Standard chartered rewards loyal customers

Standard Chartered Bank hosted its SME Banking customers to a customer loyalty dinner held today at the Sheraton Rwenzori Ballroom in Kampala.

The dinner was organized as a token of appreciation to their customers for their loyalty to SME Banking over the years and also in recognition of the role played by Small and Medium Enterprises in economic transformation.

According to the CEO, Herman Kasekende the Bank’s focus on SMEs is built on the fact that SMEs are the backbone of many developing economies worldwide mainly because their role in job creation and income generation. SMEs today constitute 90% of the private sector and contribute over 75% of the GDP while employing over 2.5 million people.

The Bank rebranded from Business Financial Services to SME Banking in 2005 with a promise to its customers to offer a continued refresh of solutions and services suited to their dynamic needs.

Over the years the Bank has provided several solutions which include working capital, lending solution for business expansion, yield enhancing solutions to give customers a high return on their excess cash and advisory services to protect their customer’s businesses from uncertainty and related risks. In addition to this, leveraging its international foot print and expertise, the bank has opened up access to the Africa – Asia trade corridors.

Grace Muliisa, Head Consumer Banking Standard Chartered bank while delivering her remarks said;
“SME Banking is the greatest focus for the Consumer Banking division.

Looking the history of Standard Chartered SME Banking, at launch, we had only one SME Center at Speke Road but later moved to Kikuubo and Ndeeba with Standard Chartered being the first bank to set up shop right in the heart of Kikuubo.

This is one of the choices and decisions we are most proud of. Over the years we have seen the number of customers grow and business move from one warehouse to empires and this is why today, we are simply saying thank you for choosing Standard Chartered Bank.”
 
Herman Kasekende CEO of Standard Chartered Uganda added, “We do not take your loyalty for granted. As a Bank we shall continuously re-invent and spearhead innovations aimed at making banking easier and more relevant to the unique and evolving needs of the SMEs in Uganda”.

Officiating as Guest of Honor was Mr. Gaster Lule, one of the Bank’s most loyal customer and Managing Director of Ntake Bakery and Company Limited had this to say, “I wish to commend Standard Chartered for their services and support towards SMEs and urge my fellow businessmen to become financially responsible to ensure that your businesses move to the next level.

In a world that is increasingly becoming interconnected, businesses need a sound financial partner like Standard Chartered Bank which has been in existence for over 100 years so as to grow and maximize returns on their investment”.