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Selling to CEE banks: group vs local decisions, ECB vs national supervisors, DORA contract terms, language and pricing. General lessons, with sources.
By Moe Alhosni · Published 29 October 2026 · 9 min read
Short answer: Selling to banks in Central and Eastern Europe works like selling to banks anywhere, with three differences. Many large banks in the region belong to Western European groups, so find out early whether the decision sits locally or at group. Supervision is split between the ECB and national authorities, but DORA and EBA rules apply EU-wide. And local language, local budgets and local relationships matter more than a London pitch deck expects.
My last role at Moody's in London, until April 2024, was Assistant Director, Sales, covering central banks, financial institutions, asset managers, PE and VC in Central and Eastern Europe, plus Portugal, Malta and Cyprus. Earlier in my 4 years and 7 months there I was an Account Manager on Tier 1 banks and asset managers. So I have sold into this region and compared it with Western Europe week by week.
What follows is general: the structure of the market, the rules that shape how banks buy, and what I would do differently in CEE than in London or New York. No former employer's data or client names, no deal figures, and no individual bank named. This is a B2B guide for firms selling software, data or services to banks. It is not about retail banking.
The first question for any CEE bank is where the decision sits.
Many of the larger banks in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and the Baltics are subsidiaries of banking groups headquartered in Western Europe. Others are domestically owned, some by the state. The ownership tells you a lot about how a purchase will run.
| Bank type | Where the decision usually sits | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Subsidiary of a Western European group | Often split: the local bank owns the need, the group sets standards, approved vendors and sometimes the contract | Ask early whether a group framework or approved vendor list exists. A group-level yes can open several countries; a group-level no can close them |
| Large domestic bank | Locally, with its own committees | Behaves like a Western bank of the same size, with local procurement |
| State-owned bank | Locally, often under public procurement-style rules | Expect formal tenders, fixed timelines and published criteria |
| Smaller regional or cooperative bank | Locally, often at board level | Shorter committee, smaller budgets, sponsor often at C-level |
| Central bank | Formal procurement | Tendered, documented, slow, and very clear on requirements |
The group question is the one I would put in the first meeting. "Is this decided here, at group, or both?" saves months. If group owns it, you need a sponsor in the local bank and a contact at group, and the local sponsor can usually tell you who that is.
Supervision shapes what the bank's risk team asks you.
Some national supervisors in the region have also issued their own guidance on topics such as cloud use. Ask the bank's risk team which local guidance they apply to a service like yours, and read it before the contract stage.
This is general information, not legal advice; check with your compliance team or counsel.
Under DORA Article 30, an ICT services contract with an EU bank has to cover, among other things, a clear description of the services, the locations where services are provided and data is processed, data protection, data return if things end, service levels, help during incidents, cooperation with authorities, and termination rights with notice periods. Where you support a critical or important function, the contract also needs precise service levels, business continuity testing, participation in the bank's threat-led penetration testing if asked, "unrestricted rights of access, inspection and audit", and an exit strategy with "a mandatory adequate transition period". The text is in Regulation (EU) 2022/2554.
Two practical points for CEE:
These are general lessons, not claims about any one bank.
Cold email can open conversations with CEE banks, but the rules differ by country. The EU has no single rule for B2B email. Under GDPR Recital 47, processing personal data for direct marketing "may be regarded as carried out for a legitimate interest", but national ePrivacy laws sit on top of that, and some member states require prior consent for email marketing even to businesses. Germany's UWG section 7 is the best-known example. Check the rule in each CEE country before you send anything. The cross-jurisdiction guide is is cold email legal for financial services.
Where outbound is allowed, the approach that suits the region:
These three were in my patch too. They are euro-area countries under the Single Supervisory Mechanism, so the supervisory picture is the same as for the euro-area CEE states. Malta and Cyprus also host fund managers and fund administrators, which matters if you sell to fund administrators or asset managers as well as banks. The general buying-committee map in how to sell to banks applies to all three.
We book meetings with the people who own the problem at the banks you choose, and you pay per qualified meeting that took place. Here is the honest position on proof: ROI Maximizer has not run a finance campaign yet. Our published results are in PR, not finance. PR Noir got 27 leads, 10 qualified meetings and a $90K deal, and P1 Communications, a hospitality PR agency, got 20+ qualified meetings. What I bring to CEE is having covered the region's financial institutions on the sell side.
Prices: a setup fee of $1,000–$3,000, then $200–$500 per qualified meeting that took place, or a flat $5,000 a month. No minimum term, and nothing for a no-show. More on selling to banks is in lead generation for selling to banks, fintechs should read how fintechs land their first bank pilot, and the wider offer is on the financial services page.
Find out first whether the decision sits at the local bank or at its parent group. Find a sponsor who owns the problem, prepare for DORA contract terms and data-location questions, and offer a scoped entry price. Treat each country as its own market with its own language and supervisor.
In euro-area countries, including Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, the Baltic states and, since 1 January 2026, Bulgaria, banks fall under the ECB's Single Supervisory Mechanism together with national supervisors. Poland, Czechia, Hungary and Romania have their own national supervisors. DORA and EBA guidelines apply across the EU.
It depends on the country. GDPR allows legitimate interest for direct marketing, but national ePrivacy laws decide whether you can email without prior consent, and some EU member states require consent even for B2B email. Check each country's rule before sending.
Yes, and many are part of groups that already use international vendors. Expect the same vendor risk review as in Western Europe, with extra attention to data location, local-language contracts and, where relevant, group-level approval.
If you pay anyone to book bank meetings in the region, us included, get three things in writing first.
Then put your deal size and close rate into the ROI calculator to see what a meeting with a CEE bank is worth to you.
If you are planning a push into CEE banks and want to sense-check the country list or the approach, book 30 minutes or email moe@roimaxi.com.
Moe Alhosni, founder, ROI Maximizer (M Ventures LTD, 4 Beau Street, Bath BA1 1QY).
About the author: Moe Alhosni, founder of ROI Maximizer. Before that he spent four and a half years in sales at Moody's in London, most recently as Assistant Director, Sales, working with banks, asset managers and private equity firms. He runs the campaigns behind the first-hand data on this site. LinkedIn
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