Commercial Banking manages a loan book of €20,481m and total customer funds of €38,451m. Moreover, it serves seven of the nine customer segments. It does so through an extensive distribution network which has tested the new service model consisting of a total renovation of the branch and personalized attention by segment. So far, positive results have been observed in the 7 offices where this new model has been introduced in terms of profitability, loyalty, greater use of transactional services and improved perception of customer support service.
Different products designed for each one of the segments managed in this unit have been launched over 2012. For instance, it is worth mentioning the sale of structured bills for customers in the private and wealth management segment, in line with the strategy for making the institution’s liabilities more profitable and offering customers products with greater value. This segment has also been offered pre-approved loans for credit cards, mortgages and consumer loans, which have contributed to the growth of gross lending to customers in the area. In turn, BBVA Bancomer Asset Management has signed a strategic alliance with BlackRock to launch the B+RVUSA fund, the first and only fund in its category in Mexico. The fund expands the range of funds for private banking customers and it invests in equity instruments, mainly international stocks. In addition, the “B-Estratega” application for iPad, which can be used to access financial information, was launched.
The number of managers was increased to attend personal banking customers. This enables differentiated products and services to be offered, such as the “DIVER-C” mutual fund, which includes the option of investing in a fund made up of several funds. Consumer loans were also granted for this segment through Bancomer.com with excellent price differentiation.
Lending to small businesses has been very intense, and led BBVA in Mexico to earn the “Pyme 2012” (SME 2012) award as the bank granting the most loans to SMEs and entrepreneurs. The successful “Membresías pyme” (SME Membership) program was launched for this segment. This program promotes added-value solutions so that businesses can more efficiently manage their cash, for example, through payroll administration, mutual funds, making tax payments, etc. This initiative attracted 100,000 customers over 2012.
With the aim of boosting banking services penetration, a new business segment named “express” was developed. Convenient, easy-access products were created for this specific segment, such as the “Cuenta Express” (Express Account), the first mobile account in Mexico. Moreover, the promotion of the new correspondent network was also given new momentum, which enabled points of sale to continue growing. At the end of the year, more than 20,000 stores were registered, with over 52 million basic transactions carried out. In addition, the “Dinero Móvil BBVA Bancomer” (BBVA Bancomer Mobile Money) plan was launched in September 2012 to foster access to banking for new users, and thus contribute to increase financial inclusion and the level of banking penetration in the country. The innovation introduced by the service is the ability to send money to any part of Mexico via the Internet, ATMs or cell phones. The recipient of the deposit receives a message with a password giving access to the cash through ATMs in BBVA Bancomer’s network, without the need for a debit card or a bank account. Finally, a strategy to enhance service quality through self-service channels was implemented with the incorporation of “second generation” ATMs called “practicajas” and “recyclers”, through which loan, credit card and service payments, as well as deposits in BBVA Bancomer accounts, can be made.