The following financial institutions have recently joined the GBA. We welcome these market leaders in their countries and regions across the globe. Their successful programs focused on doing business with women will greatly increase our knowledge sharing.
Bank of Deyang (China). Established in 1998 with the consolidation of urban and rural credit cooperatives, Bank of Deyang has a focused goal of supporting SMEs in Western China. In order to fulfill the demand of customers, the bank built the first Financial Service Center for Women in Deyang. In addition to banking services, The Center offers services customized to meet female clients’ needs for travel, housing, wealth management and business development. This was quickly followed by the launch of the Platinum Beauty Card designed for financial value added service as well as consumer product and service discounts.
In May, 2008, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the local area. Bank of Deyang introduced the Secured Micro Loan program for women to support women entrepreneurs rebuilding efforts. Based on the success of this pilot, the bank plans to roll out the loan program in all of its branch offices enhanced with external business training programs. Bank of Deyang intends to become a leading commercial bank
in Western China.
Garanti Bank (Turkey) Garanti Bank is Turkey’s second largest private bank with total consolidated assets of USD 90 Billion.
Developing new and innovative products and services, Garanti accomplished many firsts not only in Turkey, but in the global banking arena as well. Offering products and services to the women’s market since 2006, Garanti Bank has been leading the market.
Their Women Entrepreneur Support Package provides financial and consultancy support enabling businesswomen to reach a globally competitive level, while supporting their personal development through Women Entrepreneur Gatherings, honors their achievement with a national women entrepreneur award competition while using their website as a portal for all to meet. To date, Garanti’s SME lending has provided approximately $250MM funding for women through the Women Entrepreneur Support Loan, providing consumer and investment loans with special interest rates.
BLC Bank (Lebanon) In 2008, BLC Bank committed to expanding its SME business by developing specific offerings for niche markets. The market for loans to women in Lebanon is determined to be US$1.8B. BLC aspires to be the bank of choice for women in business and the market leader among their competition. Their strategy is to seize the opportunity by developing a highly customized and differentiated solution to this target segment. Membership in the GBA will allow them to network with other financial institutions and develop a comprehensive array of products and services customized for success in their markets.
