True to its vision to promote inclusive growth especially in the unbanked and unserved areas, LANDBANK continuously intensifies its efforts in innovating and upgrading its products and services to become more responsive to the banking needs of each customer group. Because customer service has always been one of its major business goals, the Bank gives priority to extending its network, delivery channels and linkages to be able to reach and serve more Filipinos across the country and around the globe.
DELIVERY CHANNELS
Branches and Extension Offices
Serving as bridges in reaching out to the countryside, LANDBANK branches and extension offices are present in all of the country’s 81 provinces. As of year-end 2019, the Bank’s branch network reached 409 (406 Branches and 3 Extension Offices) from 396 as of year-end 2018. The 13 new branches in 2019 were established in El Salvador (Misamis Oriental), Tupi (South Cotabato), Naga (Cebu), Jagna (Bohol), Aglayan (Bukidnon), Bantayan (Cebu), Maigo (Lanao Del Norte), Manolo Fortich (Bukidnon), Mangatarem (Pangasinan), Masinloc (Zambales), Umingan (Pangasinan), Tubigon (Bohol) and Tangub (Misamis Occidental).
LANDBANK Branch-Lite
As defined by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, a Branch-Lite is any permanent office or place of business of a bank, other than its head office, or a branch that performs limited banking activities and records its transactions in the books of the Head Office or the Branch to which it is annexed.
As of year-end 2019, LANDBANK has a total of 63 Branch-Lites in various municipalities across the country: 43 in Luzon, nine in Visayas and 11 in Mindanao. Equipped with ATM, Cash Deposit Machine and other electronic machines, these Branch-Lites are located in far-flung areas and provide banking services such as deposit account opening, receipt of loan applications and credit card applications, among others. The 63 Branch-Lites include 48 LANDBANK Easy Accesss Facilities (LEAFs), 3 Extension Offices, 6 Tellering Booths and 6 Foreign Exchange Booths.
Automated Teller Machines
With the 238 newly installed ATMs in 2019, the Bank’s ATM network reached 2,195 units, representing 10% of the total 21,713 ATMs in the Philippine banking industry. These ATMs are strategically located across the country with 387 (18%) in the National Capital Region, 517 (24%) in North and Central Luzon, 422 (19%) in Southern Luzon, 356 (16%) in the Visayas, and 513 (23%) in Mindanao. In 2019, there were also 12 deinstalled ATMs due for replacement, repair or relocation.
The new ATMs were installed at Local Government Units (LGUs) with 100 units, 21 in Medical Centers and 8 in Schools. The Bank also installed 38 offsite ATMs and 9 units in commercial centers, terminals and locations with high foot traffic, such as in Calatagan Public Market, Cebu Port Authority Terminals 1 and 2, Camiling Public Market, Acienda Designer Outlet Mall, Tarlac City Downtime Public Market, Koronadal City Integrated Transport Terminal Complex, Lopez Jaena Commercial Center and LCC Bato. Meanwhile, the other 62 ATMs were installed onsite in various LANDBANK branches.
The Bank’s aggressive ATM deployment program in support of its commitment to provide banking convenience to its cardholders totaling 13.6 million as of year-end 2019, enabled LANDBANK to maintain its ranking as the third largest bank in terms of ATM network in the country. This translates to an 11.5% growth in the Bank’s ATM footprint. The Bank was also able to penetrate and install ATM units in each of the 63 unbanked municipalities out of the total 519 according to BSP data.
Cash Deposit Machines
To ease the clogging of customers at the branches for over-the-counter (OTC) transactions, LANDBANK provides an automated cash deposit machine (CDM). Available in all Branch-Lites and selected branches, the CDM is a self-service machine equipped with a cash deposit facility whereby customers are afforded the convenience of doing real-time cash deposit transactions without the need to queue and wait at branch lobbies.
LANDBANK takes credit in being the first government bank that provided an automated delivery channel for deposit transactions. As of 2019, a total of 160 CDMs have been installed in strategic locations throughout the country: 14 in NCR; 41 in Northern and Central Luzon; 35 in Southern Luzon; 32 in Visayas; and 38 in Mindanao.
Mobile ATMs
In 2019, LANDBANK maintained 10 Mobile ATMs which provided convenient cash banking services for withdrawal transactions of depositors in various areas, especially for DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program beneficiaries, pensioners and LGU employees for their payroll or salary pay-out, government employees of agencies for their loan proceeds, and private corporations for special events or requests.
E-BANKING SERVICES AND OTHER FACILITIES
LANDBANK continued to introduce value-added services to its electronic banking facilities and developed new products to further improve customer service, save on operational costs and promote inclusivity. In 2019, e-banking transactions using LANDBANK’s Internet banking, mobile banking app and electronic payment facilities almost doubled as a result of increased consumer awareness and changing customer preferences that drive the shift from traditional physical banking to digital banking channels. Also, with the increasing popularity of smartphones, the volume of mobile banking transactions surged, signaling its emergence as a primary transaction channel as well.
e-Payment and Collection Services
LANDBANK Link.BizPortal
The LANDBANK Link.BizPortal is a web-based payment system that allows customers to settle their dues and obligations to government and private institutions.
For 2019, Link.BizPortal continued its steady growth in terms of acquiring partner merchants and facilitating transactions. As of end-2019, Link.BizPortal processed a total of 1.57 Million transactions amounting to P4.6 Billion, growing by 43% in volume from 1.1 Million transactions in 2018 and by 64% in value from P2.8 Billion in 2018. Income from commissions similarly grew by 34%, from P11.4 Million in 2018 to P15.3 Million in 2019. This can be attributed to the 27.5% increase in the total number of new merchants enrolled, from 549 merchants in 2018 to 700 merchants in 2019. Among the top merchants from the government include the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philippine National Police, Professional Regulation Commission, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes, Land Transportation Office–NCR, Bureau of Customs and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Electronic Tax Payment System (eTPS)
LANDBANK participated in the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s Electronic Filing and Payment System (eFPS) through the development and implementation of the e-Tax Payment System (eTPS), which allows clients with enrolled accounts to enjoy paperless tax filing and online payment via the Internet.
BOC PAS5-Electronic Payment System (PAS5-EPS)
The PAS5 – Electronic Payment System (PAS5-EPS) is an electronic payment channel that can be accessed by importers to pay for their custom fees and duties.
LANDBANK’s participation in the Payment Application Secure Version 5 (PAS5) of the Bureau of Customs affords customers with a convenient online payment channel available seven days a week including holidays except during scheduled maintenance.
As of December 31, 2019, PAS5–EPS has facilitated 3,325 transactions amounting to P159 Million.
Internet Banking
LANDBANK weAccess
The LANDBANK weAccess is the Bank’s Internet banking facility for institutional clients which allows private and government entities with enrolled Regular Savings, Current Accounts and High Yield Savings Accounts to manage their transactions online.
Further, it enables clients to pay bills, process ATM payroll, re-order checkbooks, sweep funds, and facilitate automatic debit and credit. It also allows them to transfer funds to their own account or to another account maintained at LANDBANK or with any PESONet and Instapay participating bank or e-money issuer. Non-financial transactions available in weAccess include Account Summary or Transaction Details, Report Viewing, Institutional Loan and ACIC File Upload.
The weAccess employs secured encryption, VeriSign digital verification, and two-factor authentication during log-in and authorization of select financial transactions to ensure transactions and data are protected from online threats.
At the end of 2019, enrolled institutions totaled to 36,764. Transaction volume, on the other hand, increased significantly by 26% from 9.95 Million in 2018 to 12.5 Million in 2019. Transaction value likewise grew by 23% from P228.4 Billion in 2018 to P280.8 Billion in 2019.
LANDBANK iAccess
The LANDBANK iAccess is a retail Internet banking facility which allows individual clients with enrolled savings ATM accounts, regular current, and current accounts with ATM access to enjoy the convenience of secure online banking services anytime and anywhere.
iAccess offers banking services such as fund transfer to own account and nominated third-party accounts with LANDBANK or with any PESONet and Instapay participating bank or e-wallet issuer, bills payment to over 99 billers, checkbook request, account balance and transaction history, lost or stolen card reporting and check status inquiry.
The number of users enrolled to iAccess registered a growth of 11%, from 2.8 million in 2018 to 3.1 million in 2019. Transaction value increased by 21% from P6.7 Billion in 2018 to P8.1 Billion in 2019. However, transaction volume declined by 8% from 39.2 Million in 2018 to 36.1 Million in 2019, attributed to a partial shift of customers to the LANDBANK Mobile Banking App.
Electronic Modified Disbursement System (eMDS)
LANDBANK offers real-time banking convenience to National Government Agencies through the LANDBANK Electronic Modified Disbursement System (eMDS), which provides a secure Internet-based facility that streamlines the tedious and costly processing of MDS transactions and eliminates physical transmission of required documents and reports.
The eMDS covers transactions such as the transmission of Advice of Checks Issued and Cancelled (ACIC), payment of accounts payable to creditors, and fund allocation transfers initiated and approved by the government agency. The requests for checkbooks, on the other hand, are automatically forwarded to the concerned branch for processing.
In 2019, the total number of transactions under the eMDS grew by a hefty 36% to 1.5 Million from 1.1 Million in 2018, while the transaction value registered a 9.3% growth from P837.8 Billion in 2018 to P915.4 Billion.
Mobile Banking Application
The LANDBANK Mobile Banking Application (MBA) is one of the Bank’s popular e-banking channels, and provides clients with convenient access to a wide array of financial and non-financial transactions through their smartphones anytime, anywhere. By downloading the MBA from the Google Play or App Store, clients can enjoy mobile banking services such as balance and transaction history of deposits, credit card accounts, checkbook request, intra-bank and inter-bank fund transfers, bills payment to over 80 merchant billers, locking or unlocking of ATM card transactions through Mobilock, Foreign Exchange and Unit Investment Trust Fund rates inquiry, and LANDBANK ATM and Branch locator.
One of the recent enhancements to the LANDBANK MBA was the incorporation of a facility for inter-bank and intra-bank fund transfer via Quick Response (QR) Code technology. Each mobile banking transaction is secured by one-time-password (OTP), deployed via short messaging system (SMS) or through an in-app OTP generator.
As consumers shift from using browser-based Internet banking system to app-based mobile banking platform, more users utilize the LANDBANK MBA. The Bank’s participation in the National Retail Payment System’s Automated Clearing Houses (ACH), namely PESONet and InstaPay, also resulted in the substantial growth in the volume of fund transfers completed through the app.
Overall, monetary transactions in LANDBANK MBA grew by a whopping 139% from the 2018 figure of 1.8 Million to 4.3 Million in 2019. Correspondingly, the value of transactions grew by 136% from P12.0 Billion in 2018 to P28.3 Billion in 2019. On the other hand, non-monetary transactions increased by 11% from 34.6 Million in 2018 to 38.5 Million in 2019.
Phone Banking
The LANDBANK Phone Access (LPA) is an alternative delivery channel that allows ATM and current account holders to do banking transactions using the telephone (landline or mobile phone). Among these transactions include fund transfer, check status, bills payment, check status inquiry, balance inquiry, bank statement request, and checkbook reorder. Clients may also report lost or stolen cards via this alternative channel and talk to Phonebankers about other concerns and inquiries.
As of December 31, 2019, there are 938,071 eligible accounts registered in the LPA. During the year, a total of 916,379 financial and non-financial transactions were processed; total financial transactions amounted to P128.7 Million involving fund transfer and bills payment.
Digital Onboarding System
Launched in 2018, the LANDBANK Digital Onboarding System (DOBS) is a web application primarily aimed to reduce account opening time by simplifying the account enrollment process for the convenience of its depositors. DOBS allows the immediate capturing and validation of the client's information and enables automatic computation of the Client Profile Risk Rating (CPRR). It also automatically enrolls them in the Bank’s internet banking facility, the iAccess, without need to fill-out another set of forms.
Aside from these, the automation of the enrollment process enhanced LANDBANK's internal processes. DOBS was designed not only to ensure the Bank's compliance with regulatory requirements on data quality but also to ease the process of retrieving information from its digital records. The problem of redundant encoding of the same client information was similarly addressed by DOBS as it is linked with the various systems of the Bank, including the Information Switching Technology – Card Management System (IST-CMS), Records Management (RM) and CASA System, thereby reducing the chances of errors.
DOBS was piloted in 18 branches in November 2018. By December 2019, it had been fully implemented in all 409 LANDBANK Branches across the country. Each Branch set up a Digital Corner in the branch lobby where computers installed with DOBS are made readily available for use of LANDBANK depositors who wish to open an account or transact using the LANDBANK Link.BizPortal. This significantly reduced lobby traffic and over-the-counter transactions.
In order to provide depositors with more choices for accessibility, DOBS was also made available through the LANDBANK website (www.landbank.com). Depositors, whether Individual or Corporate, can fill-out account opening forms and update records online whenever and wherever it is most convenient for them. Thus, depositors are only required to visit the Bank to claim their ATM cards, passbooks or checkbooks.
In May 2019, a survey participated by both the depositors and LANDBANK personnel was conducted and the respondents said that DOBS is convenient and user-friendly.
As of December 2019, a total of 544,430 accounts have been opened via DOBS. More importantly, with DOBS, Branches have experienced a significant reduction in account opening time from 30 minutes to an average of 10 to 15 minutes.
The implementation of DOBS made LANDBANK the first universal bank in the country that offers full digital account opening to both individual and institutional clients, including government agencies. For this innovative facility, the LANDBANK was named “Asia’s Most Inclusive Bank” by the International Data Corporation during the 2019 Financial Insights Innovation Awards held in Singapore.
With the Bank’s thrust to improve customer service and enhance operational efficiency, enhancements of the DOBS are in the pipeline. These include batch account opening, signature verification system, customer queuing scheduler, onboarding for loan borrowers, inclusion of treasury and card products, and the Overseas Filipino Bank’s DOBS with Artificial Intelligence.
Other Facilities
LANDBANK Point-of-Sale (POS) Debit/Credit
POS Debit/Credit is a complete payment system that allows cardholders to pay for the goods sold and/or services rendered by the merchant. In 2019, the number of POS Debit/Credit significantly increased by 42% from 514 in 2018 to 727, while the volume of POS transactions grew from 0.842 Million in 2018 to 1.54 Billion. Transaction value likewise increased by 56% from P6.64 Billion in 2018 to P10.39 Billion at the end of 2019. The income earned also increased by 29% from P3.1 Million in 2018 to P4.0 Million in 2019.
LANDBANK POS Cash Out
POS Cash Out is an extended Point-of-Sale service that facilitates peso withdrawal transactions from certified POS terminals installed in the premises of partner institutions. Cardholders of LANDBANK and BancNet participating banks can withdraw from any accredited LANDBANK POS Cash Out agents by simply dipping their peso-denominated debit cards and encoding their Personal Identification Number (PIN) at the POS device.
LANDBANK continues to expand its POS Cash Out network to further increase its touchpoints and serve the requirements of its institutional partners and priority sectors. As of year-end 2019, there are 93 terminals deployed at 82 partner institutions located in 71 unbanked municipalities across the country.
The number of partner merchants grew by 123% from 206 in 2018 to 460 in 2019. The terminals deployed likewise recorded a remarkable 123% growth rate from 308 in 2018 to 688 in 2019. Transaction volume rose by 87% from 0.89 Million in 2018 to 1.67 Million in 2019 while the transaction value also grew by 86% from P4.2 Billion in 2018 to P7.8 Billion in 2019. The substantial growth in partner merchants, transaction volume and value resulted in a remarkable growth in income by 189% from P7.2 Million in 2018to P13.6 Million in 2019.
LANDBANK Agent Banking Program
To intensify the Bank’s efforts in supporting the Government’s financial inclusion initiatives, the Agent Banking Program (ABP) was developed and implemented on a Pilot Production Test phase.
The ABP aims to extend the Bank’s reach to the unbanked and underserved areas by partnering with eligible institutions to bring selected banking services. The ABP is operating in the Agent Banking Application which runs on a smart POS terminal that can process Agent Banking (Prepaid) Card Sale with electronic Know-Your-Client, cash out from LANDBANK Peso-denominated Prepaid Cards or participating BancNet ATM cards, cash-in/top-up, balance inquiry, fund transfer, and bills payment. The ABP and pilot partnerships with institutions, mostly located in unbanked areas, were highlighted during the Bank’s Annual Financial Inclusion Forums in 2019.
At the end of the year, a total of 20 terminals were deployed at 15 Agent Banking Partners located in 13 unbanked and six areas without LANDBANK presence. A total of 1,981 Agent Banking Cards were also issued and more than 38,000 transactions were completed.
LANDBANK aims to commercially launch the program and increase the number of Agent Banking Partners in 2020, mostly located in unbanked municipalities, in order to promote financial inclusivity, support Government’s social welfare programs and bring banking services closer to its priority sectors.
BANK PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Deposit Products
LANDBANK offers a wide array of deposit products to meet the banking needs and requirements of different types of customers. Available in LANDBANK branches are the traditional savings, current and time deposit products, denominated in Peso and foreign currencies, such as US Dollar and Euro.
The Bank also offers more innovative and customized products, such as the Auto-Save Account, a payroll-linked savings account whereby a minimum amount of P100 is auto-debited from an existing payroll account and auto-credited to the Auto-Save account every payday, to encourage both government and private employees to save. Another special deposit product that the Bank offers for both individual and institutional customers is High Yield US Dollar Time Deposit, which offers higher interest rate and lower minimum deposit amount for two or three-year placement.
Remittance
The year 2019 was another record year for LANDBANK’s remittance business as it surpassed the US$3-Billion mark. The Bank generated a total of US$3.175 Billion in remittances in 2019, outpacing the previous year’s volume of US$2.135 Billion. These remittances were sourced from its foreign correspondent and depository banks and remittance partners in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East, USA, Canada and Europe.
The Bank continues to have a strong correspondent relationship with 232 foreign banks and maintains deposit accounts with 23 top-tier banks in 11 countries. Likewise, the Bank nurtures healthy partnerships with 158 foreign and local companies specializing in the remittance and overseas manpower deployment businesses.
With the LANDBANK Remittance System (LBRS), an automated 24/7 and real-time system of processing remittances that supports various modes of data transmission and fund settlement, the Bank continues to aggressively promote its remittance services by forging partnerships with large local and global money transfer companies, as well as shipping and manning agencies.
The Bank’s partnership with Western Union (WU), which started in September 2018, went full blast in 2019. Credit to bank accounts, both LANDBANK and other-bank accounts, reached a total of 195,337 transactions while cash pickup at LANDBANK branches originating from WU agents totaled 603 transactions amounting to P8.6 Million. The partnership provides both senders and recipients more options to conveniently choose where to send and claim the money sent by their loved ones. As of end-2019, the Bank has 27 partner-paying agents composed of commercial banks, rural banks and pawnshops. Including LANDBANK branches, the domestic pay-out network is composed of 5,442 outlets.
To support its remittance business and enhance awareness of overseas Filipinos on its other banking products, the Bank extends regular financial literacy seminars and campaigns in coordination with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and client shipping and manning agencies. The Bank was able to facilitate the opening of about 30,463 OFW ATM accounts. Through its remittance business, the Bank generated an Average Daily Balance (ADB) of P3.0 Billion in low-cost deposits from remittance partners, OFWs and their beneficiaries.
The Bank generates revenue from remittance transactions in the forms of service fees and foreign exchange margins.
Card Products
Credit Card
In 2019, the Credit Card Management System was enhanced to provide better credit card features and customer experience to credit cardholders, including the upgrade of 3D secure solution, issuance of contactless card with tap and go/pay wave feature, enhanced eStatement of Account and more enabled credit card email alerts, among others.
The Three-Domain Secure (3DS) Version 2.0 for eCommerce transactions was designed to authenticate cardholder based on risk parameters and streamline user experience. This service lets the cardholder transact online securely using his/her credit card done through Mastercard Secure Code (MSC).
The issuance of “Contactless” Cards provides easier and more efficient way of card usage for point-of-sale (POS) transactions. Cardholder’s identification is made fast and easy by just tapping the card on the merchant’s terminal.
The shift to electronic Statement of Account provides convenience to credit cardholders since it is sent in their registered e-mail addresses, which they can easily access anytime, anywhere. This paperless billing system has also enabled the Bank to save on operational costs.
In 2020, the Bank’s Mobile Banking Application will provide credit cardholders access to their credit card balances, statement of account, credit card activation and change of PIN.
Salary Loan Products
The Bank provides financial window to augment the financial needs of the government and private sector employees through its salary loan facilities: the LANDBANK Mobile Loan Saver (LMLS) and the Electronic Salary Loan System (ESL).
At the end of 2019, the LANDBANK Salary loans (LMLS and ESL) recorded a cumulative loan release of P39.8 Billion, which is 11% higher than the 2018 data of P35.9 Billion. This benefited 233,241 borrowers from 17,811 government and private institutions. The outstanding balance stood at P25.8 Billion as of December 2019.
