A Partner For Every Negrense: Branch banking dominates in NegOcc as BDO serves diverse needs of local industries

December 9, 2024

Your friendly neighborhood Automated Tao Machine. Clients line up to play games in the Cash Agad booth during the BDO Fiesta. (featured photo) Filled to the brim. Negrenses flock to Bacolod SMX Convention Center during the culminating activity of the BDO Fiesta.*

BDO Unibank’s wide footprint in Bacolod and Negros Occidental ensures that people can easily access its wide range of products—whether it’s for their personal savings, loans, investments, or businesses—tailored to each customer’s unique needs, wherever they may be in their financial journey.

Branches as the preferred channel

Negrenses continue to prefer over-the-counter transactions, with 82 percent done through branches as of March 2024, based on the latest data. This underscores the BDO’s branch as a vital customer touchpoint, particularly in a province where sugar is the primary industry, supported by agriculture as the main source of livelihood (sugarcane, rice and corn farming, livestock and poultry, fishing and aquaculture); agro-processing related to sugar like sugar mills, refineries, and ethanol production plants; manufacturing, especially food and beverage production; and retail and trade.

Farmers, fisherfolk, and factory workers often choose to go to branches for their banking needs due to trust and familiarity with local bank personnel and the ease of utilizing branch banking methods. They can conveniently find a nearby BDO branch or its community banking arm, the BDO Network Branch (BDONB). Even with in-branch digital channels like Account Assist Kiosks, Service Assist Kiosks, Cash Deposit, and Universal Teller Machine, Customer Relations Officers and Assistants are always ready to help clients who may find the technology intimidating. This approach exemplifies BDO’s We Find Ways service philosophy, making Negreses enjoy access to simple, easy, and secure banking through its extensive presence in the region.

Other channels complementing branches

Given their nature of work, farmers and fisherfolk often engage in cash-based transactions. Consequently, they use ATMs more frequently than personal online banking channels to withdraw cash. About 68 percent of all savings-related transactions in Negros Occidental were conducted through ATMs as of March 2024, BDO said. By September 2024, BDO Unibank has a total of 93 ATMs while BDONB has 11 ATMs in Negros Occidental.

For far-flung communities not yet reached by BDO and BDONB branches, numerous Cash Agad partner-agents across Negros Occidental provide basic banking services like balance inquiries, cash withdrawals, bills payment, and cash-in services.

Dubbed the Automated Tao Machine, Cash Agad essentially acts as a neighborhood ATM, wherein point-of-sale terminals are installed in various small businesses such as mini-groceries, water refilling stations, and hardware stores. Customers who need cash and live far from the nearest bank or ATM can visit a Cash Agad partner-agent to withdraw money or use the available services using their BDO ATM.

As of September 2024, there are a total of 374 active Cash Agad partner-agents in Negros Occidental.

BDO Fiesta well-received in Bacolod

Following the success of the BDO Fiesta in the Ilocos province, BDO recently hosted an event in Bacolod with the theme Tara na sa BDO! Sa bangko, sigurado. The event was equally well-received, drawing enthusiastic crowds.

Negrenses enjoyed BDO’s secure and tailored banking experience, which included extended banking hours, weekend banking, and on-the-ground activities with lots of prizes, surprises, and a Thanksgiving concert at the Bacolod SMX Convention Center.* (CID)