The Asian Banker Annual Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards Ceremony and Dinner 2019 took place at the Conrad Dubai. Over 200 senior bankers from 40 banks across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa gathered to recognise institutional best practices and outstanding achievements in 2018.

Taiwan’s CTCB Bank emerged as Best Retail Bank for the Asia Pacific region, Emirates NDB was awarded Best Retail Bank in the Middle East. Other winners include Standard Chartered Bank, Greater China and North Asia, for Best Regional Retail Business in Asia Pacific and UOB was awarded Best SME Bank in Asia Pacific.

CTBC Bank’s commitment to digital transformation drove expansion of its retail franchise 

CTBC Bank operates the largest private commercial franchise in Taiwan having the lead market position in credit card, mortgages, SME and wealth management. It is also actively expanding overseas and operates a comprehensive and profitable overseas network with over 260 service outlets in 14 countries and territories that include separate subsidiaries in Japan, US, Canada, Philippines and Indonesia, and posted over $1.4 billion in its global retail banking revenue in 2018.

The bank accelerated the digital transformation of its services and implemented major digital technology initiatives to bring operational processes and customer satisfaction to the next level. It is also developing innovative digital services for unique customer experiences. It strengthened its big data analytics platform and rolled out new data-driven services to better meet customer needs.

It expanded its mobile digital services through its collaboration with social platform LINE to offer social media related financial services. Leveraging advancements in financial technology, the bank launched a new suite of digital financial services ranging from investment and insurance to loans and personal financial management. For these market leading initiatives, CTBC Bank emerged as Best Retail Bank in Asia Pacific.

UOB’s strong business helps SMEs to adapt and thrive in the digital economy

 Implementing a data-driven strategy to cater to the financing needs of SMEs, UOB has leveraged advanced data analytics and its strong ecosystem network to launch unsecured funding for growing businesses, and growing its footprint in Singapore and the region. This resulted in an annual revenue growth of over 80% for its SME business. The bank improved customer experience by introducing a mobile internet banking platform, which enables SMEs to manage currency volatility and track industry developments. UOB additionally allows SMEs to automate business processes, providing them with customised digital investment portfolios, and matching them with technology service providers to integrate digital solutions. 

For initiatives leveraging its ecosystem network and data to meet the evolving needs of SMEs, UOB was awarded Best SME Bank in Asia Pacific at the Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards Programme 2019.

About The Asian Banker 

The Asian Banker is the region’s most authoritative provider of strategic business intelligence to the financial services community. The Singapore-based company has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Manila, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Dubai, as well as representatives in London, New York, and San Francisco. It has a business model that revolves around three core business lines: publications, research services and forums. The company’s website is www.theasianbanker.com

About the International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards

The International Excellence in Retail Financial Services programme is one of the most rigorous, prestigious and transparent awards programme for consumer financial services in the world. Covering all of the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and West Africa, the programme was instituted in 2001 to recognise the pursuit of excellence amongst retail financial institutions. The programme evaluates more than 300 banks and non-bank retail financial services players in more than 42 countries, via a rigorous audit-based approach.