Interbank Burundi Decade : A Ten-year Corner Policy.

Third leg of our series of assessment of the results of INTERBANK BURUNDI during its first ten years of operations, with, today, the look into its distribution network.

1. BACKGROUND

Interbank Burundi was established in January 1993, with a differentiation mission : "To seek for and serve a quality clientele".

A founding element of its commitment to the client, this mission was meant to gear the Bank, since its first year of activity, towards the clientele by operating inside the Brarudi, a breweries company and heading enterprise in the country, in order to serve its numerous Brarudi products wholesale clients.

2. A 14 OPERATIONAL SITES DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

Three years later, empowered with its foundation in Bujumbura, the Bank opened its first branch and inside the country, in Ngozi in May 1996. Since then it has left no stone unturned to expand and consolidate its distribution network, convinced that the geographical proximity and the time spent to move between the residence or the office and the banking agency constitute important strategic variables. Hence, since Kirundo in May 1997, up to the Bujumbura International Airport, about one month ago, the Bank has come closer to its clients segments eleven times.

As a matter of fact, after the first two establishments in the countryside, Interbank Burundi has made a big move back to Bujumbura with the establishment of the first branch in the capital, in Quartier Asiatique area, in 1998, and at the Bujumbura Central Market, a year there after.

While pursuing that geographical expansion, the supervision of the clientele was continuously strengthened through a regular follow up of our clients and their activities, notably by visits to the working fields, various exchange visits and follow up of the outstanding.

Being aware that this supervision would remain insufficient without a wide and competitive distribution network, Interbank Burundi speeded things up in the course of the year 2000 with the establishment of two new branches : at Place de l'Indépendance in Bujumbura, in January 28th, and in Gitega (Centre of Burundi) six months later, i.e. on September 2nd, 2000.

The objective pursued with the last establishment being to ensure the national anchoring to our distribution network by facilitating trade between central and northern regions and Bujumbura.

In pursuance of the same objective, the Bank established a seventh branch in Muyinga, in May 2001, in order notably to complete and strengthen the existing synergies implemented in
the Northern region on one hand and other centers and western areas on the other.

Three months later, on August 31st, 2001 the process was pursued with the establishment of a branch in Buyenzi, a densely populated area of Bujumbura, a very active one, sheltering several businesses and many other handicraft and semi-industrial activities.

With the Buyenzi branch, a new step was made in our corner policy : more than availing banking services by dislocating them, the approach launched with Buyenzi aims also and specifically at promoting the development of collectivities and grassroots communities through the granting of appropriate credits, like micro-credits.

In the meantime, and considering the expansion of the network, Interbank Burundi worked hard to assign a new impulse to he supervision of its branches.

That is why it launched in the year 2001 a follow up of Bujumbura branches by its staff members, relevant interlocutors of Branches Managers on all aspects related with the good running of their entities.

In the same line, the Bank lanced a new department in charge of the Review of operations, Administration and Management of Agencies headed by a senior staff member enjoying a long and proven competence in the banking operations.

It is in the framework of this IBB banking services new distribution approach that Jabe branch
was born five months later, at Jabe area, Bwiza zone in the Mayors hip of Bujumbura on January 2002.

An Approach that was supplemented by the strengthening of the collection on working sites with the establishment in the beginning of this second decade of the Bank, of a Branch at Bujumbura Port, on last January 31st, and two banking counters fully operating, at Novotel Hotel and Bujumbura International Airport some weeks later.

Ten years therefore, 10 branches, 14 operational sites : Bank Headquarters, Central Market Branch, Quartier Asiatique Branch, Place de l'Indépendance Branch, Buyenzi Branch, Jabe Branch, Bujumbura Port Branch, Ngozi Branch, Kirundo Branch, Gitega Branch, Muyinga Branch, Brarudi counter, Bujumbura International Airport counter and Novotel Hotel counter.

IBB-Infos / 23 April 2003
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