Women bankers to tackle risk management
By
Odidison Omankhanlen, Lagos
From left, Dr. Alexander; Mr. Godwin and
Miss Folashike, at the shopping spree.Women bankers
in the country,
under the aegis of Association of Professional Women Bankers of Nigeria (APWB) have put machinery in motion to organise a workshop targeted at enlightening women and other stakeholders in financial sector of the economy on risk asset management, credit appraisal and loan management.
Speaking at a press conference to herald the workshop, the Chairman of APWB, Chief (Mrs.) Abioye Kusamatu, said the workshop would focus on the perceived ‘skill gap’ in the financial sector of the economy, adding that it must be taken seriously in order to ensure the proper management of risk.
The workshop, tagged “Banking Operations-Credit Focus,” scheduled to hold on 24th February, at the administrative office of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Victoria Island, Lagos, would focus the real issues in the banking industry in order to entrench professionalism in credit matters and risk management.
Kusamatu noted that no business concern would be successful without efficient and effective management, emphasising that the driving force of any veritable banking system was trustworthiness and honesty, regretting that these key factors were lacking.
The APWB boss disclosed that Mrs. Hellen Ashaye, Managing Director of H Pelson Consulting, a specialist in risk management and Mr. Herbert Owolabi, the Managing Director of Summit Finance, are to present papers during the programme.
According to her, the workshop is imperative because risk is the bane of growth in the banking sector if well managed and those involved in it which include regulatory bodies, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), representatives of the commercial banks and the micro finance banks and others will be expected at the event.
Skye Bank introduces Skyedreams loyalty programme
By Odidison Omankhanlen, Lagos
In line with its
industry leadership
in innovative and e-banking, Skye Bank at the weekend introduced Skyedream loyalty programme into the nation’s financial supermarket.
It is essentially targeted at rewarding their customers by way of point accumulation for normal transactions made through their personal accounts with the bank.
The programme, which is the first of its kind in the banking industry, works by awarding points to customers for making transactions like cash lodgments, withdrawals through Automated Teller Machine (ATMs), payment via Point of Sale (POS) terminals, using Skye Bank debit or credit cards, reactivation of dormant accounts, using their Skye Visa cards and opening new personal accounts.
Speaking at the event, the Group Managing Director, Mr. Akinsola Akinfemiwa, stated that the bank decided to put the loyalty programme in place to differentiate itself from competition, enhance post-consolidation retail service offerings and to promote the usage of alternative banking channels for its customers, adding that it was aimed at reducing cost of doing business.
He noted that branch banking had become quite expensive to maintain, stressing that the loyalty programme was targeted at making the people embrace banking technology.
“It has become quite expensive to maintain branch banking. It is, therefore, important to embrace banking technology, thereby reducing cost of doing business. What the banks need is cash and liquidity. We are not out to eliminate human interface in banking. We want to push retail banking to technology. Services will become faster, cheaper and more convenient,” he stated.
The Skye Bank boss explained that technology was changing the way banking business was done all over the world, stressing that the loyalty programme was another way of recognising and rewarding their customers.
