Multi-awarded platform bank CIMB Bank Philippines marks its 3rd year anniversary in the country. Since its establishment in 2018, the bank has grown to become a leading force in the industry – disrupting the banking experience for countless Filipinos and playing a pivotal role in driving financial inclusion in the country.
3 years and counting of serving unmet needs
“Back when we came to the Philippines, the BSP, through its financial inclusion survey, reported that around 70% of Filipinos remain unbanked. In contrast, access to smartphones was over 60%,” says Vijay Manoharan, CIMB Bank Philippines’ Chief Executive Officer. “We saw this as an opportunity to make banking 100% digital, fully mobile, and significantly easier, especially for the underserved and unbanked Filipinos.”
CIMB Bank Philippines pioneered 24/7 banking and giving Filipinos a mobile-first banking experience. It also spearheaded the offering of high savings interest rates, no maintaining deposit balance, and zero fees. On the credit front, the bank, through its personal loans offering, also made lending easy by enabling Filipinos to digitally apply for a personal loan of up to PHP 1 million with just 1 identification card and 1 payslip. By partnering with GCash, CIMB Bank has also powered GCredit, which enables customers to get a credit line with just 1 identification card, allowing credit access for the unbanked segment without needing a formal income document. More recently, CIMB Bank also launched REVI Credit, a first-of-its-kind, on-demand, digital revolving credit line that lets customers pay bills, convert their credit line into cash or a term loan, and soon, shop online on credit and pay for online goods in installments through its Buy Now and Pay Later feature.
3 years and counting of helping Filipinos seize life’s moments
Since 2018, CIMB Bank has made banking easy and seamless for its customers. It has become a reliable partner for Filipinos – helping them achieve and build the life of their dreams.
Beverly, a CIMB Bank customer, started her savings account with CIMB Bank to save for the small business she intended to start with her family. Aside from the bank’s high savings interest rates, she noted that it was the ease of use and the hassle-free experience that she had with CIMB that made it the ideal partner for her business. “Malaking bagay [siya]…hassle free and marami [siyang] partner na banks… [hindi mahirap] mag-cash-in and cash-out.”
To date, CIMB Bank has empowered many Filipinos like Beverly. It has onboarded around 5 million deposit customers and has disbursed loans to 1 million customers and counting.
3 years and counting of constant innovation
From its beginnings, CIMB Bank Philippines has become a dominant force in the banking industry. This year alone, CIMB Bank ended November 2021 with more than PHP 186 billion in gross transaction value, 285% higher from versus the same period in 2020. In pursuit of its platform banking model, the bank has also forged key partnerships with GCash, Lalamove Philippines, among others.
Behind these milestones, according to CEO Vijay Manoharan, are the people who make it happen – CIMB Bank’s employees, or Mavericks, as they are regarded. “Our Mavericks embody the bank’s values of integrity, fearlessness, malasakit, and pagiging maaasahan,” narrates Mr. Manoharan. “Everyone shares the same passion for innovation to drive financial inclusion and contribute to the overall nation-building agenda. Mavericks are CIMB’s lifeblood, the heroes behind everything that the bank has achieved.”
Onwards, CIMB Bank Philippines endeavors to go further and continuously drive financial inclusion. Most notably, the bank aims to strengthen its platform banking model by collaborating with more partners to bring CIMB’s embedded banking strategy closer to more Filipinos – making CIMB Bank an integral part of consumers’ daily lives, whether in saving for their future, getting easy access to credit, and, or, for their protection and insurance needs.
“From improving our processes and systems, strengthening our existing collaborations, and forging new partnerships, we are actively working towards offering an experience that goes beyond banking,” Mr. Manoharan shares. “This is all in pursuit of our core purpose – delivering real value through innovation to drive financial inclusion in the country and help more Filipinos turn their dreams into a reality.”
