Against uncertainty, training

In a year plagued by uncertainty (increase in protectionism, slowdown of the Chinese economy, concerns about the outcome of Brexit, upturn in political and social conflict in Europe), the Equities area at Bankinter placed an emphasis on training its customers, which resulted in an improvement in the management of the portfolio and a better balance in the diversification of assets, which was consequently reflected in results.

Over the course of 2018, 337 training sessions were held, attended by 12,667 people, of which 1,997 were not Bankinter customers. These 337 sessions can be broken down as follows: 316 courses by the Bankinter Academia Bróker across Spain, twelve face-to-face ‘Fórum Bolsa’ sessions, two online ‘Fórum Bolsa’ sessions, three Traderlab sessions (on ETFs, futures and warrants) and an online Traderlab session.

Amongst new initiatives, worth particular mention was the Masterclass, a new training format with customers, where the basics for operating in a more professional way are imparted, establishing profit and loss targets, working methods, tools and discipline. There were ten Masterclass sessions during the year. The ‘Customer Journey’ was also designed to guide customers on their life-cycle and relationship with Bankinter.

Other advances

The improvement of the invitation, sign-up and attendance system for Equities training sessions was also of great use, helping as many customers as possible to benefit from the efforts made by the bank. And the launch of Bróker Gráfico, the uptake of which has been significant on account of the information and operating options offered.

The foregoing, combined with the rate changes implemented in 2017, made it possible for turnover last year, despite the lower contract volume on the stock market, to decrease by -18% after capturing 9,596 new securities accounts. In total, the portfolio at 31 December came to €14,669 million, 4% down year-on-year, taking into account the market effect.

The challenges in 2019 will be acquiring customers who still have no securities account with Bankinter, raising awareness of the value proposition amongst noncustomers, creating new, more customised forms of relationship and launching a new app.