Our 1st Anniversary
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SPEECH AT THE 1ST ANNIVERSARY OF HFC BANK
TUESDAY 3RD MARCH 2015 at HFC BANK HEAD OFFICE
HFC BANK CHAIRMAN – MR. TOM RICKETTS
Today is a proud moment for the HFC Bank. A year ago we ventured into commercial banking and as Chairman I’m delighted to be here to celebrate our 1st anniversary.
Our journey began 52 years ago when the Home Finance Company was established to provide affordable home loans for civil servants, returned soldiers and others. From these humble beginnings HFC grew from strength to strength, diversifying its product lines and bringing international class financial services to more and more people in Fiji. Our customer confidence has grown over the years and we stand here today to celebrate and thank all our loyal customers for their trust in HFC Bank.
It is often the case that the achievement of past objectives paves the way to new and exciting challenges. And so it is for HFC Bank. I sincerely acknowledge the confidence of our shareholders, FNFP & Unit Trust of Fiji and our hard working management & staff. Their work and dedication has enabled us to achieve the establishment of Fiji’s own local Bank.
Having its own local Bank brings strength and increased confidence to a Country. Banks drive the economy of a country and we at HFC Bank play a very important part in this. HFC Bank is proud to be owned by the people of Fiji and to be Fiji’s very own Bank. We continuously enhance our governance, compliance and policy environment to ensure our prudent and sound operations.
Since opening its doors to customers a year ago, HFC Bank has continued to introduce the best banking practices. Within the first 3 months of banking, we launched a Trade Finance and Treasury unit to offer competitive FOREX products to our customers.
Accessibility is a key requirement for our customers. Apart from our six branches Fiji wide, we have expanded our reach through an Interchange agreement with Westpac Fiji which allows our customers to transact through Westpac ATMs and EFTPoS Fiji wide. Our customers can access their funds through over 50 ATMs and over 1500 EFTPoS terminals throughout the country. Our sincere thanks to Westpac Management for this business partnership.
On this note I am also glad to announce that we will soon be launching an innovative Internet & Mobile Banking platform to satisfy the needs of our customers so that they can enjoy convenient electronic banking. This platform will allow you to do your everyday banking in the comfort of your living room. So, watch this space…
Accessibility, and infrastructure development do not stop here, we live by our mission to improve our customers’ well-being, creating wealth for the future generation thus contributing to the overall economic development of our nation. In time we will expand our branch representation to more communities as well as strengthening our E-banking channels.
We are committed to exploring opportunities to bring our services to different markets. As such, HFC Bank in partnership with Westpac will establish banking services at the newly refurbished Nadi International airport. This partnership will ensure world class banking services to our travelers.
As for products and services to meet the demands of our customers; HFC Bank will be continually looking at innovative and targeted products to suit the needs of our customers in all segments of the business. We will continue to talk to our customers and obtain their feedback on new and exciting products to suit their banking needs.
Training is a key area of focus for us and we are continuously investing in upskilling and developing our staff and creating opportunities for both our experienced team and our new entrants to the exciting banking industry of Fiji. HFC Bank is driven by the passionate and committed team we have at all levels and customers can be assured that your Bank is here to serve you.
I take this opportunity to thank our communities as well for providing us the opportunity to exercise our corporate social responsibility by supporting their worthy initiatives. HFC Bank is privileged to be one of the proud sponsors of Fiji Rugby to support the development of the beloved sport of this nation. Apart from rugby, we have been privileged to support numerous community projects such as the Crime prevention campaign, school and educational programs and projects to support the underprivileged in the society.
Let me finish off with congratulating all our stakeholders once again for this milestone achievement. We look forward to our future of Banking in Fiji and Beyond.
Vinaka.