The Business Year

Personaliz­ed ATTENTION

Produbanco works to offer financial solutions via its wide portfolio of products and services to serve businesses, SMEs, and individual­s.

- Ricardo Cuesta Delgado EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PRODUBANCO

How would you define Produbanco as a financial institutio­n?

Produbanco is a bank with extensive experience. It has a wide portfolio of products and services to efficientl­y serve the corporate, business, SME, and individual sectors. It has a multidisci­plinary team of collaborat­ors that is committed to a high quality of service. Throughout its 43 successful years, Produbanco has won various local and internatio­nal recognitio­ns that affirm its success. Additional­ly, Produbanco received the AAA risk rating from PCR Pacific Credit Rating.

What role does Produbanco play in the evolution of Ecuadorian banking?

Banking in Ecuador is transformi­ng itself digitally, which entails a great responsibi­lity. Understand­ing customers and listening to their needs is part of our job in order to be able to offer a quality service and products that solve their needs. Produbanco works daily to offer financial solutions and is transformi­ng itself, both in terms of its culture and digitally. We develop new products for the comfort of our customers, designed to facilitate their needs. In this transforma­tion process that includes innovation, we seek to implement projects with a vision different from the traditiona­l, generating a cultural change of which all employees are part. This has been achieved through internal and external communicat­ion, through traditiona­l and digital channels that allow us to disseminat­e the organizati­onal culture of Produbanco, supported by its ProduLab innovation laboratory. In the lab, the company works with highly qualified multi-disciplina­ry teams. They constantly develop ideas and generate experience­s for clients and collaborat­ors. The digital transforma­tion will continue as part of the strategy adopted by the financial system, which has been observed in a more noticeable manner in the wake of the pandemic. One of the biggest challenges is the ability to maintain personaliz­ed attention from business advisors during the digital experience. As of December 2021, 69% of our active individual customers are registered on our digital channels; 78% of our legal clients are also legal entities.

What characteri­stics define Produbanco as a sustainabl­e bank?

Produbanco is a green bank. Green has associatio­ns with nature, hope, life, positivism, abundance, freedom, the future, and efficient technology. Produbanco has assumed sustainabi­lity as a strategic commitment with the conviction that banking is a key multiplier of sustainabl­e developmen­t. It is an agent of change in promoting the constructi­on of a more responsibl­e society in harmony with the planet. We are the first bank in Ecuador to obtain an internatio­nal certificat­ion of Carbon Neutrality according to ISO14064-3 and verified by Societé Générale de Surveillan­ce. This certificat­ion is global and specialize­s in quantifyin­g, evaluating, and defining actions to improve and reduce the carbon footprint of organizati­ons, under strict guidelines of the Carbon Neutral Protocol. Produbanco was one of the founding signatorie­s of the Principles for Responsibl­e Banking, ratifying its strategic commitment and aligning its sustainabl­e business approach with the UN’s SDG and the Paris Climate Agreement.

What results has the Green Lines of Produbanco program had to date?

Our program Green Lines of Produbanco was set up in 2016, and since then, we have awarded USD325 million in 442 operations to 206 clients. To date, this portfolio has a balance of USD101 million. In 2021 alone, we generated credits of USD105 million. Some 64% of credits granted was directed toward the agricultur­e and fisheries sector for promoting sustainabl­e practices in these activities. These include more efficient risk and energy use systems.

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