Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines Inc. said it launched eight more fully digital branches (FDBs) in key locations in Metro Manila, Luzon and the Visayas.
This brings the bank’s total number of FDBs to 25, the first of which was launched in September 2017, 11 in 2018 and another five early this year.
The company said its FDBs were in Iloilo, San Fernando, Pampanga, Biñan, Carmona and Pasay.
This is aligned with our objective to have at least one FDB in every province or city, it said.
During the launch of the new branches, UnionBank Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer Ana Maria A. Delgado said the lender is bringing its clients to the future of banking.
“Our digital queueing system has reduced transaction time for our major transactions by half. On top of making it faster, we are making our clients feel special, as we call them by names instead of numbers,” Delgado said. “And because we are digital, we have been able to eliminate the use of paper, and in the first half of July, we have processed over a hundred thousand paperless transactions.”
The FDB focuses on providing exemplary customer experience in all touch points in the branch—from self-service machines to tablets and branch ambassadors, according to the bank. To make the experience more relevant, each branch is designed to prioritize services that match the needs of the clientele depending on the location.
“Sitting here today and experiencing what I have experienced in the last few weeks here in the bank, it’s like saying ‘Houston, the eagle has landed,’” UnionBank President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista said, referring to the iconic phrase made when the first men on the moon landed their craft.
“It is appropriate because it is the end of the decade and we’re a year ahead of schedule. And it’s not just this. Last week we also introduced the first stable coin in the Philippines, and the first pilot for a blockchain-based funds transfer, cross-country by a bank in Southeast Asia. These are all major milestones,” Bautista said.
UnionBank opened its first FDB at Ayala Avenue in Makati. The country’s first fully digital and paperless branch has won numerous recognitions around the world, including Best Branch Customer Experience in the Asia-Pacific at the Retail Banker International Customer Experience Financial Services Awards, Top 14 best bank branch designs in the world by finance web site The Financial Brand, and Most Innovative Digital Branch Project by The Asset Triple A Digital Awards 2018.