ON September 1, 2022, CARD Bank Inc., a microfinance-oriented rural bank and a member institution of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institution (CARD MRI), celebrated its 25 years in service with the theme, “Providing inclusive financial and non-financial services amidst changes and challenges.”
The hybrid anniversary celebration was attended by CARD MRI Founder and Chair Emeritus Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, CARD MRI Managing Director Aristeo A. Dequito, CARD Bank President and CEO Marivic M. Austria, Senior Management Advisers Dr. Dolores M. Torres and Lorenza Bañez, members of the Executive and Management Committee, Board of Directors, staff, and clients.
“Today, we remember every individual who had been with us since the beginning because they have laid down the foundation of our mission of ending poverty in the Philippines. Through them, we are inspired to pursue our community development initiatives armed with our core values. CARD Bank became the first microfinance-oriented bank in the country because of those who first believed in our goals of nation-building,” Dr. Alip stated.
Dr. Torres, the first president of the banking institution also shared, “Looking back on how we started, with limited resources but a heart full of hope for the Filipinos, standing here with more than three million clients served nationwide is truly a milestone we are proud of.” She also added that this milestone speaks of CARD Bank’s commitment to financial inclusion.
The future for CARD Bank
Throughout the years, CARD Bank has continued to uphold its commitment to empowering women by providing them with ongoing access to financial, microinsurance, educational, livelihood, health, and other capacity-building services that will eventually help them become contributing members of society who care about the environment and their community.
“Now that we have entered a new era of digitalization, CARD Bank is equipped to offer innovative banking solutions to our clients. This is part of our long-term plan of serving generations after generations through access in financial and non-financial services. We understand that breaking the cycle of poverty may be a long battle, but we are ready to expand our services to reach more Filipinos,” Austria stated, adding how they will be opening the 100th branch of CARD Bank in the historical city of Manila this month.
Being a member institution of CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), CARD Bank is also committed to contributing to its strategic direction dubbed as “10-20-80.”
“In 2016, we started to focus our strategies towards reaching 20 million individuals through our services in ten years. We also envision insuring 80 million individuals. As our microfinance-oriented bank with over 3 million clients, CARD Bank has diligently contributed to this goal,” Dequito explained.
CARD Bank clients and staff can look forward to a month-long series of activities in celebration of its anniversary which includes the recognition of top performing employees and centers.
