UnionBank Showcases #TechUpPilipinas Initiatives at Aboitiz Pecha Kucha
By: Martina Lucero
UnionBank’s commitment to agile working practices has been key to its success, ensuring efficiency, flexibility, high quality, and continuous improvement in operations. Deeply ingrained within the bank and now being cascaded across the whole Aboitiz Group, this commitment was highlighted at the Pecha Kucha event held at the UnionBank Innovation Campus last July 5.
Pecha Kucha is a unique presentation style that emphasizes storytelling through images instead of text. Using this format, teams from UnionBank, AboitizPower, UBX, Aboitiz InfraCapital, Aboitiz Food, and Aboitiz Construction presented their innovations, each team delivering 20 slides with 20 seconds per slide. The event celebrated each of the agile squads’ achievements and served as a platform for learning and collaboration among the diverse business units within the Aboitiz Group, aligning with the techglomerate vision to leverage innovation and technology for improved processes and more relevant products and services.
Notable guests served as panelists and offered valuable feedback and insights to the squads. These included Noel Africa, Customer Success Director of Globe Business; Mark Sarmiento, Cloud Customer Solutions Consultant from Google Philippines; and Ana Margarita “Ginggay” Hontiveros, AEV Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer and Aboitiz Foundation President.
As one of the chosen presentors, UnionBank’s Government Squad showcased significant milestones in the bank’s digital transformation journey, particularly focusing on initiatives aimed at teching up the government and the Philippines. The team proudly shared their story, emphasizing that it was “not just of our own, but of the nation.“
Their presentation highlighted UnionBank’s Great Transformation, especially the bank’s support to various government institutions and agencies. From starting as the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s collecting agent in 2002, to partnering with the Department of Social Welfare and Development for distributing aid during the pandemic in 2020, UnionBank has consistently supported government needs.
One highlight was the development of Bonds.PH, created in partnership with a fintech partner and the Bureau of Treasury. Developed in just two weeks, the app achieved the highest number of government bonds distributed, outperforming other online channels.
The team anchored their presentation on the imperative to “digitize or perish,” a sentiment echoed by UnionBank’s leaders, which they believe is equally applicable to the government. This led to enhanced engagement with the government, aiding in their digital transformation journey. Notable projects include “Project Justice”, which developed the judiciary e-payment system built by UBX in partnership with the Supreme Court of the Philippines. It digitized the filing and payment of court docket fees, bar exam, and bar admission fees. This system now serves over 1,000 court stations across the Philippines.
UnionBank’s Government Squad also ensures that partners are equipped with the knowledge and mindset to innovate and transform independently. They provided sessions on Design Thinking, Customer Journey Mapping, and Agile Methodologies, along with specialized training requests such as Blockchain 101, Crypto 101, and API 101.
With positive feedback from their partners, the squad proudly shared their success in building lasting relationships. “Talaga namang Agile na babalik-balikan mo,” said squad member and UnionBank Product Manager Chris.
They also gave a sneak peek into upcoming projects with UBX and BIR, aimed at improving taxpayers’ experience in filing and paying taxes and fees.
The Government Squad emphasized the need to equip people with the right mindset to drive innovation and transformation, ensuring that no one is left behind on the journey to Tech Up Pilipinas. “When we talk about Great Transformation, we’re really talking about the People,” the team asserted.
Following their presentation, the squad received commendation from the judges for their efforts in teching up the country. One judge noted that the team’s challenges closely mirrored his own experiences and offered valuable advice on overcoming similar issues.
For the squad, representing the bank at the Pecha Kucha event was a significant honor. “It was a pleasure to showcase the Government Squad in all the flag’s colors—Red, Blue, White, and Yellow. And as Ms. Cathy Casas said, with ‘orange in our hearts,’” shared Yogee, Senior Product Manager at UnionBank.
The Pecha Kucha Showcase was an opportunity for agile squads across the Aboitiz Group to align and inspire each other with their transformation stories. As UnionBank’s Talent Demand Management Head and Aboitiz Culture Pillar Product Owner for Agile Ways of Working Jaysel remarked, “We are witnessing the ‘becoming’ phase of the great transformation. In this phase, with our new mindsets, behaviors, and capabilities, we work on solving problems and generating impact. The work of the squads is vital in this phase and that’s what will push us to the tipping point of our transformation, to the next phase which is being or reaching the techglomerate state.”
By achieving its Great Retail Bank aspiration, UnionBank is not only advancing its own goals but also contributing significantly to the Aboitiz Group’s ambition of becoming the first Techglomerate in the country. Through these efforts, UnionBank is playing a crucial role in teching up the Philippines, ensuring a future where innovation and technology drive progress and inclusivity.