Vienna, 3 September 2026 – Oper, Europe’s leading provider of technology for digital mortgage lending, today announced a partnership with VOLKSBANK WIEN AG, which has been the central organization of the Association of Volksbanks (Volksbanken-Verbund) since July 2015 and is one of Austria’s most significant banking groups. The partnership aims to accelerate the digital transformation of financing processes across all 236 branches nationwide, which together serve nearly 1 million customers.
The announcement comes as Austria’s mortgage market continues to recover from the sharp price correction of 2022-2023. In the past year alone, purchases of residential property rose by 18.3%.
Rolling out across all Austrian federal states, Oper will provide the banks within the Association of Volksbanks with the technology to digitalize their mortgage processes end-to-end, replacing time-consuming manual steps with automated procedures. For the banks, this means more streamlined applicant processing, automated document validation and more efficient offer creation. Oper’s solution takes specific workload off credit analysts and underwriters without them giving up control over decisions. The new partnership is another step in Oper’s expansion in Austria.
For the Association of Volksbanks, the partnership marks a key milestone in its long-term digital strategy, which is aimed at increasing operational efficiency while maintaining the strong advisory relationships and personal closeness that define the group’s regional banking model. By equipping branches with Oper’s platform, the group aims to shorten time-to-offer, reduce administrative burden, and ensure consistent, transparent processes across all regions.
Geert Van Kerckhoven, Co-Founder and CEO of Oper, said:
“Austria’s mortgage market is changing rapidly. With growing demand and a digitally native generation hoping to enter the market, banks must combine efficient processing with seamless digital experiences to remain at the forefront of innovation. Our partnership with the Association of Volksbanks allows us to drive digital transformation in Austrian banking and to actively shape the future of mortgage lending across the country.”
Tanja Hofmann, Project Lead Digital Mortgage Lending at the Association of Volksbanks, said:
“Strengthening regional banking across Austria means investing in digital transformation through innovative solutions, and that is especially true in today’s mortgage market. With our partnership with Oper, we want to make lending faster and smarter for lenders and borrowers alike: a seamless digital experience that reduces complexity, speeds up decisions, and maintains the trusted, relationship-driven service that our customers expect from us.”
With more than half of all European mortgages expected to be originated or managed through digital platforms by 2030, scalable and intelligent solutions in this field are becoming increasingly important. By combining Oper’s future-oriented solutions with the strong regional presence of the Association of Volksbanks, the partnership sets a new benchmark for modern, customer-centric mortgage lending in Austria.
Oper’s technology supports lenders across the entire financing cycle, from the initial application through to offer creation and the final credit decision. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing bank systems, enabling institutions to retain control over their portals and workflows while increasing efficiency and flexibility. It streamlines collaboration between underwriters and advisors and provides borrowers with a smooth, intuitive digital experience. By automating key processes, Oper helps banks deliver faster, more consistent credit decisions, handle peak demand efficiently, and reduce operational costs, while valuable underwriting expertise stays within the organization.
Oper digitizes & optimizes mortgage origination for lenders across Europe with a white-labelled SaaS offering. Its newest innovation, Herman, is a modular AI agent that captures and systematizes the judgment of experienced mortgage analysts, scaling expertise across an unlimited number of applications. Partnering with 20 leading financial institutions across 6 European countries, Oper's solutions drive a 27% increase in digital customer conversion, 81% faster mortgage decisions, and a 90% improvement in loan request quality. Our flexible deployment options, from headless API integration to a full UI, adapt to each institution's infrastructure while maintaining full compliance with the EU AI Act. Oper is a Deloitte 2025 Technology Fast 50 nominee.
The Association of Volksbanks is a banking group operating throughout Austria, comprising the eight regional Volksbanken, the Austrian Doctors’ and Pharmacists’ Bank and the SPARDA-BANK brand. Since July 2015, the association's central organization has been VOLKSBANK WIEN AG. The Association of Volksbanks has total assets of around €32.9 billion and, with 3,168 employees (full-time equivalents) in 231 sales offices, serves around 1 million customers throughout Austria (as of 31 December 2025). Further information is available at www.volksbank.at and www.volksbank.at/nachhaltigkeit.
Despite careful research, the information presented here is provided for non-binding information purposes only. Subject to printing errors and mistakes.
With 1,326 employees (full-time equivalents, group) and 54 sales offices in the regions of Vienna, Burgenland, Weinviertel, Waldviertel and Industrieviertel, as well as the Austria-wide SPARDA-BANK brand, VOLKSBANK WIEN AG is the largest of the Austrian Volksbanken. In addition to its own retail business, VOLKSBANK WIEN AG has also performed central organizational functions for the Association of Volksbanks since July 2015 (as of 31 December 2025). Further information is available at www.volksbankwien.at and www.volksbank.at/nachhaltigkeit.
Despite careful research, the information presented here is provided for non-binding information purposes only. Subject to printing errors and mistakes.