Last autumn, SEB participated for the first time in the Riga Business School (RBS) Computer Science and Organizational Technologies software engineering course, where students worked on real industry challenges throughout the semester. The course is led by RBS faculty member Uldis Karlovs-Karlovskis, and student teams develop software solutions based on ideas proposed by companies.

The financial sector is currently undergoing rapid transformation—technology increasingly shapes how customers perceive financial services, how decisions are made, and how companies manage their resources. To not only keep pace with these changes but actively shape them, it is essential for banks to seek new perspectives, experiment, and collaborate with environments where future ideas and talent emerge.

It was in this context that SEB joined the Riga Business School (RBS) Computer Science and Organizational Technologies software engineering course for the first time. During the semester, students worked on real company challenges, taking full responsibility for the software development process—from idea to functional prototype. The course is led by Riga Business School faculty member Uldis Karlovs-Karlovskis.

A real problem, a real context

SEB presented student teams with a challenge based on a common situation faced by small and medium-sized enterprises—financial data is often scattered across different systems and formats, making it difficult to analyze and use effectively. Without a clear overview of cash flow, expenses, and revenue structure, business owners struggle to make timely and well-informed decisions.

The students’ task was to develop an interactive web-based solution that transforms raw financial data into clear visualizations and analytics. The work followed agile development principles, with regular feedback from both the faculty member and the bank. This allowed students to work in conditions closely resembling a real-world financial technology environment.

Uldis Karlovs-Karlovskis says:

Six companies and six student teams participated in the project. SEB presented a challenge that required extensive financial data analysis and visualization. At the end of the project, the RBS student team presented a real solution already running within SEB’s secure infrastructure. The demonstrated prototype reflected the work of a professional engineering team. SEB representatives highly appreciated it, and I hope it will serve as the foundation for a real product. During the course, students learned software engineering best practices and immediately applied them in developing the prototype. I would like to thank SEB representatives for their involvement and trust.

Kristers Krīgers, an RBS student:

As students, this project was a valuable opportunity to test our knowledge in practice and create a solution that meets real needs. Together with SEB and thanks to their responsive involvement, we were able to develop a high-quality product that can help entrepreneurs. I would also like to thank my teammates Eduards Žeiris, Kesiya Ann Sony, Ilana Aradšņikova, and Kārlis Pabērzs for their collaboration and support throughout the project.

SEB Innovation Lead Inga Matvejeva emphasizes that this type of collaboration is not just an academic experiment for the bank:

The financial services environment is evolving rapidly, and it is important for the bank to explore new business opportunities, understand how technology can help our customers, and identify future talent before they enter the job market.

In her view, working with students provides an opportunity to see problems from a different perspective and test ideas in an environment where risk is low but potential is high:

It was important for us that the collaboration was not one-sided—students provide a creative and fresh perspective, while we offer insight into a real business environment. It is precisely in this type of collaboration that the most valuable ideas emerge.

Looking ahead

Projects like this allow SEB to test new approaches and solutions while also getting to know potential future colleagues at an early stage-seeing how they think, collaborate in teams, and solve complex problems.

“Many of these students could become strong colleagues and innovation drivers in the financial and technology sectors in the coming years. That is why it is important for us to work with them already today,” emphasizes Inga Matvejeva.

SEB particularly appreciates the students’ motivation, initiative, and ability to think beyond the initially defined task. The team not only met the requirements but also actively proposed improvements and new functionality ideas, demonstrating both technical skills and an understanding of business needs.

Riga Business School is a part of Riga Technical University, and its approach to education in both technology and business is built on innovation and practice-based learning, where theory is closely connected to real-world business challenges. As the school emphasizes, collaboration with industry leaders such as SEB is an essential part of the study process, as it enables students to work with authentic data, real situations, and actual company needs already during their studies. Such projects help students develop not only technical skills, but also strategic thinking, teamwork abilities, and the capacity to create solutions that are applicable in real working environments and provide practical value for their future careers.