All articles by Rodrigo Amaral
Rodrigo Amaral
Being the Best in Portugal
Banco Best has rolled out what it describes as Europes first online investment community, offering amateur stock market investors the chance to compete with each other The banks marketing director, Pedro de Sousa Cardoso, tells Rodrigo Amaral the marketing initiative is already reaching its key sectors It may be small, but Banco Best hopes to grow in the Portuguese market by innovating and focusing on cutting-edge products
Women-only banking at Caixa Geral de Depósitos
The Caixa Woman project is deploying a series of media platforms, including TV, internet and, interestingly, a proprietary print magazine State-owned CGD is also sponsoring hand-picked events under the Caixa Woman tag to increase the brand awareness with its products and services. Another plank of the marketing strategy involves the setting up of partnerships with companies that, via the Caixa Woman card and website, offer products with special benefits for CGDs clients.
It’s hard to say what will happen’
Rodrigo Amaral talks to Stepan Gishyan, CEO of ACBA Crdit Agricole, the countrys largest bank by loans, about his institutions business strategyWhile both Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) and ex-Soviet countries have generally fallen out of favour with the markets as surging loan defaults cause widespread concern, Stepan Gishyan, CEO of ACBA Crdit Agricole, says Armenia has remained relatively untroubled.
HSBC’s Far West
For the year ahead, the UK-headquartered group is looking to promote its HSBC Direct online arm as well as its successful HSBC Premier mass affluent package as it looks to cater for all segments of Brazilian society.
A record year for Brazil’s banks
In contrast to markets in Europe and the US, Brazils banks had a relatively strong trading year in 2008 Abrupt industry consolidation in the fourth quarter rejigged the market significantly, though the general sentiment seems to be that the country will escape the worst of the rout
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Self Bank rises in Spain
Rodrigo Amaral talks to Andrea Gardella, chief executive officer of Self Bank, a new joint venture bank between la Caixa and Frances Socit Gnrale aimed at the mass market in Spain La Caixa, Spains largest savings bank with 11 million customers, has become the latest big player in the Spanish market to invest in online banking
An à la carte banking service
French retail bank LCL, a subsidiary of Crdit Agricole, has rolled out an innovative build it yourself retail banking product that is being marketed as a way for consumers to save money Rodrigo Amaral spoke to Sbastien Mahieux, head of client marketing at LCL.French bank Le Crdit Lyonnais, referred to as LCL, has launched a service that allows its clients to have control over the products and services they use and pay for
A new bank for Mexico’s middle class
Rodrigo Amaral talks to Gerardo Pia, commercial strategy director at Banco Deuno, a new bank in Mexico targeting the countrys mid-income segment Competitive credit products and convenient branch opening hours will be two of the tactics, he says, the bank will use to quickly win market share.A new bank has just opened its doors in Mexico with the goal of targeting the countrys middle class, who, in the view of the company, havent been getting the banking services they deserve The new outfit belongs to Ixe Grupo Financiero, a group that also owns Ixe Banco, a bank focused on the upper, more affluent echelons of the retail banking market.
Livret savings market heats up
Liberalisation of the countrys savings regulations ends a stranglehold enjoyed by a small number of banks dating back to 1818, reports Rodrigo Amaral.A French savings war is set to break out with the ending of the Livret A duopoly, currently enjoyed by La Banque Postale (LBP), the banking subsidiary of Frances state-owned post office La Poste, and co-operative Groupe Caisse dEpargne Livret A, the tax-free savings product guaranteed by the government and held by more than 46 million French citizens, currently offers a guaranteed interest rate of 4 percent, subject to review every six months.
A new American titan
By integrating Unibanco, Banco Ita will put some distance between itself and arch-rival Bradesco at the top of Brazils banking league table It will also leap ahead of Banco do Brasil, the state-controlled bank which previously enjoyed an unassailable position as the countrys largest bank