company categories recognise the firm as a whole. They suit businesses whose results run across the organisation, such as a full-service insurer or an independent advisory firm.
• Service categories recognise one line of business. Examples include online banking, customer support and service, and payments. They suit large institutions with one standout result in a single area.
• Leadership categories recognise an individual executive. They suit cases built on decisions a person led. Our guide to CEO and leadership recognition covers how those cases are read.

A practical test is to write one sentence that starts with "We are being recognised for…". If the sentence names a product, channel or service, a service category is usually the better fit. If it names the whole organisation's performance, choose a company category.

Evidence that suits each finance category

Finance firms often hold strong numbers they cannot publish. A good finance nomination uses results that have already been cleared for external use, and it states the period each one covers. Percentages, ranges and growth rates are acceptable where exact amounts are sensitive.

1. State the scope. Name the market, the service line and the time period the result covers.
2. Lead with two or three results. Choose measures a reader outside the firm would accept, such as retention, settlement time, adoption or growth.
3. Explain what changed. Describe the decision, product or process behind the result in plain language.
4. Show the client effect. Show how customers, policyholders or investors benefited, using approved testimonials or survey measures.
5. Keep it publishable. Include nothing that compliance has not approved for external release.

Our guide on writing a nomination that scores well covers structure in more depth. The article on the commercial value of recognition explains how firms use results after the award.

Choosing the regional programme

Best of Best Awards runs four regional programmes, and a finance firm enters the one that matches the market where the recognised work took place. A Gulf-based insurer or bank enters the Arabian programme. A wealth manager serving European clients enters Europe, a payments provider operating across Asian markets enters Asia, and a firm whose results come from the United Kingdom enters the UK programme.

Where a group operates in several regions, choose the market with the clearest, best-documented result. The finance and banking awards page shows how recorded finance winners are spread across the programmes.

Finance nomination questions

Which finance businesses can enter the Best of Best Awards?

Banks, insurers and insurance brokers, investment and asset managers, wealth managers, payments and financial-technology providers, and tax, audit and finance advisory firms can all enter. Each business picks one category that matches the service it is being recognised for.

How do I choose between a company category and a service category?

Choose a company category when the whole firm has a story to tell, such as a full-service insurer. Choose a service category, such as online banking or customer support and service, when one line of the business produced the strongest measurable result.

Can an insurance broker enter an insurance company category?

It can, but it will be compared with underwriters on criteria that may not fit a broker. Broker and brokerage categories exist, and insurance broker is the most frequent finance category in our winner records, so a broker usually scores more fairly there.

What evidence works for a finance award nomination?

Two or three results the firm has already cleared for public release work best. Examples are growth in assets under management, client retention, claim settlement times, digital adoption, or service response times. State the period each figure covers.

Do I have to share confidential financial data?

No. Use figures that are already public or approved for external use. The jury looks for clear, checkable results, and percentages or ranges are acceptable where exact figures are sensitive.

Which regional programme should a finance firm enter?

Enter the programme for the market where the recognised work happened. There are four: Arabian, Europe, Asia and UK. A Gulf-based insurer enters the Arabian programme even if its group is headquartered elsewhere.

Can a finance leader be recognised individually?

Yes. Leadership categories recognise individual executives, and the case should focus on decisions the person led and the results that followed, rather than on the firm as a whole.

Where can I see past finance winners?

The winner directory lists recognised organisations by programme, country and category. The finance awards page summarises winner records for the finance sector across all four regional programmes.