(CAPTAIN OF THE PHILIPPINE BANKING INDUSTRY. BDO was given the Industry Champion of the Year award during the 2019 Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability (ACES) Awards. Representing the bank is EVP and head of Investor Relations and Corporate Planning Group Luis Reyes Jr. (center). Reyes received the award from (L-R) Luis Bueno Nieto, jury of ACES Awards; Shanggari Balakrishnan, CEO of MORS Group; Jayanthi Desan, jury of ACES Awards; and Hemant Batra, chairman of ACES Awards. Contributed photo)
BDO Unibank, Inc. was named a “worthy captain” of the Philippine banking industry after receiving the prestigious Industry Champion of the Year award during the 2019 Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability (ACES) Awards.
The Industry Champion of the Year is presented to companies that “have a distinct competitive edge, set the industry trends, and have commendable best practices in place. Winners in this category have shown the ability to evolve the focus of their enterprises along with the dynamic changes of the industries they serve.”
A milestone 1st ACES Award for the multi-awarded bank, BDO was also recognized for its leadership position across different business segments, robust balance sheet, expansive market reach, scope of innovative products and services, and sustainable growth.
The ACES Awards is organized annually by the MORS Group, an organization committed to assisting companies, corporate leaders, and eminent industrialists share a platform to exhibit leadership and sustainability excellence.
Innovation and Reach
Driven by its “We Find Ways” philosophy, BDO leverages its intrinsic understanding of the Filipino to keep innovating its wide range of products and services. This allows the bank to meet its clients’ ever-changing needs. BDO has the largest distribution network with more than 1,300 branches and over 4,000 ATMs nationwide.
To serve those who are unavailable during regular banking hours, it pioneered the implementation of longer banking hours and weekend banking.
Outside the Philippines, the bank has full-service branches in Hong Kong and Singapore as well as 23 remittance and representative offices in Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.
Easy Access and Sustainability
BDO embraces financial technologies to stay within its clients’ reach. It enables easy and 24/7 access to bank accounts and payments through its online and mobile banking channels. A financial inclusion advocate, it partners with local micro-entrepreneurs who are based in remote areas and provides a point-of-sale (POS) terminal that allows cash withdrawals using an ATM card.
The bank also integrates sustainability into its undertakings. In 2017, the bank made history when it issued a $150-million green bond—a first-of-its-kind in the Philippines. The International Finance Corp. (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, was the sole investor in the bond. More recently, BDO hosted the country’s first Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Summit in 2018, which gathered the captains of Philippine businesses to discuss how sustainability can be interwoven with their corporate agenda. The bank also published the maiden issue of its sustainability report.
These strategic efforts propelled the bank to achieve a record year-end income of P32.7 billion and become the first Philippine bank to surpass the P3 trillion mark in total assets at the end of 2018. This year, the bank sustained its growth momentum by posting its half-year earnings of P20.2 billion, and remaining the largest bank in terms of total assets, loans, deposits, and trust funds as of the second quarter.
