With the concrete contribution of three technology development centers in China, ICBC Argentina is implementing different models of financial innovation
18.06.2019 • 20:10hs • Digital transformation
Digital transformation
If you are going to invest or ask for money, the ICBC knows it before: what technology does it use to "guess your thoughts"?
The information that your clients' banks have is as valuable as it is extensive. And all this data, combined with artificial intelligence processes and predictive models, opens the door to being able to identify, for example, what financing a client is in need of or what type of product would attract him most to channel his savings.
In this sense, and with the concrete contribution of three powerful technology development centers that its parent company has in China, ICBC Argentina is already implementing different models, very innovative, to anticipate what each user is in need of.
"We have a group that works to see how to collaborate with each client based on the information available," explains Gonzalo Díaz Solá, Head of Electronic Banking and Digital Channels at ICBC Argentina, who received iProUP at the brand new Puerto Madero branch. , perhaps the one with the greatest technological development in the country. "We work with artificial intelligence to offer personalized offers, taking advantage of all the data we have," he says.
There are equipment of the bank that deals with the assembly of models and others oriented to continue adding functionality within the digital channels. "The spirit of what we do is so that each user can resolve their transactions or evacuate queries as quickly and conveniently as possible," he adds.
Regarding the use of information and the generation of customized products, it refers to some implementations based on the use that people make of Home Banking.
"For example, we can detect that there is a client that is browsing our site and is looking for information about personal loans, and that gives us a guideline that is interested in receiving financing", Diaz Solá. And complete: "On the other hand, if you look for information about Common Funds or fixed terms, your focus is more investing Detecting these needs early allows us to better adjust our offer, specifically, what to propose and when it is more convenient to do so".
Díaz Solá says that by recognizing the digital navigation of the client and predicting their requirements, the bank is in a better position to suggest alternatives and, which is also key, at the precise moment. "This is very important for us and for the evolution of the bank," he says.
In terms of technological development, the ICBC was a pioneer in introducing into the market some modalities that are now offered by a large part of the financial system, such as the use of biometrics to access the mobile platform, or payment among people through the QR Code.
"It has been a simple contribution to the problem of using cash and also marks a trend," he says. His words are corroborated in practice, since the use of this instrument in stores to pay for an operation has been growing strongly. In this sense, it confirms that the ICBC will promote the use of this tool.
"We will continue to incorporate different transactional means and forms of payment in order to help make money less physical and more electronic, it is a path that will take time and we must accompany this process from all angles", says Díaz Solá.
Regarding facial recognition technology to enter the app, from the bank stand out that reduced to less than half the time of entry: went from 20 seconds average (username and password), to just 8 seconds.
"If we think about where biometrics is going, the ICBC already makes fingerprint recognition with direct connection to the Renaper (National Registry of People), which we have incorporated into our self-service terminals," says Díaz Solá.
Strictly speaking, the executive expands, could apply the use of biometrics to improve different functionalities and, for example, incorporate it into a key-laundering process, which requires a secure identification of the person, or one of a client's registration.
"I believe that the future happens through the use of the fingerprint in branches with self-service, in a simple way, the person identifies himself and does his paperwork," he says.
Regarding facial recognition, ICBC is working to expand it to other uses. "We will incorporate the native fingerprint technology of the phones for quick access, which is one of the projects we have for this year," says the executive.
Digital coins and blockchain, in the crosshairs
With regard to finances, for the bank it is "interesting" what the operation with bitcoins and other virtual currencies can contribute, although it prefers to move cautiously in these waters and wait for the Central Bank to take the first step.
"You have to understand all the regulatory framework that Argentina has, because whatever we do must be adjusted to the regulations," says Díaz Solá, who also expresses that there is still a need to resolve legal issues in order to provide a safe framework for the operation. with the bank.
The executive refers to the responsibility that belongs to the entity, "or who does frontend (which interacts with users) of a digital currency market." However, the platform that is behind these "pseudo currencies" is part of the set of tools with which the bank wants to count in the future.
"The corporate area studies the blockchain as a technology to incorporate processes with companies", explains the head of Electronic Banking and Digital Channels. "It is analyzing how it could facilitate, for example, several services that we provide to companies," he says.
The three technological development centers that ICBC has in China contribute an important share in the digital transformation that the local subsidiary goes through.
According to Díaz Solá, they have vast experience in electronic banking, digital banking and remote service models. "Our parent company is always looking at how to help us innovate," he says.
Physical branches, increasingly digital
A concrete example of the new technologies provided by ICBC from China is the smart island that the Pierina Dealessi 180 branch has in Puerto Madero, a model that was used first in the parent company.
In it is the only Central Card of the country that delivers new or reprinted plastics and also allows you to enable them there. In this sense, the bank will continue to expand branches with more digital operations and this year will redesign 8 of them.
"We will have a basic implementation and a more advanced one," the executive said, referring to the brand new smart branch. "I think that spaces of this type will be seen more frequently with the passage of time," he says.
In your vision, these surfaces will be the place to which customers will go for higher value transactions.
"From several studies it appears that customers prefer online channels, for ease of access and time savings, but many like to go through the bank and maintain contact with an employee," he says.
Although the parent company brings both ideas and experiences, another important part of its innovation process comes from the side of its own team that actively participates in the Financial Innovation Roundtable prepared by the Central Bank.
The third leg, according to Díaz Solá, is the contact they have with fintech through talks and meetings, although they admit that it is a link that has not yet been fully explored.
"We are going to have more contact and agreements with the Fintech sector, we value the talks a lot to see what the needs are and how we can follow the innovation path that they initiated", says Díaz Solá.
"We always say that if there is something that the bank has to try to return to the customer, that is an impossible input to buy that is the time", summarizes Díaz Solá. "As long as we implement technologies that help you solve your needs quickly, we will be contributing to that return," he concludes.
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