UnionBank of the Philippines is more than a top-tier financial institution — it’s a universal bank on a mission. Digital innovation drives the company’s transformation strategy and ensures performance targets are met. With an emphasis on bolstering capacity, the bank has a fintech backbone fortified by a network of 45 branches. UnionBank has expanded its customer base by a million over the past 12 months and now reaches five million clients — and anticipates an additional 500,000 by the end of 2019. This surge came without the expected spike in operating expenses thanks to an energy-efficient infrastructure that embraces AI and promotes eco-friendly initiatives such as paperless branches. UnionBank is a trailblazer of the Asian financial markets as the only bank to enable Filipinos to directly transfer digital funds between accounts. The bank understands that the future of banking is digital, and it is committed to arming today’s workers with tomorrow’s skills. UnionBank recently completed a training programme in which 100 students — most of whom had worked for the bank as tellers, sales staff, or auditors — enhanced their skills in blockchain. The bank will invite 60 students to its Data Science and AI Institute to take advantage of other professional development opportunities. Upcoming developments include blockchain programmes and partnerships with foreign monetary authorities to facilitate digital fund transfers between Singapore and rural banks in the Philippines. The judging panel declares UnionBank of the Philippines — a previous CFI.co award winner — as the worthy recipient of the 2019 award for Best Universal Bank (Philippines).