Bank customers and the products offered

Customers are always in the centre of our attention and activity. We talk to them as we believe that a continuous dialogue is a key to success on the banking market. We focus on customer satisfaction and trust which are the foundations of loyalty. Therefore, we keep changing for the better. In order to improve our way of work and respond more quickly to customers’ needs we have implemented the Agile culture.

* For instance for reasons of financing terrorism, suspicion of money laundering or weapons trading).

In 2018, thinking of its retail customers, Santander Bank Polska continued to launch new products delivering the You Bank As You Want It brand promise. For instance, we implemented  a tool for early overdue payments monitoring i.e. CCS (Customer Communication Services), a self-service platform available on a 24/7 basis. New forms of mobile payments were also introduced , such as Apple Pay or Fitbit Pay. As a result, our bank currently offers the widest range of mobile payment solutions on the market. In 2018, we further developed  the Account As I Want It launched in 2017. At present, customers can customise the account to match their needs via online and mobile banking platforms. They can also benefit from a new functionality of the account – the Multi-Currency Package.

The Multi-Currency Packge offers:

In 2018, we launched a number of solutions for customers from the SME sector making the daily operation of their businesses much easier:

• New solutions for social security payments to ZUS in accordance with the Act of 11 May 2017 on the new method of paying social security premiums by  payers. The customer makes only one payment to his/her individual social security account which has replaced the three or four accounts used previously for different types of premiums. In order to implement this improvement, the bank had to coordinate 15 different systems to ensure consistency of data  in all of them.
• The split payment mechanism introduced on 1 July 2018  consists in the breakdown of invoice payments in PLN into the net amount  which is transferred to the supplier’s settlement account and the VAT amount posted to the VAT account. The customer still makes one money transfer indicating two amounts: the gross invoice value and the Value Added Tax. The money accumulated on the VAT account belongs to the customer but can only be used for restricted purposes i.e. payment of the VAT to the tax office or payment of VAT on the invoice issued by his/her supplier.
• Easier execution of mass payments via the Host2Host channel through which customers can make a large number of payments to target banks directly from their own payment systems, without having  to use the bank’s system.
• e-Księgowość – an e-accounting service for sole traders developed in collaboration with inFakt which can be accessed from the bank’s online and mobile applications. Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the invoicing and bookkeeping applications and ready-made invoice templates available for use. From Monday to Saturday between 7.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m. business owners can consult an experienced accountant to find answers to their questions.
• A new remote service channel was launched to facilitate customer service and acquisition called the ”Remote SME Advisor”. With this solution customers can easily access their bank advisors at any time and from any place
• A new model of offering Santander investment funds has been made available with a fund service platform accessible from Santander online.
• POS Terminals. On 15 February 2018, the bank, in partnership with Elavon Services, launched the sale of free-of-charge POS payment terminals under the Cashless Poland program. The goal of the program is to promote cashless payments among customers and make them as accessible as cash payment by supporting the development of a network of cashless transaction authorisation in Poland. The special offer is addressed to merchants who did not accept cashless payments in the last 12 months. In addition to the tailored proposal and a free of charge rent of the POS terminal, the offer includes free access to iMerchantConnect tool which helps to monitor sales and provides quick online access to invoices, detailed reports and transaction statements.

Biznesmax loans in support of the development of innovative companies

In 2018, our bank launched a loan with a Biznesmax guarantee under an agreement with BGK. The product is dedicated for customers who meet the SME criteria according to the EU definition  and its main advantages include: reimbursement of interest by the BGK for the first 3 years of the loan tenor and a free of charge guarantee issued by BGK covering up to 80% of the loan value. Additionally, the bank provides the following support to companies interested in the loan:

• completing a review form which helps the customer and the bank employee carry out a quick preliminary check of eligibility for participating in the program,
• direct contact of the product manager with the customer during which the customer will receive detailed information about the product and support in preparing documents required to obtain the loan,
• verification of the correctness of all documents filed by the customer with the criteria of the BGK’s program by the product manager,
• conducting a widescale training program for advisors to promote Biznesmax loans.

According to information obtained from BGK at the end of 2018, Santander Bank Polska accounts for 40% of the total volume and 30% of the total number of all Biznesmax loans sanctioned.

In 2018 the structure of the division changed. Currently, the division provides services to companies and corporations with a turnover value between PLN 8m and PLN 1.2bn and operates through 18 Business and Corporate Banking Centres located in the major economic centres of Poland and a number of specialist units supporting the business with the knowledge about deal structuring, loan disbursement and development of the product offer.

2018 also saw changes in the products and services dedicated to corporate and institutional customers. The bank enhanced its proposal for institutional clients  – including other banks –  in respect of the issuance of credit cards and processing payments. We also improved our offer of bank transaction processing on the ‘white label’ basis.

A number of innovations were introduced, including:

• Santander Cash Nexus – we launched a simple and fast communication system for multinational companies encompassing a full range of transactional solutions for different countries based on direct electronic communication.
• Santander Kantor – thanks to continuous upgrading of the online FX service, the number  of active customers in December 2018 was 15% higher than in December 2017.
• A service for ordering and clearing bank operations on behalf and for the account of customers of other banks. We launched a service and offered dedicated accounts (including VAT accounts) for customers in Poland using the services of one of the biggest US financial institution.
• SCIB Debt Advisory – we offered an advisory service to assist customers in finding the optimum financing structure, help them with the logistics of acquiring debt financing and offer comprehensive support throughout the rating process and in communication with rating agencies.