Intercontinental Bank unveils wealth
management services, new corporate identity
From right, Mr. Olakunle Alake, Chief
Operating
Officer, Dangote Group of
Companies, who
represented Alhaji
Aliko Dangote; Dr. Erastus
Akingbola,
Group
Chief Executive,
Intercontinental
Bank; Elder (Dr.) Sanni
Adams, a director;
and Barrister J.s.p.c
Nwokolo, also a
director at the launch
held in Lagos, recently.One of Nigeria’s
leading banks,
Intercontinental Bank, on Thursday last week unveiled a new banking service that will take wealth management to another level in the country.
The bank has created a Wealth Management Group that is equipped to provide upscale and world class services in the area of investment management, financial planning, retirement planning and estate planning for its customers.
Our concept of wealth management involves a holistic and comprehensive approach to helping our clients achieve their goals in life. It is structured to give them the confidence to make sound financial decisions, freedom to live life the way they want and a clear roadmap for their financial future.
Already, the bank has set up a flagship Wealth Management ‘Happy Centre’ and private banking suite in an upscale neighborhood in Ikoyi, Lagos, to cater for its exclusive clientele. The major business of the wealth management group is to help clients create, protect and transfer wealth to their beneficiaries.
The wealth management group is one of the bank’s new business initiatives to deepen its private banking business.
Intercontinental Bank has set its sights on being a world class financial institution and among the world’s ten leading banks. Analysts said the bank’s track record of superlative performance over the years puts it in good stead to achieve its vision.
Intercontinental Bank was ranked 355 in the world by the Financial Times of London, making it the only Nigerian Bank in the world’s top 500 banks and the second fastest growing in the world.
The bank’s Group Chief Executive, Dr. Erastus B.O Akingbola, said the bank is poised to surpass this record.
‘‘We are encouraged by our drive, vision and capacity to double, year on year, all the performance indicators of the bank. We intend to beat our record and we shall,’’ he said.
The bank posted a superlative profit before tax of N22.9 billion for the nine months ended November 30, 2007. This is about 178 per cent increase over the N12.8 billion posted for the corresponding period of last year. It also recorded impressive 169 per cent growth in gross revenue which stood at N99.6 billion against N59.1billion in the corresponding period of 2006. Its total asset and contingent as at the third quarter stood at over N1.1 trillion, representing about 188 per cent increase compared to the N606 million recorded in the previous year.
In a similar development, Intercontinental Bank has opened another historic vista in its quest to flow with the tide of times and position it as a global player by launching a new corporate identity after 18 years. The epoch-making unveiling of the new corporate identity dubbed, ‘Good to Great’ which held last Friday at Lagoon Restaurant, Victoria Island, Lagos, attracted the bigwigs of the corporate world, industrial and corporate moguls, among others. The Group Chief Executive, Intercontinental Bank Plc, Dr Erastus Akingbola, stated that the new corporate identity of the bank was driven by its quest for leadership in the Nigerian and African banking terrains.
“Our new identity represents the stronger and more dominant role the bank now plays in the global banking landscape. This rebranding is orchestrated by a strong drive and commitment to insightful partnership with our customers and other stakeholders,” Dr Akinbgola stated.
He explained further that the rebranding was underscored by the need to be more visible and bold in reshaping the Intercon-tinental Bank brand in the eye of the public.
“Our bank’s essence is solidly founded on strong brand muscles which forms the core of our leadership style and is driving our outstanding partnership with our customers and indeed, all stakeholders,” he added.
He said with the rebranding, Intercontinental Bank would raise the bar of customer service, continually delight customers with services and products and consistently guarantee customers’ safety and personalised service.
“Our promise to the investors is that we are ready to re-enact the impressive performance that has made us to stand out in the banking industry,” he said.
The bank, he said, believed in creating and sustaining happiness for its customers, hence it was constantly upscaling its processes and services to meet the needs and expectations of its increasing discerning customers and other stakeholders.
Speaking on the new identity, the Group Chief Executive noted that the hexagon shape was retained based on its six sides which symbolises the bank’s global vision to be in the six continents of the world.
The hexagon, he added, symbolises the bank’s foremost attributes and strength which lies in the power of its relationship with customers and other stakeholders.
Intercontinental Bank has lived truly to its mission as an emerging force in global banking.
He highlighted other attributes of the brand as follows: safety, stable and solid, personal, supportive and understanding, visionary, fresh and original and responsive and in-touch with all stakeholders.
Chairman, Board of Directors, Dr Raymond Obieri, noted that the nation’s banking industry was on the threshold of a new revolution, of global competition and partnership, stressing that in the new dispensation, only the bank that is a compelling brand on a global scale, one with strong financial muscle and outstanding managerial competence, will compete effectively.
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