Citibanks is getting its first customers in Asia.
The bank is opening a new branch in Jakarta, Indonesia, with plans to expand to Singapore in the coming months.
Citibans head of retail and customer service Daniel Koeller told Reuters that the new branch is a sign of confidence in the region, which has seen a sharp drop in demand for traditional banks over the past few years.
Koeller said that he was hopeful that the bank’s new branches in Indonesia will bring customers from the Southeast Asia region, particularly Malaysia, India and Thailand.
Kopper said that Citibanka has made an effort to open branches in the regions of Indonesia and Thailand that have a large population of low-income earners, especially in Jakarta and Jakarta’s financial district.
He also said that the Indonesian branch will be able to provide more than one-third of the banks average customer service volume in Jakarta.
He added that the branch’s opening in Indonesia marks another step in Citibanking’s efforts to open up more branches in regions that are underperforming economically.
“We are opening up branches in Jakarta to reach a much broader customer base,” Koeller added.
Koerner said that although the new Jakarta branch has no opening hours, the bank is hoping that customers can still find its online helpdesk, which is now open at 6 a.m. local time (5 a. m.
ET).
The bank has also added a new mobile app, called Citibikun, that will allow customers to check the availability of its online assistance.
Koellers goal is to reach more people through the app, Koeller noted.
Koera’s goal is that the Indonesians who have the best access to Citibanat will be the ones that use it.
Koellen said that a significant portion of the Jakarta branch’s population is low-skilled workers, who typically have limited English skills and therefore have limited access to financial services.
“I am very optimistic that Citbank will be successful in Indonesia,” Koellen told Reuters.
Koelers goal was to reach as many low-skill Indonesian workers as possible.
Koers goal has been to build up Citibanch’s international reach.
Koela said that this was also one of the reasons why Citbank opened its branch in New York in May.
He said that Indonesia is the second largest foreign market for Citibancans global banking.
Koebel said that, for Citbank, the opening of a new Jakarta office was also a sign that it is committed to expanding into new markets, including India and South Korea.
Koeli said that it was a good sign that the Jakarta office will be a major part of CitibANK’s global expansion strategy.
Koeri said that many Indonesians are hesitant about bank services because of their poverty and lack of knowledge about banking.
He pointed out that Citbanks international branches in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Singapore are all located in Jakarta’s Financial District.
In a recent article in the Jakarta Post, Koeri also said Citibats expansion into India is a major focus of the Indonesian government, with a goal of reaching 100 million Indonesians.
He continued that he hoped that the company’s Jakarta office would become the next headquarters for Citbank.
“The company is looking at expanding in India as well,” Koeri added.
