Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by Maybank and was produced by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the production of this piece.

“Paano kaya mag-loan?” [How to get a loan?]

Whenever we put up a new business or start a new venture with an existing trade, the question of obtaining a loan is one that always comes up. After all, most of us don’t have unlimited capital to pursue the changes we want to make within our businesses.

While the word loan is one we might all be familiar with, some may still be uncomfortable with getting one, and might not be the first solution that comes to mind in starting a business.

Contrary to what many may think, a loan is actually a good tool to support any business.

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur wondering what loans really are and curious as to how trusted banks can make them work for you and your business? Do you have limited time to visit a bank and hear about this in person? To help you out, we talked to a seasoned professional who has been in the industry for 24 years and has worked with both local and international banks. 

With the aid of Mr. Delbert Ang, head of community distribution and RSME business at Maybank Philippines, we’ll help you address questions and concerns about loans for your Retail Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (RSME).

Why choose Maybank?

When it comes to anything bank-related, your first concern might be related to the bank itself. To fully trust and invest in a long-term relationship – which loans usually are – with a bank, we must first understand the core values that form its business practices. 

Maybank’s brand promise is “Humanising Financial Services.” Mentioning malasakit [compassion] as one of the bank’s core values, Ang noted that their mission is to help genuinely improve the lives of their customers by promoting financial wellness and literacy, and by encouraging them to make the right decisions when it comes to executing their personal or business plans.

Maybank focuses on driving positive change and promoting sustainable growth in the communities they operate in. “When we say humanising financial services, it’s really more about the positive growth that we can give not just to our customers but even to our own employees and the community in general,” Ang explained.

As mentioned, they do this by using their knowledge and services to empower communities to grow and maximize their potential. With their current campaign, #ForYou, they are putting you – their customers – first. Thus, their financial services are built to be simple, intuitive, and accessible.

Why get the Maybank RSME Loan? 

Many banks offer loans. But what makes the Maybank RSME Loan different? Ang zeroed in on its two-step process.

“[First], we engage with the customer, either they come to us or we come to them. [Then] we try to understand their actual situation. More than also suggesting our already built-in products, we try to understand their business’ short-term and/or long-term goals and how the customer can seize evolving opportunities for the business with Maybank.

This two-step process was developed in line with the Maybank signature experience. Looping back to the bank’s mission of “Humanising Financial Services,” Ang emphasized that Maybank’s RSME Loan hinges on the competitive rates they offer – rates that are curated to the uniqueness of each customer’s need. 

“[It relies] on our ability to align the solutions to the uniqueness of the needs of the customers, given also the evolving changes that we’re seeing. Because of the pandemic, we believe that there have really been a lot of created opportunities.” 

Because they are always available to their clients and through the relationships they have with them, Maybank was able to recognize the areas of potential growth in various businesses. These enabled them to create a host of products that they believe most RSME business owners may need. 

We are more interested in building relationships. As we are able to do so, that’s the time that we can say customers can grow or we can grow with them.

Maybank RSME Head Delbert Ang

With the evolving opportunities they have identified in mind, they are using their RSME Loan to help businesses with their rehabilitation, growth, and expansion.

On top of these, Ang also highlighted that their primary selling point is the fact that they offer fast and hassle-free service and approval processes. He also pointed out that the major concern of most customers is the availability of the fund. To address this, Maybank offers loans that address immediate needs, help identify new opportunities, and are easily accessible so business owners can quickly act on these.

What are the loan packages available? 

Under the RSME Loan, Maybank has two existing packages for as low as P500,000 up to P50 million. The first is a Term Loan, meant for long-term working capital requirements that can finance your business expansion, acquisition of fixed assets, machinery equipment, and other business development projects.

Through this, Maybank will help you get business value or monetary value from what you already own such as buildings or properties, which will serve as collateral.

The second is the Revolving Credit Line (RCL), which is a short-term working capital that can be used for inventory build-up and for liquidating receivables. Ang likened this to a credit card as it functions in a similar way. Depending on the agreed rate, you can withdraw from an approved RCL as much as you need and as early as the next day. 

Maybank’s rates for these packages are competitive and follow prevailing market rates. Ang stressed that Maybank works with its customers to agree on a rate. Since the relationship is not merely transactional, they make it a point to offer rates that will benefit their customers.

How to start the loan process?

If we’ve convinced you that getting an RSME Loan may be the next step for your business, then all you have to do is head to any Maybank branch near you. You can also head to their website or contact their RSME hotline at (02) 8588-3761, (02) 7739-1653, and (02) 8739-3849.  

At the end of the day, Maybank aims to empower its customers and simplify technical financial processes for them through the one thing it does best: building a relationship with them.

“When it comes to our approach in the Philippines, we know which particular market we believe we can be of greatest value and exactly which type of customers we’d like to help,” Ang remarked. 

With the establishment of its RSME Loan, we can be confident that Maybank is ready to step up and connect with RSME owners all over the country. The bottom-line is this: With Maybank, getting a loan can be a hassle-free experience. – Rappler.com