CARD RBI inaugurates 36th branch in Antipolo City, Rizal

In its pursuit to continually expand its microfinance services across the Philippines, CARD MRI RIZAL BANK, Inc. (CARD RBI) opened its 36th branch along Provincial Road, Dona Naty, Brgy. Dalig, Antipolo City, Rizal on July 19, 2021.

The first grand opening of the year was personally attended by Rizal Province Board Member Alexander Marquez and Antipolo City Councilor Nixon Aranas who both left a congratulatory message to those in attendance.

CARD MRI Founder and Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip virtually joined the celebration and expressed his optimism on the initiatives of CARD RBI, especially with its continuous expansion in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Moreover, Dr. Alip also encouraged the clients in attendance to be part of CARD MRI’s digital transformation through konek2CARD, a mobile application that lets its members do their banking transactions in the comforts of their homes.

“During this pandemic when times demand for more innovative solutions, CARD RBI stepped up in providing a safer and more efficient way of banking. We will continue to pursue our goal of uplifting the lives of socio-economically challenged families by complementing our efforts with technology while remaining anchored to our core values,” Dr. Alip said.

CARD RBI President and CEO Elma Valenzuela also promoted konek2CARD in her speech saying, “We rely on konek2CARD for the benefits it brings us. Once we step into this bank, we will continue to promote digitization.”

Valenzuela also shared the initiatives of their Account Officers to bring Android tablets used for membership registration and loan applications during center visits. This allows for more convenient transactions with its members.

Valenzuela concluded, “CARD RBI wants nothing more but to fulfill what we want for our clients and that is to lift them out of poverty.”

Also in attendance was CARD MRI Managing Director Aristeo Dequito who left an inspirational message to those in attendance. “At CARD MRI, we never stop developing products and services that will ultimately lead to our goal of poverty eradication. We will keep on coming up with better products and services that are suitable to the ever-changing needs of our clients. I assure you that I will stand with CARD RBI’s management in bringing this to fruition,” Dequito said.

Finally, CARD RBI Chairperson and CARD MRI Senior Management Adviser Dr. Dolores Torres mentioned CARD RBI’s ugnayan with their members and its importance to their operations.

“The officers of CARD conduct field visits from Monday to Friday. It is vital for us to let our Nanays feel the presence of their leaders in their lives. We want to show them that the pandemic is not a hindrance to reach out to our members and help them in times of need. Let us make Antipolo a successful branch that will help our clients achieve better lives,” Dr. Torres concluded.

While several CARD officers, staff, and clients also joined the celebration, the Antipolo branch made sure to observe proper health protocols during the event.

2021 Targets and Initiatives

Valenzuela revealed the ongoing digital transformation initiatives of CARD RBI for its new Antipolo City branch. According to her, the branch will conduct a brigada konek2CARD which will encourage members in barangays and centers to register to the mobile banking application. From here, they are targeting to have at least 60% of clients registered to konek2CARD this year. To achieve this, the branch will continue to offer cellphone loans to clients to be able to register to konek2CARD.

Moreover, the management will also continue to enable 47 konek2CARD agents and 100 merchants who will all be a part of its initiative to help those in the barangays who need to do their banking transactions more conveniently.

CARD RBI will also implement the CARMELA Chatbot this year which will enable its clients to apply for their loans online using their Facebook Messenger.

CARD RBI’s new Antipolo City branch currently has 8,200 existing clients in six covered units. It aims to grow its clients to 10,000 until December 2021 and will add four more units in 2022.

Established in 2013, CARD RBI is the youngest bank among CARD MRI’s microfinance institutions. The microfinance-oriented rural bank aims to help marginalized families in the Philippines by giving them access to financial services, microinsurance, and other social development services vital for its goal to eradicate poverty in the country.

 

Posted on July 27, 2021