UnionBank becomes the first bank from the Philippines to join BIAN

Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) is now a member of global banking standard organization, Banking Industry Architecture Network (BIAN). UnionBank joins other leading international banks and technology partners to become the first and only bank from the Philippines to join BIAN.

BIAN, which was established in 2008, is a non-profit organization that aims to provide the world with the best banking architecture​ and to be the banking technology standard by providing a common architectural framework across the industry. BIAN’s ecosystem is formed by banks and fintechs, technology providers, consultants and academics from all over the world.

The rapid development in consumer technology has driven customers to expect instant services and the delivery of frictionless solutions and platforms. To date, the financial services industry has found it hard to keep up with these demands. UnionBank has always been among the first to embrace digital technologies which address these needs, while empowering customers through innovative products and services.

UnionBank is looking forward to taking advantage of BIAN’s wide array of special projects such as but not limited to Open APIs and Coreless Banking. BIAN also promotes interoperability and simplified banking architecture that is aligned with the bank’s service-oriented architecture principles. UnionBank’s enterprise architecture formed part of its digital transformation strategy, which has helped to ensure that its technological solutions are aligned to its business capabilities and functions.

“At UnionBank, as we continue to redefine and re-imagine the playing field, with customer experience as our beacon, it is important that we conform to global standards and best practices that allows simple and faster integration with other partner institutions. This is why a BIAN-based Enterprise Architecture is highly essential as we journey more and more towards Open and Embedded Banking interconnecting partners and FinTechs, not just in the Philippines, but also throughout the region. We are very pleased to be the first Philippine bank to be a member of BIAN and we look forward to be an active participant that will drive the standardization across the industry,” said Dennis Omila, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of UnionBank.

Through joining BIAN, UnionBank can help to define banking technology standards, creating industry-wide best practices and play an active role in shaping the future of banking. The bank sees this as an opportunity to introduce change, possibly open doors for new business models while reinforcing superior customer experience. UnionBank’s technical experts can join a variety of different working groups to focus on the likes of Semantic APIs, Product Certifications, Cards, Lending and Fraud Management where they can collaborate with other industry experts, analysts and peers.

In addition to this, UnionBank will be able to increase its knowledge through its exposure and access to different artifacts and architecture documents. BIAN also provides interactive online trainings to members for free. These benefits will help the bank with its promise to power the future of banking by co-creating innovations for its customers and its commitment to be the Philippines’ leading digital bank. UnionBank believes that this will bring the bank one step further in implementing efficient and innovative products to serve the growing needs of the Filipino.

“We’re proud to welcome UnionBank to our growing organisation”, said Hans Tesselaar, Executive Director of BIAN. “UnionBank is well known for putting the customer first and being at the forefront of banking innovation across its country. As the needs of the customer continue to change, we’re excited to work with UnionBank and its technical experts. Together, through greater collaboration and the sharing of experience we can come to provide greater innovations across the globe.”