Basler Kantonalbank has implemented the major parts of the reorganization it launched two-and-a-half years ago, according to CEO Guy Lachapelle. For the finishing touches, the company relies on Bank Cler and a tried-and-tested app.
Guy Lachappelle, CEO of Basler Kantonalbank (BKB), in the spring of 2015 announced his intention to revamp the business, starting from scratch. His goal: moving the bank into the digital age and redesigning the 18 branches, all within three years.
The renovation was to cost a huge amount of money. «We are building a cathedral, and it costs as much as well,» Lachapelle said at the annual retail banking conference organized by the Institute of Financial Services Zug.
In figures: BKB this year alone spent 88 million Swiss francs on its reorganization. In 2016, the project cost 65 million.
More to Come
And the job ain’t done yet: BKB so far refurbished two thirds of the branches. The rest will be follow by mid-2018.
BKB aims to provide a system that allows the customer to communicate digitally or in person with his or her bank. It will use an application that BKB unit Bank Cler is to apply first, starting sometime in the first quarter of 2018. The bank hopes to win some 200,000 new customers using this tool.
With the tool, the bank will also make services available online that third parties are providing. Lachapelle is in talks with an online store, a travel agency and an insurance company.
