Companies

“We put our clients’ interests at the heart of what we do and strive to offer them at all times a high-quality service and relevant solutions.” That is one of the four cornerstones that make up the overarching business strategy of KBC Group, the Brussels-headquartered bank-insurer that has emerged over the last few years as one of Europe’s strongest and most formidable financial institutions.

Three years ago, Union Bank of the Philippines reached the unprecedented decision to transform itself to be “digital to the core”. Most every bank is introducing digital innovations, but UnionBank’s all-out approach to digital transformation is setting an example that other banks will choose to follow. Throughout its onward march of progress, UnionBank has remained committed to its customers and staff, ensuring that not one of them is left behind.

UnionBank’s “moonshot” determination to undergo a complete digital transformation pervades the entire organization, not only the IT Department. UnionBankers are united in their vision for “making the diff” for their customers and wider communities by excelling in innovative products and services. In our interview, we discussed the bank’s progress with leaders from four separate areas of this ambitious Philippine bank.

The economy of the Central Asian nation of the Kyrgyz Republic has been challenged since the collapse of the Soviet Union 30 years ago. Its financial institutions, especially those supporting its commercial entities, have been invaluable in adding fuel to economic growth. In our interview, Mr. Bektur Aliev, Deputy CEO & Chief Retail Officer of Kyrgyz Investment and Credit Bank, shares how KICB is progressing in its goal to become the country’s leading commercial bank.

Malta, strategically located as a crossroads island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, boasts of having one of the eurozone’s most innovation-driven economies and highest annual GDP growth rates. In our interview, Michael Collis, CEO and MD of BNF Bank plc, describes how this multi-faceted, customer-centric Malta bank is realizing its “re-energised vision of increasing market share, taking the bank across new frontiers, with a desire to build a new future”.

Successful banks know who the boss is: the customer. And today’s customers, especially those who fall into the Millennial category, demand fast, error-free service delivered seamlessly. Banks confronted by the formidable challenge of adapting to both regulation and technology are also finding that up-and-coming fintechs are adept at meeting the demands of bank clients. Banks, more than they ever have before, must listen closely to their customers.

The digitalization of banking has challenged individual banks to unleash their creativity in meeting the needs and wants of their customers, who are growing increasingly tech-savvy. National Bank of Greece, the country’s oldest traditional bank, has taken a no-holds-barred approach to innovation in pursuit of growth. From its i-bank Pay to i-bank genius, NBG is a living example of just how far a motivated bank can go in its digital transformation.

KBC Group, one of Belgium’s top bank-insurers, is guided by its purpose to “help all our stakeholders realise their dreams and protect them”. With core markets across Europe, KBC is imbued by a corporate culture that it has dubbed with the acronym PEARL. Mr. Thijs and Mr. Luts describe how the bank-insurance group is employing its latest digital strategies to actualize its long-standing vision.

Sweden’s Handelsbanken is renowned as one of Europe’s leading and most cost-effective banks. The secret to this well-established bank’s prominence lies in its commitment to maximize customer satisfaction. Through its expanding branch network across Northern Europe, Handelsbanken continues to display the wisdom of its decentralized, local-relationship business model. Our interview with Anders Bouvin, president and group CEO, presents an opportunity to learn more about what’s behind the success of this top Nordic bank.

Ghana is currently experiencing a rapid and massive technological revolution in its banking industry as well as in other sectors of its economy. The innate benefits associated with the use of digital technologies in service delivery have required a myriad of banks to heavily invest in information-technology infrastructure and systems.