For over 30 years Postbank has worked with a clear strategic vision for the future and the sustainable growth of its business. The bank offers innovations for an excellent experience for its customers and employees, and it invests in a green future in line with its ESG strategy. The excellent consumer experience is an immutable part of the bank’s corporate policy.
Through the development and implementation of every high-tech solution and the provision of services with exceptional added value, the bank reaffirms its ambitions to be a key leader in the financial services market and its desire to be the bank that offers its customers innovative concepts and solutions combined with flexibility and efficiency. Postbank provides an excellent experience and personalised financial products and services to its current and future customers, combining the latest technologies with a tailored approach, and professional consultation.
Continued growth
Postbank will continue to grow and the acquisition of the Bulgarian branch of BNP Paribas Personal Finance in 2023 is another step towards expanding its market share and taking an even stronger and more stable position in the ‘big four’ of the banking sector. This acquisition allows Postbank not only to strengthen its position in the consumer lending segment, but also to enter into a promising and fast-growing market that Postbank is eager to further develop by offering many more products to both new and existing clients.
The bank has started replacing the vehicles from the company fleet with hybrid and electric ones
As a result of the deal, Postbank strengthens its leadership position in retail banking and now occupies second place in the consumer lending market, adding a new client base to its portfolio and acquiring a portfolio of over BGN960m (€491m) in consumer loans. It generates significant opportunities for cross-selling as well as implementing innovative digital solutions for client convenience. With the successful finalisation of the deal, a team of exceptional professionals with a proven level of expertise and strategic vision in banking joins the Postbank team.
A new brand revealed
With the first-of-its-kind conference ‘Retail Reload – powered by AI’, in November 2023, Postbank introduced its new brand, ‘PB Personal Finance by Postbank’, which officially became part of the leading financial institution in June 2023. The special event, organised in partnership with Mastercard Bulgaria, brought together over 250 representatives from leading companies. Alongside internationally renowned speakers, they discussed the latest trends and innovations in artificial intelligence in the retail business.
The addition of the new brand, ‘PB Personal Finance’, is not only part of Postbank’s strategic development as a systemically important bank, offering innovations and personalised financial solutions for the convenience of its customers, but also of great importance for Eurobank Group as it expands its operations into significant regional markets. Just a few months later, Postbank reported excellent results and solidified its leading position in the consumer lending market by offering financial products to more than 1.2 million customers and providing BGN6.9bn (€3.5bn) in loans to households. Under the new brand ‘PB Personal Finance by Postbank’, clients will continue to receive a variety of attractive products and fast services in order to fully meet their expectations and high demands. The creative approach and innovative ideas are deeply embedded in the values of both companies and this is the key to a new understanding of banking that is shared and will integrate into a new ‘Beyond Banking’ concept, providing more value and benefits to clients.
On the road to success
In 2023, the financial institution received over 20 prestigious national and international awards for its innovative products, services, and corporate social responsibility. Postbank received the highest global accolade, Top Employer for 2023, from the international independent Top Employers Institute. Following on from these outstanding results, the financial institution won the award for successful digital transformation in the Bank of the Year awards of the Bank of the Year Association.
Postbank has received a Baa3 long-term deposit rating with a positive outlook by the international rating agency Moody’s Investors Service. At the same time, the rating agency has assigned a Baa2 long-term rating for Counterparty Risk Ratings (CRR) to Postbank. The robust capitalisation, strong recurring profitability, and growing deposit base of Postbank have been thoroughly evaluated and reflected in Moody’s report. The agency highlights that the bank’s strong profitability also supports its ability to generate sufficient capital internally.
Such an assessment from a global agency like Moody’s is recognition of the effectiveness of the bank’s work, the high standards it maintains in its operations, and the even higher goals set and achieved together with its team. Postbank are delighted that its efforts have been recognised at the international level, which once again emphasises and supports the progress it is making towards a vision of being a systemic bank in the market, with a strong presence, strictly following a strategy of sustainable development and setting trends in the country’s banking sector.
Green ideas
Traditionally, the banking sector is engaged with the financing of activities, which are directly or indirectly related to the development of other spheres of the economy, with banks being key participants in the ‘green transformation.’ Postbank’s strategy is focused on sustainable financing through priority support for activities with low or net-zero footprints, including credits for renewable energy sources, as well as for energy efficiency. Over the past few years, the bank has taken significant steps and implemented valuable initiatives to demonstrate its readiness to play a key role in the transition to a low-carbon and sustainable economy on the way to achieving long-term national and global goals.
Postbank introduced a special ‘Eco Auto Loan’ for financing fully electric or plug-in hybrid cars under preferential terms for its customers and a green business loan, intended for companies with projects for improving the environment.
Postbank is steadily transitioning towards renewable energy sources
Regulators expect the bank to support the implementation of the Green Deal by introducing various incentives and requirements for its clients. At the same time, prudential requirements for assessing and managing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks to which it is exposed are tightening. This calls for flexibility and innovation and new approaches and ways of doing business. The good news is that Postbank is already working on this.
Green light for new opportunities
The bank’s ESG strategy is being developed in two directions – the first relates to the internal processes and everything the organisation does, while the second addresses the clients and what they do with the funds the bank lends them. For 11 years Postbank has been internally tracking three indicators – the carbon footprint of the energy consumed, the amount of water used and the volume of paper used, and thanks to the efforts made, a significant reduction has been achieved in all three indicators. Thanks to the photovoltaic power station in the head office, Postbank is steadily transitioning towards renewable energy sources. This photovoltaic power station has a total installed capacity of 388kWp and its operation could save around 173 tons of coal annually, with close to 205 tons of CO2 emissions avoided.
The introduction of environmentally friendly, recyclable materials in the improved bank premises, the installation of LED lighting, as well as the introduction of the latest generation of more efficient and environmentally friendly air conditioning systems, are just some of the sustainable actions taken by Postbank on the road to a green economy. The bank has started replacing the vehicles from the company fleet with hybrid and electric ones and has also built an installation for the required power supply on the territory of the head office.
Postbank will continue to transform and innovate, demonstrating its modern signature among financial institutions in Bulgaria and a rich portfolio of innovative financial solutions for the exceptional convenience of its customers and over 3,000 satisfied employees.
