BBVA managed in the first half to capture 44% of its new small and medium enterprises through its initiative focused on incorporating neighborhood businesses as clients, according to the entity's communication.
Between January and June, the bank added 174,000 new SMEs, which represents an increase of 7% compared to the same period of the previous year. The program, called "Banco de Barrio," is currently operating in Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Peru, Turkey, and Spain, while it continues to expand in Argentina.
"Banco de Barrio allows us to be closer to businesses and better understand their activity and needs, whether through the attention of our managers, visits to businesses, or digital tools," said the global head of Solutions for Retail Clients at BBVA, David Puente.
By country, in Colombia the entity incorporated 2,000 new clients through this proposal in the semester; in Uruguay, 500 businesses were added, and in Spain, 27,000 new SMEs were added through this channel, along with another 50,000 in Turkey. Additionally, only in the first quarter, 100,000 client visits were carried out in Mexico.
Looking ahead to the coming months, in Mexico the bank plans to advance with pilot tests of artificial intelligence assistants to reinforce the work of managers, while in Spain, Colombia, and Argentina, solutions will be deployed that will facilitate the identification of potential clients and help commercial teams prioritize their activity.