CEO: David Duffy[/caption]
With the ambition to change the face of the UK financial services industry, Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank sets its corporate sight unapologetically high. A pioneer in electronic banking, Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank was one of the first to recognise the importance of mobile technology as a tool to shorten the lines between the institution and its clients – improving accessibility and adding levels of convenience in the process. What’s more, Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank’s new and ambitious mobile app – B – offers a unique combination of digital capability with a more personal service when customers need it most.
At the leading edge of the digital eco system and embracing the latest technology, however, does not mean that Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank has departed from timeless traditions such as community engagement and support. In fact, the bank has remained humble and eschews novelty for novelty’s sake. Instead, at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank change is client-driven.
Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks were established in the mid-nineteenth century and are now independently owned by CYBG PLC. The bank remains rooted in the communities it serves. The bank has underpinned local businesses for over 150 years and in the 1980s showed its solidarity with local communities by suspending loan repayments for miners during their long strike against pit closures. Such attitudes have earned Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank the loyalty of its clients which reverberates to this day as evidenced by exceptionally high customer retention rates.
The CFI.co judging panel is pleasantly surprised to see a traditional bank holding on to its values whilst, simultaneously, embracing innovative and technology-driven solutions to changing client needs and requirements. The judges agree that Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank is a most worthy winner of the 2017 Best Digital Bank United Kingdom Award.