ALLIANCE BANK TO STAY FOCUSED ON SME MARKET
Lender always develops longlasting relationships with customers, says CEO
THERE are still a lot of opportunities for financial institutions in Malaysia to grow, especially in the small and medium enterprise (SME) market.
Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd group chief executive officer Joel Kornreich said the bank would maintain its focus on SME lending business across all sectors despite strong competition.
“Yes, SME lending business is competitive now, but we have always developed a long lasting relationships with our customers, some of which then became public-listed entities.
“We are relying on our long lasting customer relationships to grow further,” he said.
Kornreich yesterday launched the second edition of Eco-Biz Dream Project, which is an initiative to enlist, encourage and nurture an environmental preservation culture among university students.
With the theme of “Saving the Environment with Your Idea”, the competition aims to spark creativity among the young generation of social entrepreneurs to make a difference through developing sustainable business ideas that can positively impact the environment.
“We are very excited to continue supporting the development of business ideas that can positively impact the Malaysian environment and communities through this project.
“We hold sustainability as an important piece of our corporate responsibility pillars. This initiative is reflective of our commitment towards the creation of a sustainable future,” said Kornreich.
“It has a relatively low and young population. Education system is good and improving. That’s why we at Alliance Bank has done numerous education and environment campaigns because we place positive bets on the future of this country,” he said.
Conducted over six weeks, the Eco-Biz Dream Project 2 will see 20 teams being selected to advance to a coaching and mentoring stage, where they will be guided by the leading entrepreneurs and environmentalists.
The final shortlist will be made after judges pick 10 teams to join a two-day one-night development camp.
Winners, which will be determined through the final pitching session focusing on ideation, business case, implementation and team potential, will receive RM20,000 in prize money.