The economy needs to quickly adapt to the switch to digitalization for it to remain viable, as the old brick-and-mortar strategy of doing business will no longer be enough to meet the shifting needs of consumers in the post-pandemic era, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said.
Dominguez said in a statement yesterday the impact of digital technology has never been more pronounced than in the field of finance, as the restrictions on mobility and physical interaction to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has left the entire banking system with no choice but to rapidly innovate on its processes, products and customer experience.
“Our experience during this pandemic underscored what we already knew: our economy will have to quickly adjust to the trajectory of modern digital technologies if it is to remain viable,” Dominguez said in his pre-recorded message during the virtual groundbreaking ceremonies of the Innovation Campus of the Union Bank of the Philippines.
Apart from the banking industry, the other productive sectors of the economy would have to quickly move online, engage consumers through their smartphones, and improve internal processes to meet new standards of efficiency, he said.
“Those that cannot swim in the digital tide will drown in its wake,” he said.
Based in San Pedro, Laguna, the Innovation Campus is envisioned as a futuristic hub that will develop talent to fuel UnionBank’s digital innovation strategies, and will also serve as the bank’s business continuity facility to ensure unhampered service in times of disasters and other unforeseen events.
Dominguez welcomed the decision of UnionBank to build the Campus, which he described as “a landmark for the Philippines’ relentless push towards comprehensive digitization.”
“This facility will be a breeding ground for cultivating new talent, evolving new products, and developing new ways to be competitive in the new economy,” he said. – Angela Celis