All articles by Farah Halime
Farah Halime
National Bank rolls out savings ad campaign
National Bank, Canadas seventh-largest bank by assets, has kicked off an integrated advertising campaign to promote its retirement savings products, incorporating TV, print and online ad channels. We are making it our duty to help all our clients plan for their retirement, while living life to the fullest, said Sylvie Roy, the banks vice-president of corporate marketing and communications.
ING battles EC bank rescue plan
ING and the Dutch government have launched an appeal against restructuring measures imposed on the bank by the European Commission. ING said the Commission incorrectly calculated the amount of government aid it received during the financial crisis by around 2 billion ($2.8 billion).
SBI targets basic mobile banking growth
State Bank of India (SBI) is to extend mobile banking to basic handsets, not only so-called smartphones, as part of a drive to widen its m-banking customer base. SBIs move to promote the mobile channel alternate follows the Reserve Bank of India raising the ceiling on mobile banking transactions to INR50,000 ($1,000) per day from INR5,000 a day.
Céska Sporitelna targets Czech youth with new website
Cska Sporitelna, the Czech Republic-based subsidiary of Erste, has launched an educational website aimed at boosting young peoples financial know-how. The portal at http:www.moneymanie.cz and called Moneymanie, offers information such as how banks work, what kinds of payment cards there are and how to get money for studying.
US private equity group Blackstone eyes UK retail banking launch
US-based private equity group Blackstone has confirmed it is planning a UK retail banking start-up to be branded Home and Savings Bank, subject to UK regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), granting a banking licence. Blackstone joins a number of banking entrants to the UK market awaiting FSA approval, including Walton & Co, which aims to target the mass-affluent segment in the south of England and US entrepreneur Vernon Hills Metro Bank (see RBI 614).
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Bangkok Bank reports small 2009 profits rise
Bangkok Bank, the largest bank in Thailand by assets, has posted net profits of THB20 billion ($604 million) for fiscal 2009, a 0.02 percent increase from the year before. The bank grew its deposits by THB31.5 billion, up 2.4 percent to THB1.34 trillion at the end of December 2009.
Chase to extend Facebook initiative
Chase, the retail unit of JPMorgan Chase, is to extend the use of social media for charitable giving after its first campaign on Facebook garnered support from more than two million users since its launch in November last year. The initiative allowed visitors to the website to choose from more than 500,000 non-profit organisations bidding for a share of $5 million offered by Chase as part of its $100 million annual budget for charitable giving.
CIBC first Canadian bank to launch iPhone app
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) has become the first major bank in Canada to roll out a mobile banking application (app) for Apples iPhone.
Wells Fargo offers text banking to all customers
Wells Fargo is the first US bank to make text banking available to all its customers, including those not yet signed up to its online banking service The service provides customers with their current available account balances, transaction history, credit card payment information, and the location of the nearest Wells Fargo ATM