Universalbank lives up to its name by offering a widerange of world class universal banking services for individual and corporate clients. The bank has placed a particular focus on e-banking services and invested €2.5 million in establishing cutting edge information technology infrastructure.
“Through this investment, we modernised the bank and replaced our software and technical equipment. We are concentrating on improving our customers’access to banking services rather than broadening our territorial network. We are the only bank in Moldova which gives its clients the chance to pay their interest on loans using their VISA cards rather than coming to the bank,” says Oxana Demidevschi, Chairman of the Board. Universalbank is also Moldova’s only bank which does not charge a commission on payments of its customers’ energy and water bills.
“Online payments have risen from about US$20,000 (about 236,000 Lei) per month in 2010 to over US$1million (about 11,800,000 Lei) per month this year. This proves that the people of Moldova are ready for modernisation in the banking sector, and Universalbank is paving the way,” Oxana Demidevschi points out. The bank is currently expanding the reach of its services and adding even more online and credit card payment options to its portfolio. Universalbank continues to seek capital to make additional investments.
Loyal client base
Universalbank is particularly focusing on serving small and medium sized enterprises, for example in Moldova’s agriculture sector, and it assists customers in developing strong business plans for their companies. The bank is known for its transparency and has built up a very loyal client base thanks to its commitment to customer service and its modern infrastructure. “We have very qualified staff, and we have many individual customers whose companies also bank with us. Our clients have a sense of ownership in Universalbank and in its future,” Oxana Demidevschi explains. Thanks to its recent investments, Universalbank can handle a 70% increase in its client base without having to add more staff.
Oxana Demidevschi advises international investors to look into opportunities in Moldova and to trust Universalbank for their banking needs. She says, “This country’s potential is huge. We just need to wait a short time before investments begin to generate profits. Our management and staff have been through the Soviet times and the economic crisis, and our risk management analyses are more thorough than in other countries.Universalbank guarantees customers the high qualitybanking services they would find elsewhere in the EU.”
