ICE Barcelona marked the first major industry gathering of the year and a defining moment for Uplatform, setting the tone for its 2026 strategy. In this post-event interview with Yogonet, Maria Bashkevich, Head of Marketing at Uplatform, reflects on why ICE has become a strategic checkpoint for the brand, not just in terms of visibility, but as a platform for serious conversations around regulation, expansion, and long-term growth.
From evolving operator expectations to the growing importance of localization, scalability, and experiential engagement, Bashkevich shares how Uplatform has moved beyond the challenger phase to position itself as a structured, end-to-end partner “from launch to scale,” ready to support both emerging brands and established operators navigating increasingly complex global markets.
ICE Barcelona was the first major exhibition of the year. Why was it important for Uplatform to attend this event? What makes it a strategically different event for Uplatform compared to other shows?
Let’s be honest – ICE is one of the major global iGaming shows. It’s a first global checkpoint that sets the tone for the brands for a season. For Uplatform, being in the central spot at ICE is important in all dimensions – positioning, visibility, sales pipeline acceleration, product development, and so on.
And yes, ICE 2026 is strategically different for us. We are no longer proving anything to a market. Over the past years, we have strengthened our positions, expanded our sportsbook and casino depth, and enhanced our localization capabilities. This year, we arrived not as a fast-growing challenger, but as a structured, scalable partner ready for larger operators and more complex markets.
For us, ICE 2026 was a very serious show, where serious conversations about expansion, regulation, and long-term growth began.
At the same time, we remain Uplatform! We believe strong business does not exclude personality. So while the conversations were strategic and future-focused, we still created an engaging and memorable atmosphere around them. Because growth can be serious. But it does not have to be boring.
What types of operators did you expect to connect with most at ICE Barcelona: startups entering regulated markets, or established brands expanding into new regions?
We definitely have our preferences, but in reality, both are strategically important for us. Being localized and scalable, our platform can help both achieve their goals.
For new brands, we can give clarity, guidance, and infrastructure. They need an all-in-one solution that is ready for their target market, with integrated payments and advisory on them, 2-line support, sportsbook and casino depth, and a partner who can answer operational and regulatory questions quickly. For them, reducing uncertainty is critical.
For established brands expanding into new regions, the conversation shifts. They focus on optimization, efficiency, and performance. Here, we provide a strong combination of content depth and operational tools, supported by advanced localization, proven performance, diverse payment methods, CRM strength, and scalability that allows them to improve margins while entering new territories.
At ICE, we expected – and we met – a strong presence of ambitious operators preparing for regulated market entries in Europe and LatAm, as well as established brands looking to diversify portfolios, improve margins, or enter new markets.
That diversity of discussions is exactly what makes ICE such a valuable platform for us.
The sportsbook API supports over 260 sports and esports with iframe integration. How does this approach reduce friction for operators looking to scale quickly?
First of all, our sportsbook is done fully in-house at Uplatform. That gives us flexibility, independence, and faster product evolution as we don’t depend on third-party roadmaps.
From a technical perspective, the iframe-based integration also reduces friction. Operators do not need months of custom development or complex restructuring. This integration is faster, resource-light, and cost-efficient. This directly impacts time-to-market.
It is worth mentioning that our sportsbook is one of the biggest on the market – we have the biggest number of supported sports, events, and betting markets, both pre-match and live. This means operators can instantly offer real depth to players, and not only during major events but year-round.
This depth also improves localization. We support wide coverage across regions, multiple odds formats, and different betting views. For multi-geo projects, we provide geo-sensitive sorting, ensuring relevant sports and events are prioritized per region. That reduces friction for both operators and end players.
And the result is simple – faster launch, smoother scaling, no technical bottlenecks, and a solution that is ready for international growth from day one.
With a payments module covering more than 550 methods globally and regionally, how critical has localization become for operator success today?
This is honestly my favorite topic.
At Uplatform, we strongly believe that localization is no longer optional – in 2026, it is foundational. It must run as a red line across the entire platform: from content and UI/UX design to translation, from customer support to operational logic.
And payments are a critical part of that structure.
Uplatform supports more than 550 global and regional payment methods. This allows operators to adapt to local habits instead of forcing players into global, generic systems that do not reflect their everyday life.
From my perspective, today’s success is more about expanding globally while creating a truly local feeling in every market. Localization goes far beyond language and currency. Marketing tone, content, UX expectations, bonus mechanics – everything must be in line with local preferences. The player should feel like you understand them, their daily life and environment – as if you live and operate only in their country.
That is why we’ve prepared a localization guide for operators that provides a structured yet simple explanation of building proper localization. I highly recommend reading it.
Casino aggregation has become increasingly competitive. How does Uplatform differentiate its aggregator in terms of flexibility, content control, and technical simplicity?
You are absolutely right – competition among aggregators is growing every day. But from my perspective, this race is no longer about quantity alone. Having thousands of games is not a differentiator anymore. Today, differentiation is about speed, control, flexibility, and operational simplicity.
At Uplatform, our aggregator is built around exactly these principles. We provide easy and fast integration, stable infrastructure, and cost-efficient pricing that make scaling sustainable. At the same time, flexibility and control are essential, and with our management and reporting tools, we give them that. The catalogue is constantly updated and expanding, but more importantly, it is manageable and controllable.
Uplatform positions itself as a partner “from launch to scale.” What are the most common challenges operators face at each stage, and how do your solutions address them?
Oh, this is a massive topic, because operators face dozens of challenges at every stage of their journey. So I will mention just a few.
At the very beginning, the biggest problem is often strategic blind spots. Some operators underestimate the importance of a solid business model, clear positioning, and a structured marketing strategy. Let’s be real – without that, even strong technology cannot compensate.
Another common challenge at launch is TEAM. Entering a market without proper local expertise – regulatory knowledge, marketing behavior understanding, operational awareness – creates risk from day one.
Our role evolves with them. Initially, we reduce complexity, guide them through the process, and accelerate time-to-market. When operators move into the scaling phase, the challenges shift. We optimize operations, strengthen analytics, expand product depth, and support geographic expansion.
For us at Uplatform, “from launch to scale” means adapting our involvement depending on the operator’s maturity stage. And importantly, our support does not end at “create a ticket – we will solve it.” We monitor. We analyze. We suggest. For us it’s not a vendor model – it’s more a partnership model, where we grow together with our clients.
Beyond product demos, Uplatform emphasizes on-stand experiences and networking, this time including even a custom-brewed IPA. How important is experiential engagement in building long-term operator relationships?
Highly important.
From my perspective, experience builds a relationship. On-stand engagement, networking moments, and even something like a custom-brewed IPA create emotional connection. Of course, in B2B, decisions are rational, but I’d like to think that partnerships are built on trust and memories.
Also, we want to show the human side of the brand. Our themes, games, merch, all those small details – they make interactions more human, warm, and personal. And long-term partnerships are always human before they are contractual.
At every expo, we are not only presenting our incredible tech solutions, showing our demos, and bragging about our clients’ results (even though they are really mind-blowing sometimes). We are building relationships that I hope last beyond the exhibition floor.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/02/12/117546-uplatform-34we-strongly-believe-that-localization-is-no-longer-optional-in-2026-it-is-foundational-34
