Client Situation
Our client is a leading Islamic Bank in UAE with 600k customers having a strong presence through 80 branches and 600 ATMs. The bank had acquired the retail banking business of a large foreign bank in UAE. Our client was adding another 100k customers through this acquisition and was looking to develop an integration and implementation plan for the two entities covering key areas across business, application, infrastructure, and people integration.
Cedar’s Approach
The client had mandated Cedar to assist in developing the integration strategy and implementation plan for integrating the acquired retail banking business.
- Integrated through balanced scorecard focusing on finance, customer, process, organisation and technology.
- Overall integration framework was divided across 6 workstreams
- Integration program management: Created a strategy map for the overall integrated business.
- Customer Integration Plan: Customer integration and retention from conventional customer to Islamic customers.
- Product Integration Plan: Created a plan across products CASA, personal financing, mortgage, cards.
- Process Integration Plan: Validated the business and operational model of the combined entity.
- Channels and Infrastructure integration plan: Consolidated assets across channels (physical and digital) and infrastructure.
- Technology integration plan and PMO: Created a technology and implementation project charter and plan for governance.
Outcome
The program resulted in a successful integration and rollout of the new applications. The results included
- Consolidated the product, processes, infrastructure, channels, and technology used across both entities.
- Retail customers increased by 100%; 30% increase in wealth customers.
- Total synergies of AED 150 Mn in 1 year.
- Successful integration across the two entities.
- Resultant credit cards portfolio amongst Top-3 in UAE.
- We made strategy and innovation work.