A Cohesive Customer Strategy to Meet Diverse Transaction Banking Needs

by Isaac Thomas, Head of Transaction Banking, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

It has been my distinct privilege to be part of the transaction banking journey so far in Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB). We started off as a small team six or seven years ago but we are now one of the largest product based businesses (over 100 staff representing 20 nationalities) in the bank, contributing about 30% of the wholesale banking business. Our comprehensive transaction banking services support all client segments including small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporate and institutional clients, government entities and multinational clients. I strongly believe that our continuing success in this regard has been due to our sophisticated product suite, a unique customer service proposition, a strong in-house talent pool, and a very loyal client base.

A one country bank

ADCB pursues a largely domestic strategy, based on the principle of a ‘one country bank’. The UAE has a dense network of international connections, however, and our customers include both UAE and international organisations doing business here. We support our UAE customers’ international aspirations by leveraging the branch network of our strategic alliance partners such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Banco Santander and others, and by providing introductions with other customers through our representative offices in London and Singapore.

Solutions, services and advisory

A detailed need-based strategy is used to provide customised solutions for our client’s needs. However, our focus is on providing the solutions, customer services and advisory capabilities that will be a win-win across the entire value chain of our clients We are doing this in a variety of ways. One is to ensure that our capabilities are more integrated with our client’s infrastructure in a seamless manner. Another is to work more closely with our customers to understand their current and future needs, and establish deeper relationships that reflect and support these ambitions.

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