All articles by Douglas Blakey
Douglas Blakey
Women power to fore in Austria
Although only 18% of Austrian women believe that finance is a female theme, one-half of women in Austria reach their own financial decisions, according to a report from Erste. A survey conducted for Erste by market researchers Integral and released on International Womans Day (8 March) flagged up women as champion savers, compared to men. On average, Austrian women put aside an average of 253 ($334)per month, only 13 per month less than men, despite Austrian women having to live on monthly incomes around 40% less than the male average.
Account switching remains an issue in EU27
Only 1 in 5 of account switchers succeeded in opening an account and switching a standing order, according to a survey conducted by GfK EU3C, the European Custom Research and Coordination Centre of GfK, on behalf of the European Commission.
BGZOptima goes live with Callatay
Polish direct bank BGZOptima, a joint venture of local lender BGZ and Netherlands-headquartered Rabobank, has gone live with Callata & Wouters Thaler software. We have worked with Callata & Wouters on several occasions for direct banking software, said Gert Bouwman, head of Rabobank International Direct Banking.
FY11 net profit falls 43% at Ziraat
Turkey-based public sector lender Ziraat Bank has posted a net profit of TRY2.10bn ($1.17bn) for the 12 months to 31 December, down 43% year-on-year. Total deposits fell by 10% to TRY113.1bn while total assets increased by 6% to TRY160.7bn. Ziraat director general Hseyin Aydn said that Ziraats turnaround project would boost the banks competitiveness and improve customer service.
Cashback, up to 3% interest; Santander debuts 1-2-3 current account
Santander has rolled out the 123 Current Account, offering customers in-credit interest at a competitive 3% for balances of between £3,000 and £20,000 For accounts which drop below the £3,000 limit, Santander is paying interest of 1% for balances between £1,000 and £2,000 and 2% on the entire balance for accounts with balances of between £2,000 and £3,000.
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US deposits register growth for 6th successive quarter
US retail deposits registered strong growth for the sixth consecutive quarter for the three months to 31 December Total deposits at FDIC-insured institutions increased by 1.8% or $183.2bn in the fourth quarter of 2011 quarter-on-quarter.
PKO posts record net profit for FY11
PKO Bank Polski (PKO), Polands largest bank by assets, has beaten analyst forecasts with a record net profit for the 12 months to 31 December of PLN3.81bn ($1.2bn), up 18% on the year ago period. Net interest income soared by 17% to PLN7.61bn, boosted by lending growth and helped to offset disappointing net fees income (down 1.3% year-on-year to PLN3.1bn). Total deposits increased by 10% to PLN146.5bn while total lending rose by 9% to PLN147.3bn; total assets increased by 12% to PLN190.7bn.
Kotak Mahindra deploys Finacle across 335 branches
Kotak Mahindra Bank has announced the successful implementation of Infosys Finacle 10 universal core banking solution across 335 bank branches. Kotak Mahindra said that the Finacle implementation replaced the banks legacy core banking system with no disruption to business and was completed in 18 months
Thai unit of CIMB targets ambitious retail banking growth
The Thailand-based division of Malaysia-headquartered CIMB Bank plans to double retail banking customer numbers to 1.2m by the end of 2012. To boost its growth ambitions, CIMB will open a net 22 branches this year in Thailand, increasing its branch network in the country to 158 outlets. CIMB is also planning to grow its army of mobile relationship managers, charged with attracting new customers to the bank.
ICICI extends m-banking service, launches fee for m-payments
Indias largest private sector lender ICICI Bank is to start charging customers to transfer funds from their mobile phones Each mobile transfer will incur an INR5 charge for ICICI customers from 1 April, a service currently offered free of charge. For other retail banking charges ICICI will charge on a monthly as opposed to quarterly basis from April.