Standard Chartered Bank: Here for good

MANILA, Philippines – The pages of history are replete with stories big and small that have contributed to the making of the nation. Such a story may be gleaned from the archives, where one can trace the beginnings of Standard Chartered Bank in the Philippines to the year 1872.

Riding on the crest of its unbroken record of 139 years now of service to the country, Standard Chartered Bank looks back with pride at its legacy of being the first international bank to have been established here and to have remained, trite as it may sound, through the good times and the bad times, including a succession of foreign occupations, revolutions, wars, government changes and upheavals.

From the past until the present, through generations of Filipinos, Standard Chartered has served as a bridge to national progress and development, largely responsible for the success and growth of many industries.

Providing client-centered value propositions that are pioneering, innovative and landmark in nature, Standard Chartered Bank has helped pave the way for historic deals that not only shaped banking per se but also influenced the form and pace by which countless private and public services became available to the greater number of Filipinos.

Being the first foreign bank to set up offices in the land, Standard Chartered recognized very early on the role it will play in defining how international banking will be regarded in the country. Thus, balancing its ambition with its conscience, the Bank took on the mantle of responsibility and acted as a genuine partner in nation-building.

Putting clients and customers at the center of everything it does, Standard Chartered has endeavored to serve their evolving needs and requirements with topnotch products and services through the years. And yet the overarching goal has always been to make a difference and create meaningful change in the lives of our people.

In this year when the nation commemorates the 113th Anniversary of its Independence Day and the 150th birthday of its national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the Bank is re-affirming in a big and public way its commitment to the Philippines.

The timing is both auspicious and privileged. The national hero, after all, was one of the Bank’s first valued clients. There is a little heralded artifact housed in the Lopez Museum Collection which shows a note from Dr. Rizal dated 1 January 1886, wherein he endorsed the Bank to his family with a succinct order: “Day before yesterday, I received a draft of 200$ which when collected in francs gave me only 192, so 4% is lost. With more reason than ever I repeat to you now what I have told you. If you are to send me money do it by the Chartered Bank of India , Australia and China which is very much better…”*

Standard Chartered treats such tacit praise from the national hero with respect, awe and gratitude. Thus, as Standard Chartered continues to uphold high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity, it has moved to expand its premium products and services.

To further deepen its relationship with customers and open its doors to a new generation of movers, shakers and leaders, Standard Chartered Bank will be re-launching next week its Priority Banking Programme, offering exclusive privileges that, arguably, are best-in-class. These benefits come on top of dedicated financial solutions for the most discriminating of customers, their families, and their businesses.

After all, not every bank has the good fortune of getting a nod of approval from a national hero. Standard Chartered Bank is out to prove the commendation has been well-deserved, almost a century and a half hence.