Mobi Banka has been dedicated to digital banking from the very beginning, in 2014. Stability and reliability forms the foundations of its business, as this company does everything it can to be a partner that customers can count on in the digital future
As it is set to mark its 10th anniversary in 2024, Mobi Banka is preparing to make significant changes that will redefine the boundaries of digital banking. These plans require a special focus on the further development of the bank’s IT team and many more inovations.
The willingness of banks and the regulator to modernise Serbia’s financial market and align it with European trends has led to digitalisation. How do you assess this process, which only intensified during the pandemic?
— Digitalisation has certainly become inevitable since 2020, but we were there years before, from the very beginning, in 2014. We have remained dedicated to digital banking since then, taking the stance that online, simple and modern banking is the only right choice.
We believe strongly that our customers shouldn’t wait in endless queues in front of branches: they deserve to be able to access all our services from the comfort of their home. Easy access to all banking services tailored to customers’ needs wouldn’t be possible without the determination of the National Bank of Serbia, led by Governor Tabaković, to act diligently in this field.
Now that digitalisation has entered every corner of our society, it is time to raise the bar even higher by introducing new digital products and concepts and placing them primarily in the service of the client. As we mark our 10th anniversary in 2024, we are preparing for significant changes that will redefine the boundaries of digital banking. These plans require a special focus on the further development of our IT team, as we plan to double the number of our IT colleagues by the first quarter of 2024.
Can market success be achieved without listening to the needs, desires and expectations of clients?
— The short answer would be ‘absolutely not’. Before joining Mobi Banka, I was a member of the Air Bank team, the fastest-growing bank in the Czech Republic, with over 980,000 clients. In recent years, its client experience has been ranked first and second among 200 regularly assessed brands on the Czech market, which comes from constant communication with clients, while carefully listening to what they have to say. Mobi Banka looks to emulate the success of its “older sister” within the PPF Group and we are following a common path, on which client satisfaction is paramount.
DEDICATED TO EDUCATING CLIENTS
Given that you are an expert in the security field, how do you perceive the challenges brought by digitalisation in this domain?
— The downsides of digitalisation are strongly outweighed by its benefits. However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t address them. That’s why we work diligently to educate our clients on how to protect their personal data and stay safe in the digital financial environment. Additionally, we are constantly working on our systems in order to stay at the top of the game: over the past few weeks, we have rapidly and efficiently implemented system upgrades, paying special attention to security.
You recently introduced digital wallets for your clients who use Mobi Banka Mastercard payment cards, Android and Apple devices. What are the greatest benefits of cashless payments for clients?
— I am very passionate about motorbikes and particularly enjoy my rides from Belgrade to Prague. When you decide to engage in such an activity, you must be prepared to react swiftly and calmly while remaining vigilent regarding potential developments. Like road safety, ensuring the safety of clients during transactions is a priority and that’s why we have introduced Google and Apple Pay.
Transactions are now even simpler, faster and safer. The entire process is fully protected and there is no exchange of card data at any point during the transaction. This innovation reflects our commitment to positive global trends, allowing clients to make transactions anywhere and at any time, simply by tapping their phone to the POS terminal. Forgotten wallets will no longer be a problem because everything you need is on your phone.
Yettel and Mobi banka are sister companies that strive to create innovative, sustainable and digitally advanced solutions for customers
That’s why we have conducted our own research and created our 5+ offer, which includes some of the most desirable banking benefits, according to customers, for everyone who transfers at least 35,000 RSD of their salary to Mobi Banka. I’m confident that there isn’t a person who would say no to free account maintenance, free cash withdrawals from any ATM in Serbia, and free domestic and international payments, along with a few more perks. And this is just the beginning. We will soon introduce new products and numerous functionalities created with special consideration for our clients’ feedback.
Within the PPF Group, one of the largest investment groups in Europe, you work closely with Yettel, constantly innovating to stay ahead of your customers’ needs. Can you tell us about some joint projects that you have planned for the future?
— We like to say that Yettel and Mobi Banka are sister companies within the PPF Group, as our philosophies dovetail: we both strive to create innovative, sustainable and digitally advanced solutions for our customers by building and successfully bridging the divide between telecommunications and banking. We launched a new project a few days ago that we have been preparing for a long time: paperless documentation for the purchase of new mobile devices through our interest-free loans. This means that our customers can sign the necessary documentation on a tablet, providing just three signatures instead of the 16 that were previously required. In this way we are able to significantly reduce the use of paper, not to mention how much time we save for our customers. In the near future, we plan to digitalise the process of opening a current account at our bank on the basis of the same principle, which means that a 100 per cent of the joint activities of Mobi Banka and Yettel will be paperless and sustainable.