• 
• 

Published on November 20, 2007

Called K-WePlan, it will be launched at the bank's Siam Square branch on Saturday.

KBank has 400 trained financial planners ready to offer personal-investment advice.

The service covers three core areas: education planning, lifestyle and retirement planning.

The country's fourth-largest bank recently embarked on a new business strategy called K Now. It offers customer knowledge and information. The bank said it would help customers achieve more in life. It wants to offer more than basic financial products.

K-WePlan is free to existing customers and those seeking planning help only. KBank is aiming the service at middle-income earners aged 30-45.

The service will be available on weekends between noon and 6pm at 37 Bangkok branches and 102 upcountry by the end of next year's first quarter.

Executive vice president Krisada Lamsam said there were few people paying attention to financial planning at present.

As a result, KBank sees a growing market and predicts it will pick up about 1,200 customers this year. From 70-80 per cent of these will be "active" investors.

"The service will build customer satisfaction and improve bank returns as a direct correlation. Once customers are satisfied with the services, they'll think of us when they want other financial products or services," he said.

As of September, customer-satisfaction levels at KBank were running at 84 per cent. It intends to increase that to 88-90 per cent over the next two years.

The average customer uses two of the bank's products, and the bank wants to see this increase to 2.5 by the end of next year, it said.

Somruedi Banchongduang, The Nation