Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S CaixaBank has pledged new and improved services for older customers despite a wave of over 1,500 branch closures in the wake of its merger with Bankia last March.
Speaking on Friday to announce profits of €5.2 billion last year bolstered by the Bankia merger, CaixaBank president, Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri promised to expand services for the elderly.
The pledge however sidesteps core banking activity, especially over ‘face-to-face’ branch transactions and inquiries.
His remarks came after Economy Minister, Nadia Calvino, ordered banks to come up plans for inclusion measures that serve account holders of all ages.
Pensioner, Carlos San Juan,78, made national headlines this week in his campaign called ‘I’m old, not an idiot’.
He’s demanding a better banking service for the elderly who feel ‘financially excluded’ due to branch closures and increased digitalisation.
Goirigolzarri said: “We will launch in the coming months measures focused on the elderly as we seek to create an ecosystem for older people with services beyond mere finance.”
The president cited new legal and medical assistance products as well as a targeted insurance package.
In a reference to Calvino’s comments, Goirigolzarri said the roll-out was ‘not due to external requirements but are part of the soul of CaixaBank’.
He added that there were no concrete plans to improve one-to-one personal treatment of the elderly, stating that ‘there is already a relevant personal treatment’.
Pressed by journalists whether more branch staff would be used to improve elderly services, the CaixaBank president said that ‘we have the right staff for the service we provide, which is good.’
READ MORE:
- EXPLAINED: What Caixabank merger with Bankia means for customers
- CaixaBank to close 1,534 branches as part of Spain-wide shake up after Bankia merger
