CARD Bank opens
branch in Tabaco City
By
CARD MRI
January 21, 2021
SAN PABLO CITY – In
its bid to promote financial inclusion, CARD Bank, a
microfinance-oriented rural bank, opened its 98th branch in Tabaco
City, Albay on January 18, 2021.
The branch will cater to
29,626 microfinance clients who were originally part of Legazpi
Branch. Having this new branch will bring bank services closer to
clients of nine branch-lite units in the municipalities of Tabaco,
Tiwi, Bacacay, Malilipot and Malinao. As well, these two branches
will have better opportunities to expand.
This will fully reach more
unbanked and underbanked families in the province. According to CARD
Bank Regional Director Wilma Laurio, the branch is expected to
deliver financial banking products and services to 31,000 clients by
the end of the first quarter.
“These clients, who mostly
came from the socioeconomically challenged families, will have equal
opportunities to access affordable and useful financial products and
services,” said CARD Bank President and CEO Marivic Austria. She
added that financial inclusion is one of the solutions to break the
endless cycle of poverty.
Aside from offering
microfinance, SME and other loan products, CARD Bank also promotes a
better saving habit for every client it serves. For as low as P100,
its clients can now open their savings account. This will encourage
them more to become conscious about saving for their future.
CARD Bank also has a
remittance service called CARD Sulit Padala. Together with CARD,
Inc., CARD SME Bank, and CARD MRI Rizal Bank, clients who need
remittance services can send or transfer money in more than 900
branches nationwide. For as low as P1, senders can transfer money to
their loved ones to meet their financial needs.
The new branch will also
be part of CARD Bank’s digitization journey which is even more
intensified because of the pandemic. “During the pandemic, the
digital services of the bank showed a crucial role to constantly
provide its services even with the presence of physical barriers.
These digital efforts brought convenience and safety to our
clients,” said Austria.
The branch is located at
Purok 1, Brgy. Pawa, Tabaco City, Albay. The opening was graced by
CARD Bank President Marivic Austria, CARD Bank Executive Vice
President Lourdes Dijan, CARD Bank Vice President for Operations
Glenda Magpantay, and CARD Bank Assistant Vice President Raquel
Zaragoza. It was also attended by CARD Bank Chairman Dr. Jaime
Aristotle B. Alip, CARD Bank Senior Advisers Dr. Dolores Torres and
Lorenza Bañez, and CARD MRI Managing Director Flordeliza Sarmiento
via online conference.
To date, CARD Bank has
more than 3.4 million clients served all over the country.