Ivan Bilash, SOFTSWISS: “Our solutions are engineered with reliability and long-term results in mind”

Focus Gaming News spoke with Ivan Bilash, Director of Partner Operations at SOFTSWISS, about the company’s goals for the ICE 2026 event, its growing presence in regulated markets, and what its partners can expect for this year.

Exclusive interview.- As ICE Barcelona once again brings together the global igaming industry, SOFTSWISS arrives with a clear focus on scale, transparency, and long-term partner growth. In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Ivan Bilash, director of partner operations at SOFTSWISS, outlines the company’s strategic objectives for the event and explains how its “Power Your Ambition” concept reflects the brand’s current positioning. Bilash discusses SOFTSWISS’ expansion across regulated markets in Europe, Latin America, and Africa, the operational value of a Game Aggregator now exceeding 40,000 titles, and the evolution of its Sportsbook as it marks five years on the market. He also shares insights into the company’s regional priorities for 2026 and how SOFTSWISS is balancing innovation, compliance, and transparency as regulation tightens globally.

What are the company’s primary strategic objectives for this year’s presence at ICE Barcelona?

For us, ICE is a place where we meet existing partners face-to-face, discuss their business priorities, and identify how we can support their next stage of growth. At the same time, it’s a key platform for creating new relationships with operators who are either entering regulated markets or looking to scale further.

SOFTSWISS has significantly expanded its footprint across Europe, Latin America, and Africa over the past year. Participation in ICE allows us to prove that this growth is not theoretical. It’s backed by real projects and real working experience across very different regulatory environments.

ICE is also a perfect place to show how our technology performs in practice. Not just how fast partners can launch, but how stable and reliable the platform remains over time. That’s a big part of why people come to our stand.

What is the core concept driving SOFTSWISS’ presence at ICE this year, and how does it reflect the brand today?

This year’s creative concept is expressed in the slogan: “Power Your Ambition.” Visually, it’s represented by a transparent race car with the engine fully visible. We believe in transparency in every aspect of our business, be it technology, operations, or partner relationships. Just like a high-performance engine, our solutions are engineered with reliability and long-term results in mind. We don’t hide complexity behind flashy visuals. We show how things actually work.

This reflects where SOFTSWISS is today. We support our partners throughout their entire lifecycle and make sure the technology continues to deliver, regardless of the market or regulatory framework.

“We believe in transparency in every aspect of our business, be it technology, operations, or partner relationships.”

Ivan Bilash, director of partner operations at SOFTSWISS.

SOFTSWISS continues to expand across regulated markets. Which regions are you prioritising for platform growth in 2026?

Regulated markets remain a key focus for us. In 2025, we achieved several important milestones, including becoming a leading content provider in Brazil’s regulated market and strengthening our presence in South Africa, where our technology now supports multiple operators.

We keep a close eye on Asia as well. It’s a promising yet volatile region. Its regulatory environment is fragmented, but the general direction tends towards strict controls. Sudden changes in tax rules and AML requirements make compliance a core infrastructure for business there. So, success there requires a long-term approach.

At ICE, this regional strategy is reflected not only in our conversations but also in the way we present our products. We’ll show how they adapt to different business models, player behaviour, and regulatory requirements without losing stability.

Your Game Aggregator has surpassed 40,000 games. How do you help operators manage such a vast amount of content without overwhelming players?

It’s important to realise that content volume alone doesn’t create value. What really matters is how that content is organised and presented to the player.

This is where personalisation and a data-driven approach come into play. The SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator gives operators the tools to segment content by market, player behaviour, performance metrics, and more. This allows them to highlight top-performing titles, adapt game portfolios to specific regions, and react quickly to changing player preferences.

As a result, operators can build lobbies that feel relevant. When content is clearly structured and prioritised,  players navigate more easily and traffic naturally converts into long-term engagement.

The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. What are the main product priorities for 2026?

The Sportsbook has now turned into a mature product with impressive business results. So, now the main focus is on market expansion. 2026 priorities include further architectural improvements to increase flexibility, deeper API enhancements, and new tools that simplify integrations and daily operations for partners.

We’re also expanding gamification, introducing bonus mechanics, improving mobile performance, and launching new verticals, such as virtual sports. All of this is driven by real operator needs, especially in terms of player retention and process automation.

From a partner operations perspective, the Sportsbook is now in a strong position to support both casino-first brands entering sports and established bookmakers seeking a more flexible platform. And with the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, many operators are already preparing their sportsbooks. Because launching too close to the tournament increases the risk of falling behind when demand reaches its peak.

Beyond Barcelona, what are SOFTSWISS’ plans for the first months of 2026?

The company will dedicate the beginning of 2026 to building on the progress we’ve already made. We’ll continue to expand into regulated markets, strengthen existing partnerships, and invest in product development across our product ecosystem.

At the same time, the industry’s landscape is shifting. Regulation is tightening, and technology is becoming more powerful. The main challenge now is to balance between supporting innovation and strengthening transparency, while building player trust.

SOFTSWISS understands how to maintain this balance. Our clients value not only the depth of our technology but also the flexibility we ensure when they enter new markets or adapt to new regulatory requirements.

“The main challenge now is to balance between supporting innovation and strengthening transparency, while building player trust.”

Ivan Bilash, director of partner operations at SOFTSWISS.