Competition aside, BDO has had to endure various changes over the years that has ultimately led to its resilience. Despite having merged with Equitable PCI (EPCI) Bank months before the global financial crisis (GFC) broke out in late 2007, BDO successfully integrated with EPCI operationally in less than a year, thus catapulting it to a leadership position by end 2008. 

Another evident challenge was COVID-19, which had led the bank to make quick decisive action to address the unprecedented changes of the pandemic by instituting a secure environment for both customers and employees and activating its Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to ensure its customers’ uninterrupted access to BDO’s products and services. As a result, the bank not only returned to normal operations by June 2020, but also had several of its businesses surpassing pre-COVID levels by year-end 2020, hence illustrating solid recovery.

Rising above these changes and challenges, BDO’s best practices in corporate governance and sustainability as well as all-around operational excellence have been acknowledged and cited by institutions and award giving bodies. It attributes its success to corporate governance that focuses on effective oversight, doing the right thing, and providing sustainable value creation to promote the best interests of various stakeholders, continually refining this corporate governance framework to sustain superior business performance anchored on the principles of fairness, integrity, transparency, accountability, and performance, and maintaining its strong reputation that is built on a culture of ethics and responsible business conduct.

Progressing forward, BDO will continue championing financial inclusion through its rural banking subsidiary, BDO Network Bank (BDONB), to continue its expansion in the underserved and unbanked areas. It also supplements this with agency banking, expanding touchpoints with Cash Agad, a mobile banking solution, to offer more venues for cash fulfilment and banking transactions. Finally, it leverages on its distribution network of over 1,500 branches and over 4,500 ATMs nationwide to further its efforts to get more people into the banking system. BDO will also continually enhance its digital banking and IT infrastructure to stay nimble and flexible to take advantage of changing technologies amid rising digital adaptation.

BDO takes its human capital very seriously by offering competitive compensation packages as well as opportunities for advancement and professional development via targeted training and skills development programs. These programs cover business processes and operations, products and services, skills development, and soft skills. Furthermore, all employees are required to participate in mandatory courses such as Anti-Money Laundering Act, Data Privacy Fundamentals, Operational Risk Management, and Business Continuity.

With respect to CSR, BDO commits to initiatives undertaken by the BDO Foundation, the bank’s CSR arm. Over 2.7 million total beneficiaries of financial education programs have been developed through partnerships in order to advance financial literacy within the country. In addition, BDO has rehabilitated 121 rural health units in economically disadvantaged and calamity stricken areas, covering 6.5 million beneficiaries to date, and has spearheaded over 300 disaster relief operations mounted by BDO volunteers. BDO has also provided manpower support and helped local government units (LGUs) for their vaccination programs aimed at helping control the spread of COVID-19.

BDO Unibank rightfully deserves the honour of being named as one of the Industry Champions of the Year by ACES for making a transformative impact within the communities it serves and for demonstrating all-around operational excellence that has garnered the bank multiple accolades and other recognitions. This award validates the adroit execution of the bank’s strategies to create a strong and market-leading business franchise.