Baiduri Bank commits to sustainable banking and ‘co-creating the future’

Transcript

Along with its fresh rebrand and new environmentally sustainable headquarters, Baiduri Bank has released a new brand promise: ‘Co-creating your future.’ Baiduri CEO Ti Eng Hui explains what the promise means for the bank and its customers, how Baiduri’s renewed focus on purpose-driven banking has changed the way it operates, and the new ways the bank is engaging with its local community.

You can also watch the second half of this interview, where Ti Eng Hui discusses Baiduri Bank’s most important CSR programmes, and how it supports Brunei’s MSMEs.

World Finance: What does this promise mean to you, and how have your customers responded to it?

Ti Eng Hui: So this is a very clear message we want to send to the community: that we are there with them throughout their journey. Whether it’s their financial health, or whether it is their physical health, we want to be there with them.

We want to be in fact also their long-term preferred financial partner. If they run businesses we also want to be there when they’re small, and along the way we’ll support them so that they can grow.

And at the same time we make sure that they’re given all the tools and financial advice possible to grow their business. Bring in the relevant government agencies, give them the relevant marketing support.

So that’s the message we want to send; we’re always there for them, co-creating the future together.

World Finance: And how has this renewed focus on purpose-driven banking changed the way that Baiduri operates?

Ti Eng Hui: So, because of this purpose focus on helping customers, co-creating the future together, the team now looks at what they do very carefully, to make sure that whatever that we do is there to support the customers.

From the way we advise to them, to the way we process it. From the way we plan their future, we are there all the way for long term.

So I think our staff has taken it as a challenge, our staff has taken that as a way to make sure that whatever we have developed for them, whatever we plan for them, is good for them – not just for the short term, but also for the long term.

World Finance: And you’re walking the talk with the new headquarters that I mentioned; tell me how it improves your environmental sustainability, and your ability to engage with the community.

Ti Eng Hui: So our new head office is a prime example of what we’d like to do in Brunei going forward; it’s that we want to bring the sustainable into Brunei: environmentally, also financially. We want to make sure that the environment aspect of it benefits everybody: the surrounding that we have developed, in terms of the landscaping, the green, is also benefiting the neighbourhood. Really from the moment you walk in you can sense this is a very green building, very environmentally sustainable.

The building also incorporates what we call Baiduri Community Space on the top floor – essentially a space for the community to use for their art events, for their cultural events, free of charge. It is about being a responsible corporate member, how we can help the communities come together, how we can engage them. So this is what we mean by co-creating our future together.

World Finance: Ti Eng Hui, thank you very much.