Products and initiatives for customers of the Business and Corporate Banking Division

We have implemented an advanced technological solution for identifying our customers on the basis of voice biometrics. This solution is very convenient, since there is no need to remember yet another password or PIN. The additional customer identification on the basis of the telephone number considerably speeds the time of connecting the customer with an operational advisor at the Business Service Centre. But the biggest benefit of voice biometrics is the security, as there is no chance of copying and recreating the voice from a recording. The combination of behavioural factors (the manner of speaking characteristic for a given person) and physical features (length of the voice channel, structure of the respiratory system) form a unique voice pattern, inherently linked with the customer.

Voice biometrics shortens customer authentication by as much as 40%, that is, to several seconds. To use the biometrics solution the customer needs to register a voice sample first. To verify identity, the customer needs to say this phrase: “My voice is my password, which I do not have to remember.”

In August 2017, Santander Bank Polska joined the group of banks in Poland offering e-guarantees to companies, that is, bank guarantees in electronic form with a qualified electronic signature. E- guarantees are available to customers in the iBiznes24 service, but they can also be e-mailed to the customer, and additionally to the guarantee beneficiary.

This solution accelerates the delivery of the agreed collateral to the client and is very convenient, because it eliminates the need to printout and manually sign documents and then send them by traditional mail or courier.

An electronic guarantee also means safety of the document and the data contained therein. Because it does not need to be handed over or archived in any physical form, which significantly limits the risk of third-party and unauthorised access to these documents. The beneficiary of the e-Guarantee can quickly authenticate the guarantee certifications and check the identity of the bank proxy who signed the document, comparing it to a list available on our website. In the case of e-Guarantees e-mailed directly to the beneficiary, the document is additionally secured with a password, determined and revealed to the beneficiary by the party ordering the e-guarantee.

The e-Guarantee service is available to all business customers of Santander Bank Polska.

In April 2017, we launched a new tool for our corporate customers in iBiznes24 for determining the best suited EU grant programmes in 2014-2020. It is the first functionality of this type on the banking market. The tool is available on our “Grants for Your Company” website.

The customer will receive information about the EU grant programmes best matching its needs and about the deadlines for filing applications for the grants under the selected programmes. Additionally, the customers will receive summary information about the basic parameters of the programme and about the institution in charge of accepting the applications.

Customers who require more detailed information, may via the website obtain free-of-charge consultation from an external company providing professional assistance in obtaining EU funding. The customer just needs to send an e-mail from the website containing basic information about the project and the company.

Supporting our customers in the development of foreign trade remains an important aspect of our cooperation. Our ambition is to become the first bank in foreign trade in Poland and the bank of first choice among corporations dealing with export and import.

In 2017, we continued the Export Development Programme, aimed at educating the entrepreneur market on the benefits of foreign expansion, and demonstrating specific solutions facilitating such development.

The programme leverages the opportunities created by the power and geographical presence of the Santander Group as well as international tools and solutions offered within the Group (Santander Trade, Santander Trade Club, Santander Passport, Santander Network, International Desk and International Business).

We carry out the Export Development Programme in partnership with companies that also have an offer addressed to importers and exporters but are not competitors. The programme in 2017 was organised in cooperation with Bisnode, KUKE, KPMG and PAIiH, and specific events were attended by special partners chosen depending on the topic (e.g. Deloitte, Mintel).

Topics and activities appreciated by the entrepreneurs participating in the Export Development Programme:

• practical assistance in finding business partners,
• transaction security and insurance,
• workshops dedicated to specific sectors,
• institutional support from the government
• sharing business experience with other companies,
• information about foreign markets, assistance in assessing the market and local support,
• export of services,
• assistance in obtaining certificates and patents.

In 2017, the programme reached more than 1,400 Polish companies – our customers from the corporate banking segment.

In 2017, the 5th and 6th editions of the programme were held, addressing the following issues:

• Trade corridors – that is, markets considered strategically advantageous, which currently include Germany, the UK, Spain, South America and China. We have dedicated experts in international business to these markets and initiated competence and knowledge building. We help Polish companies, which are already operating in those markets and those that are only considering expanding to those markets, to trade and invest.

In 2017, there was a series of meetings held in Poland attended by representatives of Santander UK, Santander Germany and our external partners related to the Chinese market (Mazars), which were dedicated to the British, German and Chinese markets, respectively.

• Strategic sectors – We initiate activities and events focusing on new food trends and the TSL sector (Transport, Shipping, Logistics).

In 2017, we organised meetings in Wrocław, Poznań and Warsaw for food processors, entitled “Functional Food: Fad or Future of the Industry?” The subjects discussed during these meetings included practical aspects of implementing manufacturing lines for organic products or products containing ingredients for specific consumer groups, trends on foreign markets and the resulting opportunities for Polish exporters of functional food.

Additionally, we presented a report we commissioned about new food trends entitled, “Innovation vs. Health. Opportunities for Food Brands.” The meetings were attended by nearly 60 entrepreneurs.

For the TSL sector, we organised a conference in Gdańsk, called “Searching for the Best Route – Meeting of Transport Sector Leaders.” The participants addressed such topics as Brexit and industry EU regulations, which spark fierce debates throughout Europe. The driver-deficit problem was also discussed. Workshops were attended by several leaders from the industry.

As part of the Export Development Programme, in 2017 we organised numerous workshops and trade missions – outgoing, incoming and virtual (in the form of webinars and/or video conferences) to selected countries. Here are a few of these initiatives:

• An outgoing trade mission accompanying the official visit of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda to Mexico took place in May and was attended by 20 of our corporate customers from various sectors. The Polish entrepreneurs in the company of the bank representatives and their Mexican partners participated in bilateral meetings, had a chance to meet potential local trade partners and took part in workshops organised together by our bank and Santander Mexico on the potential trade cooperation between the two markets. This trade mission is an element of a broader program of our bank’s cooperation with the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.
• An outgoing trade mission to the UK for our corporate customers from the cosmetics industry took place in October. The initiative was supported by Santander UK and OCO & DIT.
• A networking session in the form of a webinar for our customers – Polish food and beverage producers with Chinese distributors was held in November 2017. The participating partners included: Santander Asia, Bank of Shanghai, PAITH (Trade Office in Shanghai).
• A networking session for Polish furniture manufacturers with entrepreneurs from the UK took place in November 2017. Santander UK was the partner of this virtual meeting.

These initiatives support networking of our corporate customers and promotes the exchange of experience. Based on the knowledge of experts in the areas of financing of trade, treasury, factoring and International Desk from Poland and countries where Santander Group is present, and in cooperation with external partners, advisory firms, representatives from embassies and commercial chambers and legal offices, we deliver the required know-how to our customers and present ready solutions for starting a business abroad.

In 2018, we plan to continue sectoral events addressed to the TSL sector (Transport, Shipping & Logistics) and develop activities in the German, Spanish, British and Chinese corridors. The projects in Poland will be supported by the incoming trade missions of Spanish importers of vegetables, fruit or meat; outgoing missions to China and incoming mission from the UK for the aviation sector.

We want to be a valuable partner for our corporate customers, and therefore, we must have a perfect understanding of their business, the opportunities and threats in the industry. We want to have the required know-how, to offer realistic support. That is why, our team experts are assigned to specific sectors, we meet with representatives of different industries, we publish reports and analyses. We place special emphasis on professional training and the development of bankers, analysts and product specialists.

To ensure that our activities are structured and give us the proper insight into a given industry, we have adopted a sectoral strategy to serve specific groups of our customers.

In 2017, we chose the following sectors and prepared initiatives for them:

• For the cosmetics industry, in cooperation with an external partner, we prepared a report, “Sectors of Santander Bank Polska. Cosmetics Industry.” It contained a thorough analysis of the cosmetics business and the potential development of export sales. We shared the report with our customers from this specific industry sector and presented it to national and industry media. Conclusions from the publication were presented during a conference for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry.
• For the agri-food industry we have been working out special products and initiatives for several years now. Our goal is to provide these customers with end-to-end financing and any possible support in their growth.

Since 2015, we have been developing analytical materials for our bank employees, which contain information about agriculture and help understand the specific nature of the agricultural industry.

Since 2016, we have been sending our customers from the corporate segment monthly information containing comments on selected, important events in agriculture and food processing industry.

In 2017:

• We participated in several dozen meetings with farmers and representatives of food companies, where we recognised their needs and exchanged opinions the current situation and developments in the industry.
• We strengthened our cooperation with agricultural institutions and industry associations to take an active part in the community of agricultural producers and food companies.
• Our experts spoke more than 100 times to the national and industry media, commenting on the current and forecasted situation on agricultural markets. The opinions were cited many times in other periodicals.