Union Bank of the Philippines is embarking on a voyage into the future—one that does away with lines and enters the world of touch screen, augmented reality and digital interaction.
“From the brick-and-mortar branch in Banking 1.0 to today’s online banking of Banking 2.0, The ARK is where UnionBank will experiment with Banking 3.0 as we move from transactional spaces to interaction spaces,” said UnionBank president Edwin Bautista.
“There’s no map to our destination, but our sails are out and the winds are steering us in the right direction.”
The ARK stands as the platform for innovate development and innovative partnerships to flourish. UnionBank is currently in talks with retailers that will be setting up customer experiences with The ARK as it launches in November. Its first few guests can expect banking with service like no other, with no long queues but instead, delightful encounters with the bank’s new features.
As unconventional as it sounds, however, The ARK by UnionBank hopes to win over select clientele that is very comfortable with digital technology but still prefers the warmth of face-to-face transactions.
“No doubt the next generation is dictating changes upon the banking industry,” said Bautista. “But we also don’t want to isolate clients that have been loyal to us for the past 35 years. We built The ARK so that nobody would get left behind.”
The ARK is not just a bank, it’s a “third space.” While banking, one can make make a latte at the coffee bar or log on to the Internet to get some work done.
UnionBank has designed The ARK to become a destination before and after work, providing room for off-site productivity and encourage creative tech ideas not just from its partners, but its customers as well.
UnionBank is pioneering this concept and paves the way for the new age of banking. The ARK serves as the vehicle for this change, wherever it may lead.