Sergiu Groza, Head of Department (Orchestra) Digital Platform at maib, in an interview with journalist Pavel Zingan.
Sergiu, hello. When discussing online platforms, we immediately think of eBay or Amazon. Is maib planning to build such platforms in Moldova?
Let's analyse it retrospectively. As an analogy, let's imagine a supermarket, where there is a building, shelves, a lot of logistics invisible to the ordinary customer and... products on the shelves. When we met last time, I was in charge of the "merchandise" on the shelves, the bank's products that go directly to the customer. Now I have a new role. Since last October I have been responsible for "building and shelves". My job is to ensure the platforms running the entire infrastructure for the bank's mobile app product teams are working.
So, are the platforms we are talking about the bank's internal platforms?
Currently, yes. But this is only the first part of the activity. We are now developing, let's call this product SuperApp, where there will be an integration platform with our system and for third party services. Our primary value is having a "touch point" with hundreds of thousands of customers. We are over 600,000 now and we are approaching 700,000 users. We aim to use this advantage to bring new customer value and increase customer engagement. In SuperApp, customers can access their card balances and other important and valuable information.
Maybe I'm exaggerating, but let's assume it's selling airline tickets.
Maybe. We are not pioneers in this field. We are not reinventing the wheel; similar apps already exist on the market.
On the Moldovan market?
No, we are a pilot company on the Moldovan market. Our ambition is not only to be number one on the local market. We want to be among the leading technology banks in the world.
Sounds ambitious. So, will we have a new app, SuperApp?
SuperApp will be developed from maibank. The changes we are preparing are not visible now, but by summer, our customers will have many new services. You will see significant changes in maibank.
Don't you think there is a "gap" that needs to be closed? On the one hand, maibank is growing fast, but on the other hand, to open an account at a bank, I have to physically come to the bank and fill in a lot of paperwork.
Here, the reality is already different. To open an account at maib, you no longer have to come to the bank.
Have banks in Moldova changed this practice, and I don't know?
So far only maib. We are a pilot project on the market.
How does it work?
It's very simple and takes a maximum of ten minutes. You need to have your ID at hand. You download the maibank app, go through the steps to open an account, and take a photo with your ID. Afterwards, you can immediately open a card online and perform various banking transactions. In addition, we managed to avoid the customer another unnecessary visit to the bank.
What is it about?
Every three years, customers of all banks are required to go to the bank in person, present their ID card, answer a series of questions, and sign a series of documents. The procedure is called "updating customer data" and is mandatory under the NBM rules.
I know this procedure. I have recently done it at one of the banks in the Republic of Moldova, where I have a card.
So, if you are a maib customer, you don't need to come to the bank to update your data. You can do this procedure in the maibank app. Also, we will reduce the time of entering data. You will only have to confirm that the data has not changed constantly.
It is useful information. Can I open a maib account if I am abroad?
Not yet.
Even if I have a phone number in the Republic of Moldova and while I'm roaming?
The app will ask for your geographical location if you open an account. Currently, and this is one reason why we have not widely advertised this service so far, we are acting as a pilot bank.
However, if the maib customer is in the Republic of Moldova, can they now open an account and update their data?
Exactly. And we are delighted that we have made updating data as comfortable as possible. Now, the whole process takes a few minutes, and you can do it from your home or office.
