In May, JSC OTP BANK introduces a new service – the sale of domestic government bonds in the OTP Bank UA application from the Bank’s own portfolio. Thus, the purchase of domestic government bonds will be available at any time, regardless of the date of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine’s auctions.
According to Valeria Ovcharuk, OTP Bank product owner, the new service will give customers more opportunities to choose the optimal bond rate and maturity. “Last fall, OTP Bank provided its customers with the opportunity to buy domestic government bonds directly at auctions of the Ministry of Finance through the OTP Bank UA application. To offer even more opportunities for investing in government securities, we have developed a functionality that will allow individuals to buy government bonds from the Bank’s portfolio online. We conducted an internal study within the Bank, analyzed requests from our customers regarding the desired maturity and currency for investments, and based on this, we formed a portfolio of securities for sale. This way, customers will be able to combine the optimal rate and investment period. The service is at the testing stage and will be available to users in May,” said Ms. Ovcharuk.
She emphasized that buying government bonds in OTP Bank is convenient and fast. “Just a few clicks in the application and government securities are in your bond portfolio. At the same time, you are making a profitable and reliable investment in the future, as the repayment of government bonds is 100% guaranteed by the state. At the same time, it is an opportunity to help the Ukrainian economy,” emphasized Ms. Ovcharuk.
The service will be available online to all customers who have opened a securities account at any branch of OTP Bank.
As a reminder, according to the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, OTP Bank was ranked fourth among Ukrainian banks in the overall rating of primary dealers in 2023.
The status of a primary dealer provides the exclusive right to participate in the placement of domestic government bonds conducted by the Ministry of Finance, both on its own behalf and for clients of individuals and legal entities, as well as banks and financial companies that do not have such a status.
To learn more about investing in domestic government bonds through the OTP Bank UA app, please follow the link.
Comprehensive “green” transformation in Ukraine is gaining special importance and is already affecting business. JSC OTP BANK takes into account the trends and has planned a number of activities to create its own system of social and environmental management, said Maxim Oliynyk, ESG Manager of the Bank, during the open dialogue “Green Agenda for Ukraine: Special Role and Unique Challenges for Banks” with the participation of representatives of the NBU, EBRD, KSE and a number of Ukrainian financial institutions.
“OTP Bank is actively working to support and develop green technologies and social responsibility of Ukrainian business. We are currently developing our own environmental and social management system, which will be harmonized with the requirements of the European Union and will help the Bank to create its “green” portfolio,” said M. Oliynyk.
According to the ESG manager, OTP BANK is guided by EU standards in the field of green and sustainable technologies and practices aimed at reducing the risks and uncertainty that investors face when financing such projects. “In supporting green and sustainable technologies and practices, the Bank must not only meet the requirements of the EU and the Parent Bank, but also strictly adhere to the rules dictated by the National Bank of Ukraine, as ESG is becoming a necessity,” he emphasized.
According to Maxim Oliynyk, a comprehensive “green” transformation opens up access to the resources of global investors and modern European technologies, which, in turn, will contribute to the development of Ukraine’s economy and increase the number of potential requests for financing. Taking this into account, as well as the desire to use the opportunities that are opening up, OTP BANK has developed an ESG Strategy that provides for
– creation and implementation of all components of the social and environmental management system (policy on environmental and social issues, a separate communication channel, building institutional and human capacity)
– creation of separate “green” products and development of its own “green” portfolio, taking into account clearly defined and verified sustainability criteria for products (EU Taxonomy, Climate Bonds Taxonomy, Sustainable Finance Framework and Green Loan Framework of the Parent Bank);
– Inventory of the Bank’s greenhouse gas emissions and development of measures to reduce the carbon footprint;
– improvement of the ESG and sustainability training program for all OTP Bank employees, as well as other tasks in the field of environmental protection and social responsibility of the Bank.
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Beyond the bank services, such as Ponova by OTP Bank, are a response to the need of customers to receive the maximum number of related services on one platform. Oleg Klymenko, Member of the Management Board of OTP Bank responsible for retail business development, spoke about this at the Digital Lending 2024 conference.
“We offer our customers Ponova by OTP Bank, a marketplace where they can buy a used car. A huge number of partners have been brought together – about 60% of the offers of all used car sellers, which means 20 thousand cars ready for purchase. All cars can be purchased on credit, and each client has a personal manager, while the Bank provides transaction support. Thus, we have “closed the pains” of the client who wants to buy a used car,” the banker emphasized.
According to Mr. Klymenko, another trend in retail banking is that banks are massively developing term loans. “The essence and form of loans applied for by individual clients has changed. Today, installment and cash loans account for 60-70% of all requests. Until 2022, the situation was completely different: installment and cash loans accounted for 30-40%. That is, customers are now taking out mostly term loans, and banks are massively developing this area,” he emphasized.
According to him, almost 90% of installment loans are related to the digital sector. “This customer experience develops when the client knows that he can use it whenever the need arises. The main magic is related to the digital products and services of banks that help to gain this experience,” the banker said.
O. Klymenko said that OTP BANK offers several types of installments available in the OTP Bank UA app. “The client has a choice. For example, you can choose a product in a store or on the website of a partner network, and then buy it in installments – this is “Slice from partners”. Or you can do the opposite – first buy something, and then get the money back to your card at the expense of the credit limit. This is an installment plan that we are actively developing,” he said.
Over the past two years, JSC OTP Bank has changed its approaches to managing its retail branch network and planning horizons, increasing the emphasis on the results of the team as a unit. This was stated by Lesia Syrota, team leader of the OTP Bank Helps Ukraine charity project, Director of Retail Sales and Network Management at OTP Bank, during the EBA Women’s Club, an event dedicated to women’s leadership in business.
According to her, the Bank used to single out the best employees and encourage competition, but now it is much more important to form powerful teams united by a single goal – to make the Bank even more convenient and closer to the customer. “OTP BANK has a network of branches throughout Ukraine, which are located in different conditions and circumstances, taking into account the security situation. We have changed our management approaches and planning horizons. Every Monday, the teams set their own goals for the week. This has brought the teams together. This position proved to be effective,” said Ms. Syrota.
As noted by the Director of Retail Sales and Network Management, the Bank aims to further develop in several areas, including the use of the latest technologies. “We already use artificial intelligence in our products and services. In the OTP Bank Information Center, the latest technologies are involved in many processes, which made it possible to work with customers’ emotions. And this allows us to increase customer empathy, which turned out to be especially important in Premium banking. This is now a separate rather deep and extensive research and ongoing implementation,” she emphasized.
Ms. Syrota shared her experience with the audience on the process of making important decisions. Usually, a team is involved in a brainstorming session to consider the details of different cases. “We carefully study the situation, form hypotheses, and then confirm or refute them. There should be at least three proposals. As life shows, the latter options will be better than the first fastest. We don’t make decisions instantly, because it’s better to think carefully. This encourages colleagues to offer interesting and progressive solutions,” she said.
As the participants of the event emphasized, the role of women in business and teams is becoming increasingly important. Women’s leadership and soft skills, including emotional intelligence, communication, and teamwork, are becoming key success factors. “The modern world requires us to constantly develop. We should not be afraid to take responsibility. You need to move forward and build your business. Today, there are important and interesting financial support programs for businesses owned or co-owned by women, such as the joint program of OTP Bank and UASID, which offers unique lending conditions. In particular, an important component of this program is to support companies with women in their ownership structure,” added Ms. Syrota.
EBA Women`s Club, OTP BANK, OTP Bank Helps Ukraine, Леся Сирота
JSC “OTP BANK” has the highest index “A” of financial reliability according to the calculations of the FinScore tool from YouControl for the fourth quarter of 2023. Compared to the third quarter, the Bank has risen one step in the rating, thus taking the fourth place.
The updated research includes 40 Ukrainian banks. The highest index “A” indicates a minimal probability of unfavorable financial consequences.
Bank_FinScore is a scoring index of a bank’s financial reliability calculated by the analytical department of YouControl and based on 25 indicators. Among them are NBU standards and financial ratios that comprehensively reflect the state of liquidity, capital adequacy, profitability, credit, investment and currency risks of the bank.
The financial scoring of Ukrainian banks is available at the following link.
We would like to remind you that JSC OTP BANK entered the TOP-10 banks included in the Index of the best enterprises of Ukraine with impeccable business reputation and the highest revenue for 2023 in the Banking category. In February, the Bank took a leading position in the Bank Viability Rating – 2024, compiled by the business publication Mind.
In March, JSC OTP BANK made another transfer of UAH 1 million to the account of the Superhumans Center. The total amount of funds that the Bank has already transferred to the prosthetics and rehabilitation center is almost UAH 30 million.
In February, this non-profit project also received UAH 1 million from the Bank. The transfers are made under the charitable donation agreement for 2023-2024 concluded between OTP BANK and Superhumans Center, which provides for monthly support to the center. The funds are allocated to two crucial areas: support for the heroes, their return to social life and the creation of an educational center to scale up assistance and training of prosthetics specialists.
In 2023, OTP BANK held two charity auctions, during which it raised UAH 8.8 million. All funds were allocated to the prosthetics and rehabilitation center.
Bank of the prosthetics and rehabilitation center, OTP BANK, Superhumans Center, TRANSFER
