CARD SME Bank
inaugurates 36th branch in General Santos City
Press Release
December 17, 2020
SAN PABLO CITY –
CARD SME Bank opens its 36th branch on December 7, 2020, to cater to
the financial needs of more MSMEs in Brgy. Lagao, General Santos
City. The Lagao Branch, located at Sestina Building, Lucio Velayo
Sr. Road, Brgy. Lagao, General Santos City, is officially the 6th
CARD SME Bank branch in Mindanao and one of the two (2) branches in
the city.
CARD SME Bank President
and CEO Aristeo A. Dequito is positive that the products and
services of the bank will ignite hope despite the challenges of
2020. “We want to end 2020 reaching more entrepreneurs and helping
them recover from the adverse impact of the pandemic,” says Dequito.
While the first branch in
General Santos City already caters to more than 25,000 clients,
Lagao Branch “will be the home of thousands of MSMEs in the area,”
says Dequito. He continues, “We assure that this expansion will
provide easier transactions for our clients with us.”
As the quarantine
protocols ease, Dequito also shares how the bank braves the pandemic
to constantly provide financial access to the unbanked and
underbanked families.
“The branch strictly
follows the safety guidelines and protocols to ensure the safety of
our clients and staff,” he adds. Like all its branches nationwide,
CARD SME Bank Lagao Branch is equipped with plexiglass dividers and
hand sanitizer dispensers, while strictly following government
mandated health protocols like social distancing and wearing of face
mask.
Digital Banking
Dequito also shares how
the pandemic led the institution to accelerate its digitalization to
advance its banking system. “Throughout the decade, we have been
investing in our digital transformation, but with the current
situation, our banking technological solutions need more urgency to
provide our clients the safety and convenience they need amid the
pandemic.”
With digital banking,
clients can now experience hassle-free banking transactions anytime
and anywhere using their mobile phones through konek2CARD, a mobile
banking application, offered free to all account holders of CARD SME
Bank. “With our continuous journey to digital transformation, we
will advance more of its capabilities.”
Dequito continues, “We at
CARD SME Bank, together with the other institutions under CARD MRI,
are in full swing to continue our mission in improving the lives of
the socioeconomically challenged families in the country.”
CARD SME Bank is expecting
to initially serve more than 7,000 clients from five (5) branch lite
units.
The grand opening of CARD
SME Bank Lagao branch was personally attended by several CARD MRI
clients and staff, representatives from local government units, and
other members of the community. Virtually present via Zoom
conference were CARD MRI Executive Committee Members, including CARD
MRI Founder and Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip and
Managing Director Flordeliza Sarmiento.
As of October 2020, CARD
SME Bank has already served more than 1 million clients, has
disbursed more than P7 billion loans, and has a total asset of P8
billion.