The past year was marked by the implementation of a number of innovations, which were quickly accepted by the market and started changing the expectations for service and access to financial services.

The remote processes of online and mobile service and sales started gaining much wider popularity. Besides the options for online application for loans, issuance of bank cards or deposit opening, services of the “virtual bank” type also started appearing on the market, providing customers with access to a more complex service and consulting without having to go to a bank branch. One such example is the webpage, which UniCredit Bulbank launched at the beginning of 2013. It offers customers a convenient and easy way to find the appropriate financial solution to suit a specific need – property purchase or renovation, savings and investments, payments, etc. If the customer wishes to make use of the proposal, he/she can apply for the relevant service online as well as schedule a meeting or make a phone call appointment with a banking advisor.

In 2013, mobile devices had a tremendous success – smart phones and tablets, as their use by consumers kept growing. Sales of smart phones globally rose by some 50% yoy, while sales of tablets in 2014 are expected to outperform the sales of PCs and laptops. In this respect, it comes as no surprise that the focus of attention was the development in mobile services and applications, including such intended for financial use – mobile banking, electronic portfolios and mobile payments etc. What is interesting is that some of these solutions are offered by non-financial institutions, whose presence in the field of payments (which until recently used to be perceived as a typical bank activity) is getting more and more noticeable.

In the summer of last year UniCredit Bulbank organized the UniCredit App Challenge. Students, entrepreneurs and companies in the IT sector presented their ideas for mobile and web applications and the best of them were awarded by the bank and received a proposal for implementation.

The mobile banking of UniCredit Bulbank kept its leading position and within a year the number of the people using it has almost doubled, now reaching nearly 40,000. Bulbank Mobile works on more than 1200 devices and besides IPhone and Android versions, it also has a special application for the older Java-based phones. The service allows customers to follow the movements and the available balance on their bank accounts, cards, loans and to make money transfers and payments directly from their mobile phone or tablet. In addition, UniCredit Bulbank implemented also a special banking application for the new OS Windows 8, which Microsoft launched this year.

Here we must note the introduction of contactless payments with bank cards, which although still a novelty are an important phase in the preparation of the infrastructure and the customers for the future development of mobile payments when phones will be a fully-fledged wallet for payments.

The past year was a success for social networks too, which seem to have found the winning business model and the stable source of revenues that was sought for. Besides strengthening their position as an important channel for communication with the customers, their role in the marketing initiatives and plans of companies has increased substantially. In the social networks, there started appearing more and more advertising messages by various companies, including financial institutions, which were assured in their efficiency for the communication of innovative services connected with online sales and remote customer service such as online deposits, applications for bank cards, etc.

There were innovations in ATMs as well. UniCredit Bulbank was the first to launch the service Cash M, through which customers of the bank can send money to relatives and friends via their bank card using an АТМ. The transfer is made instantly and the funds can be withdrawn from any ATM of UniCredit Bulbank with a card, irrespective of the type of card or the card issuing bank.

In their striving to provide greater convenience for their customers, banks started making 24-hour self-service zones where customers themselves can perform their usual banking operations – withdrawals and deposits of funds, ordering money transfers, payment of bills, receiving information and assistance for bank products and services used, etc. UniCredit Bulbank has six modern self-service zones and some 30 BNAs in Sofia and the bigger cities in Bulgaria.

In March last year, UniCredit Bulbank opened the first of its kind Branch of the Future in Bulgaria and Central and Eastern Europe. It is a unique project that combines all new developments in the field of Retail Banking – modern technologies, streamlined processes and an entirely new service model, in the focus of which is the customer and the customer experience in the interaction with the bank. The modern look and environment, the functional 24-hour self-service zone and the comfortable waiting and meeting areas, coupled with the kind attitude and personal approach to every customer, make the Branch of the Future a pleasant place to visit not only for daily banking operations, but also for receiving financial advice or for having a business meeting with partners. The model has proven its success as the number of visits to the branch has doubled since its opening as a Branch of the Future.

In conclusion, we can define 2013 as a dynamic year for the development of the alternative channels for distribution in the financial sector and an important step towards transforming the traditional way of banking to adapt it to the changing expectations of the customers for getting an easier and faster access to financial services without any limitations in terms of working hours or location.

Our expectations for 2014 suggest a still more dynamic development, the main focus being on the implementation of new functionalities and enhancements to the existing distribution channels, aiming to increase their use and adjust them to suit customers’ needs.

More information for clients:

UniCredit Bulbank, Call Centre

Phone: 0700 1 84 84

More information for media:

UniCredit Bulbank, Identity & Communications Department

Viktoria Blajeva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 993, wjlj/ebwjepwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Ekaterina Ancheva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 963, flbufsjob/bodifwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Magdalena Ivanova, Phone: + 359 2 9232 528, nbhebmfob/jwbopwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch