ING expands PH shared services center

The following is a press release from the ING Global Services and Operations, Inc. (ING GSO).

MANILA, Philippines – ING Global Services and Operations, Inc. (ING GSO), eyes to expand its hub in the country to accommodate more in-house processing for the bank’s growing commercial banking business in Asia and Europe.  

ING GSO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dutch financial institution ING. In 1990, ING Bank started in the Philippines as a representative office and in 1996, it became the first foreign bank in the country to be upgraded into a universal bank, allowing it to do investment banking/securities underwriting and other banking services in the market.

In June 2013, ING GSO started its operations offering lending; reconciliation and payment processing; and static data management to support 8 ING commercial banking branches in the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Malaysia.

In July 2014, the scale of processing at ING GSO expanded beyond Asia with the addition of processing services from Amsterdam for ING’s financial markets business.

In August this year, the shared services hub also took on the trade finance services processing from Singapore. To date, 4 teams in ING GSO – Shared Services team; Financial Markets Services team; Trade Finance Services team; and Lending Services team are providing round-the-clock processing for ING’s commercial banking business globally.

“ING GSO is an integral part in our global strategy to deliver greater efficiency and a consistent higher quality of service to ING clients across businesses, locations, and time zones,” said Mark Newman, Chief Executive Officer of ING Commercial Banking in Asia. 

Newman added that ING Bank has been in the Philippines for almost 25 years now and that influenced their decision to choose this country as a key location for their processing and shared services hub.

“We are positive that the country’s business-friendly policies, infrastructure, and the pool of Filipino professionals will make ING GSO a significant contributor to the bank’s operational excellence,” Newman added.

Vote of confidence

Gracing the formal launch on November 18 of the ING GSO’s new office in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City were Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) director general Dr. Lilia B. de Lima, Newman, and other top ING officials in the region.

“The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) sector is now the largest private sector job generator with more than 1 million employees. ING GSO’s expansion in the country is a sign of sustained activities and interest in the BPO sector,” De Lima said.

Nigel Smith, President and CEO of ING GSO, said that one of the organization’s greatest assets is the group of young and dynamic Filipino talent who are keen to pursue a long-term career in banking.

“ING GSO staff are trained and equipped with the necessary skill sets for their area of work, sometimes back at our headquarters in Amsterdam. Besides that, we put a great amount of emphasis on their personal development and training. These initiatives will, in a long run, build a highly motivated team,” Smith said.

ING GSO is also looking to double its current headcount to 250 by end of 2015, in line with the pipeline of processes that ING GSO will be bringing on board. It has also completed the renovation of an additional floor in the W Fifth Avenue Building in Taguig City for the projected increase in the staff size, Smith said.

“We are very excited to demonstrate what the ING GSO team is capable of. We will continue to provide high quality services to the various departments across ING Bank, and in turn support the bank’s commitment to deliver seamless client experience,” Smith said. – Rappler.com/Press Release