Tier 1 capital grew 39% in 2006, assets increased by 49% and net profit by a remarkable 102%. At the same time, the bank’s RoE rose to 39% from 22%, the cost-income ratio fell to 63.8% from 66% and NPLs were down to 23% from 28% of the loan book.
BCR introduced leasing last year, pioneering the product in the Rwandan market. The low-risk, high-return product performed beyond expectations. The bank clearly differentiated itself from its peers and is considered unrivalled in aggressive marketing in a highly price-sensitive environment. New products in leasing and trade finance led to a deepening of the country’s financial services sector. Risk-based auditing was another innovation and BCR is the only bank to adopt this methodology.
More sub-branches were opened last year, helping to take the financial markets to areas with little or no banking facilities. A mobile van was introduced for the first time to reach the unbanked population.
On the IT front, a project was set up to identify tasks that could be automated, with a view to improving customer service. This reduced the bank’s reliance on service providers and will eventually bring about significant cost savings.
“The BCR team is very excited and pleased to be selected as the Rwandan Bank of the Year for 2007 for the second year running,” says the bank’s managing director, David N T Kuwana. “In its third year of operating under the guidance of ACTIS Capital, our principle shareholder, BCR has continued to lead the market in growing its loan book through the development of new products targeted at the SME and retail market. Supported by innovations in customer service, this growth has translated into significant growth in the returns to our shareholders.
“With the continued good governance and growth of the Rwanda economy, we see more challenging opportunities for growth accompanied by increasing competition. We expect the bank to meet the challenges ahead and aim to win this coveted prize for a third time running.”
