UnionBank CEO named Digital Banker of the Year – Asia Pacific by The Asset

UnionBank was also recognized as the Best Digital Bank for the third straight year while fintech projects such as the Virtual Currency ATM and Project i2i were also awarded.

SINGAPORE –
Media
OutReach
– 11 March 2020 – Union
Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) bagged seven awards at The Asset Triple A
Digital Awards 2020, including Digital Banker of the Year – Asia Pacific for
the bank’s President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista, who also won Digital Bank of
the Year — Philippines for the third year in a row.

Fintech projects were also recognized such as Project BitBox which
ushered in the Philippines’ first central bank approved Virtual Currency ATM
and was awarded by The Asset as the Best ATM Project. Meanwhile, Project i2i
which connects rural banks to the country’s main payment network using
blockchain technology won the Best Digital Financial Inclusion Project award.

Bautista launched UnionBank
‘s digital transformation which introduced revolutionary initiatives
including the first “selfie-banking” in Asia, the first fully digital
bank branch in the Philippines, and the first bank chatbot in the country,
among others.

UnionBank is regarded by partners as a leader in enabling fintechs and an
ardent champion for blockchain-based solutions that contribute to financial
inclusion.

“We applaud UnionBank’s vision and transformational impact on the
industry as a whole here in the Philippines–a direct result of the quality of
its leadership,” said Microsoft Philippines Country General Manager Andres
Ortola. “We are privileged for the opportunity to work alongside [Mr. Bautista]
and his team as we drive towards a more financially inclusive and empowered nation,”
he added.

Anthony Thomas,
President and CEO of Mynt – a fintech backed by Ant Financial, Globe Telecom
and Ayala Corporation, also offered his congratulations. “UnionBank clearly
stands out as one of the most progressive banks in the Philippines in driving
the shift to digital,” said Thomas. “We value our partnership and the openness
of the bank to work with fintech players in solving pain points to enable a
better customer experience for Filipinos,” he added.

Several other UnionBank initiatives were also lauded by The Asset
which includes the Retailer Financing Program as the Best Digital
Collaboration, Mobile Check Deposit which received the Best Digital Upgrade
award and UnionBank GlobalLinker Trade Connect recognized as the Best Social
Media Project.