Crisis management of bank brand reputation in the era of digital communications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26565/2786-4995-2026-3-01Keywords:
crisis management, bank reputation, reputational resilience, digital communications, reputational risk, digital resilience, artificial intelligence, cyber risks, customer trustAbstract
The full-scale war, digitalization, and the growing prevalence of cyber threats have increased the importance of bank brand reputational resilience. The study systematizes reputational risks, proposes a Digital Reputational Resilience Index, and develops a comprehensive crisis management model focused on crisis prevention, rapid response, and the restoration of customer trust. A comprehensive approach is substantiated that integrates digital monitoring, crisis communication, cyber resilience, artificial intelligence technologies, and adaptation to European requirements.
Problem statement. Despite the rapid digitalization of banking services, crisis management of bank brand reputation remains insufficiently systematic amid growing wartime, cyber, and information-related threats. Traditional approaches to reputation management do not fully account for the speed at which information spreads in the digital environment, the development of generative artificial intelligence, the need to rapidly restore customer trust, and increasingly stringent requirements for digital operational resilience in the context of Ukraine’s European integration.
Unresolved issues. Despite the considerable body of research on bank reputation, crisis communication, and digital resilience, comprehensive approaches to crisis management of bank brand reputation in the digital environment remain insufficiently developed. Further research is required into the interrelationships between digital and reputational risks, the speed of crisis response, the use of artificial intelligence, banks’ ability to restore customer trust, and the development of their reputational resilience.
Purpose of the article. The purpose of the article is to substantiate a comprehensive approach to crisis management of bank brand reputation and to enhance its reputational resilience in the context of digitalization, wartime risks, the development of artificial intelligence, and Ukraine’s European integration.
Main material. The study is based on systemic, process-based, and risk-oriented approaches to crisis management of bank brand reputation in the digital environment. The article examines the evolution of bank reputation in the context of digitalization, systematizes the main categories of reputational risks, and analyzes the impact of wartime threats, digital communications, cyber risks, generative artificial intelligence, and European integration processes on customer trust. An original Bank Digital Reputational Resilience Index (IDRS) is proposed, integrating the quality of digital communications, the level of trust, the effectiveness of crisis response, digital and cyber resilience, and bank adaptability. A cyclical reputation crisis management model comprising the PRE-CRISIS, CRISIS, POST-CRISIS, and RESILIENCE stages is developed. Practical recommendations are also formulated to strengthen the reputational resilience of Ukrainian banks, taking into account wartime challenges, advances in AI, and European requirements for digital operational resilience.
Conclusions. Crisis management of bank brand reputation in the digital environment requires the integration of reputational, communication, technological, and security-related components into a unified management system. The proposed Bank Digital Reputational Resilience Index (IDRS) and the developed model enable a comprehensive assessment of a bank’s capacity to withstand reputational threats, maintain customer trust, and leverage crisis experience to strengthen its future resilience. For Ukrainian banks, particular importance should be attached to combining digital reliability, effective crisis communication, AI capabilities, and European approaches to digital operational resilience.
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