Sharing our blessings

Last Christmas, BancNet once again renewed its commitment to help the less fortunate. This was made more significant this year after the devastating storm Ondoy left many Filipinos still needing help even after three months from its onslaught.

Prioritizing Marikina schools which were badly hit by the floods, BancNet donated computer showcases to help replace some units which were damaged and can no longer be used. The donations were funded by the savings from cut backs from the company’s annual Christmas party which was significantly toned down this year. The school beneficiaries were Malanday High School, Marikina Science High School, Parang High School, Sta. Elena High School, and Nangka High School.

BancNet has also reached out to other charitable institutions namely the Missionaries of Charity House of Joy for Sick and Abandoned Children, Pangarap Foundation, Bahay Maria and Children’s Joy Foundation.

ATM cardholder drives home a Toyota Vios

Mr. Lemuel Sungahid’s payment of his Meralco bill using his Metrobank ATM card made through a PS Bank ATM was the winning transaction in the BancNet Pay ‘N Drive Raffle promotion where he won a Toyota Vios. Other ATM cardholders from Chinabank and Metrobank also won Canon Digital Ixus cameras in the draw last March 17, 2009.

Click to view the full list of winners

BancNet supports disadvantaged children

BancNet directors, officers and staff made last Christmas merrier for the orphans, neglected, sick, and rescued children of the Missionaries of Charity House of Joy for Sick Children, Bahay ni Maria and Pangarap Foundation. BancNet donated computers, milk, and personal and household supplies.

From left: HSBC president and
chief executive officer Mark Watkinson,
then BancNet chairman Angelito Villanueva
and
BancNet president Francisco Caparros, Jr.

From left: BancNet Executive
Vice President and COO
Aristeo P. Zafra, Jr.,
president Francisco M. Caparros, Jr.,
then chairman Angelito M. Villanueva
and Deutsche Bank managing director
Thomas DuCharme,
director Mylene Caparas,
and vice president John Cary Ong.

Two International banks join BancNet

Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC), the world’s local bank, and its subsidiary HSBC Savings Bank recently joined BancNet. Earlier, the Manila Branch of leading global investment bank Deutsche Bank A.G also signed up as a member of the consortium.

HSBC and HSBC Savings have a combined network of 32 ATMS and 32 branches. Their ATM cardholders number close to 100,000.

Deutsche Bank provides its private, corporate and institutional clients a broad range of financial solutions. Its BancNet membership will give Deutsche Bank clients access to BancNet’s online payment gateway, electronic data interchange and online fund transfer facility.

HSBC and Deutsche Bank boost the consortium’s roster of international bank members which include Chinatrust, Citibank N.A., Standard Chartered Bank and Tong Yang Bank.

BancNet president Francisco Caparros, Jr.

Expressnet outsources ATM switch operation to BancNet

ATM consortium Expressnet has outsourced the operation of its ATM switch to BancNet. Expressnet is run by Bank of the Philippines Islands (BPI). BPI president Aurelio Montinola III who is also Expressnet Chairman said the move is in line with the bank’s outsourcing initiatives. Selected operations or services are being outsourced to enable the bank to focus on its core banking activities.

Expressnet has some 3,500 ATMs belonging to BPI, BPI Family Savings Bank, Landbank and BDO serving their ATM cardholders totaling almost 12 million, as well as cardholders of BancNet and Megalink.

BancNet president Francisco Caparros, Jr. said “In operating the Expressnet switch, we are committed to deliver the same 100% switch availability standard that we maintain for BancNet.”

Electronic banking outsourcing is a new service of BancNet for both its members and non-members. Aside from ATM switch operations, other electronic banking processes that banks may outsource to BancNet are ATM deployment and monitoring, cash management, and reconciliation.

“ This service aims to result in operational and cost efficiencies for our members and customers,” said Caparros.

Bank Branches Thrive in Digital Age

With the advent of technological innovations, a bank customer can now transact instantly and conveniently anytime he wants and anywhere he may be through the automated teller machine (ATM), the Internet and mobile phone.

“Inspite of all these, however, bank branches are still very much around.  For while there is a growing number of customers who want things instantly, at the other end of the spectrum are customers who want to come to a branch and deal with a real person face-to-face,”  BancNet president Francisco Caparros, Jr. said as he welcomed more than 300 guests at the BancNet Executive Forum last July 17 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.”

Keynote speaker Aurelio Montinola III, President of the Bankers Association of the Philippines, reiterated that the traditional bank branch is very much alive, contrary to predictions several years ago.  “There are more people than ever who come to the branch today than before the Internet was introduced”, he said.

Since the Asian Market, particularly Filipinos, prefer “face-to-face” or “person-to-person” interaction, especially when it comes to their hard-earned money, providing personalized service is still the best way for banks to keep their customers.

He stressed that the challenge for branch banking in the Philippines today is to identify specific clients’ needs and provide the services to meet these needs.  He gave these tips to the bankers present: learn all the products to cross sell, train the employees to be financial advisors and equip the branch with all the digital systems necessary and with physical and infrastructural support.

He advised them to use technology as aid, such as a customer relationship management system showing a single view of the customer bankwide, standardized processing, online access to all systems used by clients from anywhere, and online training for bank personnel for easy dissemination of new products, changes to existing ones and campaigns.

Digital trends have inspired bank creativity

“The Asian Banker” president and editor-in-chief Emmanuel Daniel said during BancNet’s 18th Anniversary Executive Forum last July 17 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.  “The new trends in the banking industry in the digital age have actually inspired banks to become more creative with their services.”

“The Asian Banker” is a respected publication focused in Asian banking and finance.  Annually, it awards outstanding retail banks in the Asia-Pacific region.  Aside from founding and heading the Singapore-based publishing company, Daniel is also a member of the Council on Corporate Disclosure and Governance in Singapore.

He shared that Singapore and Hong Kong are the leaders in the region when it comes to innovative banking services while Philippine banks are still in transition, “doing nicely but not amazingly”.  He added that “a good-looking branch, staff, and advertising will not bring banks to the next level”, rather banks must be able to figure out how to keep their customers through selling products like wealth management.

He advised bankers to determine their banks’ area of expertise, develop a unique “character”, and make it work to their advantage.

Photo:  Matthew Heap

Connect, Interact, Retain Customers

” The market is being driven by the customer plus converging factors of automation, Internet communication and mobility” NCR Industry Marketing Director for Asia-Pacific Matthew Heap told the 300-plus bank and IT industry executives who attended BancNet’s Executive Forum at Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati last July 17.

“Customers expect to do things their way and have access to products and services wherever and whenever.  There are many channels that enable this but these channels must be integrated to create one seamless, converged, consistent consumer experience across all channels”, he added, Heap advised banks to connect with their customers by delivering a consistent, timely, simple and relevant message across the self-service channels.  This message can also be delivered dynamically at the branch utilizing new digital content management tools.

To interact with customers, successful banks “design the right offer and experience for the right customer,” Heap said, creating an environment that makes him feel like an expert the first time he interacts with the bank regardless if it’s at the branch or through any other channel.

Heap emphasized the importance of consistent customer experience and speed of delivery to retain existing customers and drive growth.  Technology makes a customer-centric strategy possible, he added.

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