vers Shakers AND
W
70
A Success Built Around LASTING RELATIONSHIPS By implementing a customer-centric strategy backed by the shareholders and driven by a dedicated workforce, BNF is today a household name and enjoys the reputation of a bank with excellent customer service.
F
rom the outset, the Bank stood out and distinguished itself through its highly recognisable brand, its strong personal relationships with customers, its business agility, and its innovative products – with customers remaining at the heart of BNF’s client-centric operations. All these factors contributed to the Bank quickly carving out its own niche in the local financial services landscape, as it established itself with a number of branches forming its retail network covering Malta and Gozo. Together with a business centre offering a suite of products and tailor-made, personalised solutions to personal and business clients from start-ups to large corporates, BNF Bank offers straightforward and relevant products for one’s phases during the life journey. In recognising the generational shift in the way clients bank and do business, and by acknowledging that customer experience needs to be refreshed often and regularly, BNF Bank has long launched its strategy for digital transformation. This technological drive enabled the implementation of new or upgraded digital customer interfaces, including contactless debit and credit cards, express deposit machines, a new internet banking platform and the BNF mobile app amongst others. Together with these enhanced services, there was significant investment behind the scenes in preparation for the next phases of development. With an outlook towards digitisation and the implementation of innovative processes and services to the benefits of its customers,
Temenos Transact and Infinity - considered as one of the most successful and widely used digital core banking solution in the world was selected for the Bank’s core banking transformation. “Our digital transformation process is based on developing strategic nodes that are scalable with customer-focused designs,” said Michael Collis, BNF’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. “We are adding new capabilities to ultimately take our service offering to higher levels, while ensuring sustainable growth. Automation and personalisation have become key to the customer journey, and our team remains focused on achieving and maintaining results that make a tangible difference to our clients.” The Bank will continue to invest in technology, in its branch network and in its people, while expanding its activities and client base, to become the bank of choice in Malta for families and family business. BNF’s efforts and results have been recognised by international reputable institutions such as The Banker publication, by the Financial Times bestowing the Bank with accolades including the Bank of the Year award in 2020 and 2021 respectively. By adopting a customer-first attitude in its operations, the team at BNF focuses on personal relationships with its customers based on listening, trust, transparency and loyalty. These relationships make the most of open conversations through which the team strives to understand client aspirations and life plans. The Bank has announced a robust performance for 2021, registering the strongest annual financial results ever in the history of the bank with a resultant growth in its total assets by over 11 per cent over the previous year, hitting the €1bn mark. The net operational income also increased due to growth in loans and advances to customers, while the liquidity position and capital adequacy remained strong through effective capital planning. Aligned to the security framework expected now in Malta and the EU, the Bank further continued to strengthen its regulatory and compliance functions that ensure sound corporate governance and robust risk mitigation when onboarding new clients. “Alongside a team of dedicated professionals, BNF’s Vision 2023 lays out strategic pillars for taking the Bank forward”, stated Collis. “We continue to work relentlessly towards our long-term and sustainable objectives of growth, internationalisation and technology transformation. Our core aim remains to keep our customers at the centre of everything we do, while providing a competitive suite of products delivered through an omnichannel approach. Our stance remains proactive to anticipate trends and remain a step ahead of both planned and unexpected change.” M+S
