header: 2026 Innovation Awards header: 2026 Innovation Awards

Overview of the awards

LAB by CB identifies more than a hundred start-ups for each new edition.

Every year, LAB by CB — CB’s trend incubator — hosts the Innovation Awards to recognise the year’s most innovative start-ups in various award categories

This challenge is based on a rigorous selection of projects based on their innovative nature, their potential, and their possible use cases.
The next edition of the CB Innovation Awards will take place in March 2026. This year’s main theme is: “Sports & Innovation: How can innovation in payments help enhance the sports experience?”

See you on 31 March to find out who the finalists and winners are for this new 2026 edition!
While you wait for the results, we invite you to explore this section to learn more about the contest and past winners.

A message from LAB by CB

Founded in 2017, LAB by CB — CB’s in-house fintech division — is dedicated to envisioning the future of retail and payments.

LAB by CB develops innovative concepts based on new technology and new use cases. Operating on the principles of design thinking and open innovation, LAB by CB aims to co-create new customer experiences; to do so, it must look beyond payment itself to ensure seamless integration into the customer pathway. By partnering with CB member banks, retailers, start-ups, academia, and solution providers, LAB by CB readies itself to identify future trends more quickly.

The competition

LAB by CB identifies more than a hundred start-ups for the chosen category.

  1. The selection of finalist start-ups based on specific criteria.
  2. The panel: a prestigious panel of judges from the banking, retail, sports, and tech sectors will convene to select the winners of the 2026 "Sport & Innovation" Awards.
  3. Award ceremony on the day of the CB 2026 Innovation Awards event.
  4. Bonus: the "Sport Favourite" Jury Award will be presented to one of the competing start-ups on the day of the event.

CB #2025 Innovation Awards

The winners are:

Photo credit: Patrick JACOB

The panel was composed of experts from the banking, retail, and tech sectors:

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CB Innovation Awards #2024

The winners are:

Photo credit: Patrick JACOB
ZIQY, SmartBack, Comerso, and Handsome

The jury was composed of experts from the banking, media, and business sectors:

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The CB Innovation Awards #2023

REPLAY of the CB Innovation Awards #2023

The jury was composed of experts from the banking, media, and business sectors:

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