The National Bank of Dominica Ltd (NBD) took home all five ECCU 2022 Bank of the Year Awards at a ceremony which was held virtually on 15 December with live streaming on the ECCB Connects Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Each year the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) recognises the commercial banks operating within the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) for their exceptional banking services and demonstration of social responsibility in their communities.
According to an ECCB article, eight commercial banks submitted entries in the following five categories to vie for the title of 2022 Bank of the Year:
- Corporate Social Responsibility;
- Customer Service;
- Financial Education and Empowerment;
- Support to Micro Small and Medium Enterprises; and
- Technological Innovation.
Of the eight participating banks, five banks were shortlisted for the interview stage which formed 30 per cent of their overall score. The banks were also assessed by the public through online voting where they were afforded the opportunity to add 20 points to their final score.
“The competition was of a very high standard and tightly contested, which supports the high quality of the ECCU commercial banking sector,” said, Head Judge, Kechewia Charles in her remarks at the awards ceremony.
Officer-in-Charge of the ECCB, D Tracy Polius, commended the commercial banks for their continued efforts in the various areas, particularly technological innovation.
“The pandemic forced the banking system globally, and indeed within the ECCU to place greater priority on both the rolling out of technology and on augmenting cyber security,” Polius said. “Customers are now more accustomed to these technological innovations in banking and they are now standard expectations in the post-pandemic era,”
She also said that the ECCB aims to support commercial banks in their effective deployment of technology while mitigating risks such as operational and cyber security.
The eight participating banks were the National Bank of Dominica Ltd, CIBC FirstCaribbean International, Bank Barbados Ltd, the Caribbean Union Bank Antigua and Barbuda, the Grenada Cooperative Bank Ltd, The Bank of Nevis Ltd, Bank of St.Lucia Ltd and the Republic Bank EC Ltd also from St.Lucia.
The only submission in the category of Support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) was made by the National Bank of Dominica Ltd.
The head judge said the commercial banks play a vital role in the ECCU, as they are much more than just service providers.
“The ECCB continues to look forward to this award exercise as we very much value the many contributions by the commercial banks within the ECCU. It is truly heartwarming to witness that banks do not just see their role as financial services providers but as providers of a better way of living for the communities they serve; whether it be through the creation of employment, enablers of sports of culture, offering assistance to the needy or just the maintenance of a safe and healthy environment. You are important to us here at the ECCB, she said.
The ECCB in the next hosting of the awards would like to see a continuation in the quality of submissions but improvement in the quantity of entries submitted and encouraged the commercial banks to participate in the ECCU Bank Awards by showcasing their achievements in the various entry categories.
Click below to view the 2022 ECCU Bank of the Year Awards.
ATMs never working, electronic payment systems breaking down, chip and pin cards still not rolled out – sure, NBD is awesome.
Please, don’t make me laugh. For the average customer with average retail banking needs this bank is no good at all. However, we’re this bank is top class is for certain people that require laundry services from their. I agree they pretty good at that. I do not even want to talk about the customer service skills of their staff. In particular he female species are beyond believe. Their attitude stinks to high heaven.