Members of staff of the Chinese Bank of Weifang were visiting several Savings Banks in Germany in order to get an insight on daily business in Savings Bank and to draw parallels to their daily work experiences.
The first stop of the journey through the world of Germany’s Sparkasse was the Savings bank Offenbach. After a short introduction and an overview of the Savings Banks Finance Group, the delegation members were presented a typical city center Sparkasse, while the concept of the Savings Banks Finance Group with its consulting instruments “Personal finance check” and the consultancy pyramid – in German and Chinese – became clear and tangible. Topics like branch development and change of perspective from product to customer focus were discussed.
The Savings Bank in Potsdam with a business volume comparable to the one of Bank of Weifang was the next stop for the guests from China. “Multi-channel banking & Apps developed by Sparkasse” was one further and very relevant topic focused on in this exchange of experience. The importance of security procedures, profitability aspects and various introductory measures in online banking were discussed with the colleagues from China.
After Potsdam the delegation moved further north. In the Sparkasse Harburg-Buxtehude members of the delegation discussed with Savings Banks experts how to attract and keep certain target groups, and how to secure a market share in retail banking, while special attention was given to young customers, a topic that was of special interest for the clients officers from the Bank of Weifang delegation.
The fifth German federal state to visit was Rheinland-Palatinate. In the Sparkasse Mainz German and Chinese colleagues exchanged their views on securities business and commercial lending.
The guests from China were not only impressed by the interesting presentations but also by the warm welcome in the branches. Guido Braun, chairman of the board of Sparkasse Offenbach, Heinz Lüers, chairman of the board of Sparkasse Harburg-Buxtehude and Thorsten Mühl, member of the board of Sparkasse Mainz personally welcomed the delegation and were well prepared to answer head of delegantion’s Yonggang Bai detailed and strategic questions.
Common Project of the Savings Banks Foundation and Bank of Weifang
Bank of Weifang belongs to the group of about 115 City Commercial Banks that operate in the Province Shandong in East China, have a local business model and are tightly linked to municipalities and are in this sence comparable to the German Savings Banks.
The Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation has successfully established a micro finance department for credit business of small enterprises within Bank of Weifang. After a very successful introductory period the cooperation is continuing. Staff trainings are jointly planned and carried out while staff of Bank of Weifang are involved in follow up projects of the Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation with other City Commercial Banks in China. Study visits to institutions of the Savings Banks Finance Group take place on a regular basis.
Carina Lau / Ferdinand Feldgen
Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation
Simrockstraße 4
53113 Bonn Germany
Phone.: +49 228 9703-608 / -616
Fax: +49 228 9703-613