B.C. ProCredit Bank S.A. received its banking licence on 17 December 2007 under difficult macro-economic circumstances.
Olga Bulat, member of the bank’s management team, elaborated: “For many people, words like “banker” or “bank” are associated with something unpleasant, or someone they do not want to be or be connected to. The recent crisis may have caused or at least have contributed to the formation of such opinions. I hope that many are trying to change this and some even succeed in doing so. During our 10 years of operation in the Republic of Moldova, we have indirectly changed the image of the stereotypical banker. We went through continuous transformation in order to offer tailored financial solutions, to support initiatives borne of passion, and we managed to get the most valuable reward – the loyalty of our customers.”
The trust of its customers drives ProCredit Bank to make further efforts to diversify, improve and develop new competitive products; to implement the latest technologies necessary to serve customers; and to promote eco-friendly measures, as well as to introduce European standards on the Moldovan banking market.
Olga Bulat is sure that the bank owes its success to enduring consistency: “We always follow our course strictly, once we know we are doing the right thing. Our course is mostly defined by our vision of a sustainable business, rather than by “banking activity norms”. We have been a bank for 10 years, and an uncommon one – to say the least.
The last two years are no exception. They were filled with innovations that contributed to the consolidation of our bank’s market position:
- We revised our approach to business customers in order to maximise our impact on the development of SMEs, creating a model based on the careful selection of clients – or rather two-way selection, wherein we choose our clients and they choose us.
- We offered our business clients the opportunity to perform currency transactions at a fixed, transparent price, i.e. for a flat fee.
- We offered support to our business clients – importers from China – giving them the possibility to perform currency transfers in Chinese yuan renminbi (CNY).
- We were the first to launch the InnovFin guarantee programme in March 2016, financed by the European Investment Fund and developed to support projects aimed at modernising the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. The InnovFin programme is offered by the European Investment Fund and ProCredit Bank, based on Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
- We are the only bank to implement environmental standards as an integral part of our approach to social responsibility. On 11 July 2017 ProCredit Bank became the first and only bank in the Republic of Moldova to receive ISO 14001:2015 certification – the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems.
- We opened 24/7 self-service areas, where our customers can perform the majority of banking operations round the clock, saving them from having to visit our outlets during regular hours of operation. This measure served to optimise opportunities for providing customer service. At the end of September 2017 our bank was the only one to record 99% electronically performed operations out of total transactions performed by customers.
- We have always invested in infrastructure in accordance with European standards and shall continue to do so.
All these efforts confirm that our bank is a bank for business clients. We realise, however, that investments in Moldovan businesses would not have been possible without private savings.
To support clients who choose the stability and safety of ProCredit saving services, in 2017 we launched a new service concept for private clients: Direct Banking. It ensures simple, safe and easy usage of banking products, in particular through remote channels. Therefore, our customers can manage their financial resources autonomously. 
Innovations only work if they are supported by a team showing integrity and enthusiasm. We are working continuously to build and maintain such a team: enthusiastic, motivated, professional. We do not expect our employees to meet one particular profile; on the contrary, we appreciate individuals with diverse backgrounds in terms of their studies, work experience and personality. Our recruitment process is strict, but transparent. ProCredit Bank has always invested in professional development and offers its employees training at the ProCredit Academies in Germany, Macedonia and Kosovo, as well as opportunities to share experience within the 13 banks of the group.
For us, 10 years is not just a number. It is a long story and a big part of our and our customers’ lives. A story which shall go on and be filled with the successes of our companions on the journey.”
***B.C. ProCredit Bank S.A. is an international bank with 100% foreign capital, and with shareholders exclusively from Germany and the Netherlands: ProCredit Holding, Germany; KfW, Germany and the DOEN Foundation, the Netherlands. The bank is a part of the international ProCredit group, which operates in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Germany.
