| New BIL Office branch in Kirchberg | https://www.bil.com/en/bil-group/pressroom/news/Pages/New-BIL-Office-branch-in-Kirchberg.aspx | New BIL Office branch in Kirchberg | | <p>BIL is continuing to overhaul its branch network with the opening of a BIL outlet in the Infinity shopping centre in Kirchberg focused on advisory activities. The BIL Office – Philharmonie branch offers a warm environment for staff to welcome clients or prospects and help them bring their projects to life. For services such as opening an account, applying for a loan or investing for the future, the team is available for appointments from 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday.</p>
<p><b>Client-advisor relations at the branch’s core</b></p>
<p>More connected and better informed, clients expect personalised advice to help them bring their projects to life, and fast, convenient banking services for everyday needs. The health crisis has hastened the move towards greater use of online banking services, a trend already visible for several years. This is why BIL has chosen to combine human interaction and digital efficiency, to better service its clients.</p>
<p>An essential part of the advisory activity, BIL branches have changed a lot in recent years. The bank introduced three new formats in 2020: BIL Office, BIL Shop and BIL House. Their common goal: position client-advisor relations at the branch’s core.</p>
<p>Supporting clients in their digital journey is essential. To complement its branches, BIL has strengthened its teams at the BIL Direct Centre, its call centre, with advisors to answer clients’ questions by phone and secure messenger.</p>
<p>For everyday banking services, BIL is constantly expanding its range of services on its BILnet online banking platform. New features are regularly added for clients wanting access to their bank account at all times. Examples include opening an account entirely online, Apple Pay, instant payments, e-signing, transaction notifications, QuickMoney for card-free withdrawals.</p>
<p>More human and more digital, BIL combines customised support and expertise with ease-of-use and proximity services.</p> | 6/17/2021 4:00:00 PM | | |
| BIL 2020 Results: Investing For The Future | https://www.bil.com/en/bil-group/pressroom/news/Pages/BIL-2020-Results-Investing-For-The-Future.aspx | BIL 2020 Results: Investing For The Future | | <ul class="list-check">
<li>Net income after tax : EUR 101 million, -10% (EUR 112 million in 2019)</li>
<li>Assets under management : EUR 43.7 billion (EUR 43.5 billion in 2019)</li>
<li>Total balance sheet : EUR 30.6 billion, +8.9% (EUR 28.1 billion in 2019)</li>
<li>Customer deposits: EUR 19.8 billion, +4.1% (EUR 19 billion in 2019)</li>
<li>Loans to customers: EUR 15.4 billion, +4.8% (EUR 14.7 billion in 2019)</li>
<li>Common Equity Tier 1 ratio: 13.44% (12.47 % in 2019)</li>
</ul>
<b><p>Investing for the future</b></p>
<p>2020 was a year like no other. Throughout the health crisis, and today still, the safety of clients and employees is the Bank’s priority at all times. Due to social distancing, BIL encouraged clients to use digital channels whenever possible to continue to access its services. It introduced new ways of working and ramped up home office capabilities for most employees and kept branches open to appointments with proper sanitary protection.</p>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a deep global economic crisis. In this historically challenging time for clients, BIL continued to provide support to help people and businesses face the social and economic impacts of the crisis. BIL employees remained at the side of clients to ensure their projects, personal or professional, could come to life. As many companies and businesses had to stop or adapt their activities, the Bank strove to help them stay afloat and be ready to resume business crescendo once the situation improved. BIL worked with the Luxembourg Government to implement solutions to support the economy, such as loan deferrals and State-guaranteed loans. Over 2800 loan deferrals were granted in 2020 and to date, a very large majority of these clients resumed the normal course of their payments.</p>
<p>The Bank quickly adapted its operations to these exceptional circumstances remaining focused on its objectives, defined in its 5-year strategic plan. BIL aims at strengthening its position as an innovative and a trusted advisor whilst developing its international wealth management and corporate banking offering.</p>
<b><p>A satisfactory commercial performance despite the adverse environment</b></p>
<p>In 2020, total revenues amounted to EUR 555 million, down by EUR 9 million (-2%) compared with 2019 (EUR 563 million). The contribution of commercial activities to the core operating revenues increased by EUR 3 million (+0.6%) compared with 2019. Throughout 2020, commercial activities were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The lockdown period, travel restrictions and curfews reduced business development (particularly relevant at the level of Wealth Management) and transactional activities (payments and brokerage) for all business lines.
Customer loans increased by 4.8% to EUR 15.4 billion mainly due to mortgage loans which grew by 15.2%, proof of BIL’s ongoing support of the local economy throughout the pandemic. Customer deposits increased by 4.1% to EUR 19.8 billion compared with EUR 19 billion at year-end 2019, nuanced by an increase in current accounts as pandemic restrictions led to contracted client spending and investing throughout 2020.
The adverse macroeconomic outlook impacted all market participants, businesses and the banking industry. The core cost of risk totalled EUR 63 million in 2020 versus EUR 27 million in 2019, largely influenced by the effects of the health crisis, thus significantly impacting 2020 net income.</p>
<p>The Bank reported a net income of EUR 101 million, showing considerable resilience when compared with December 2019 despite the ongoing health crisis and the uncertain economic situation. During the general assembly held on 29 April 2021, the shareholders decided to allocate the 2020 net profit to retained earnings to support the Bank’s development and invest in the future.</p>
<b><p>2021: reconstruction for sustainable growth</b></p>
<p>2020 was a year of unexpected challenges and economic downturn. The lessons learned during the crisis, agility in operations, increased collaboration, support to employees and clients are invaluable assets for the future. In 2021, this situation is expected to continue as vaccination campaigns are still progressing at variable paces throughout the world. BIL will continue to support the economy as it is progressively improving.
“The Luxembourg economy is close to our hearts and I am proud we were able to contribute. I am very confident that our clients and our employees will benefit from our investments made in difficult times” commented Marcel Leyers, CEO of Banque Internationale à Luxembourg.
The Bank will continue to execute its strategic five-year plan Create Together 2025, with the full support of the majority shareholder Legend Holdings, as well as of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Growing its brand domestically and internationally, encouraging and supporting innovation and creating the conditions for sustainable growth remain top priorities.</p>
<a class="box-visual js-serialbox" href="/PublishingImages/site-groupebil/news/results_infographics_EN.png">
<img src="/PublishingImages/site-groupebil/news/results_infographics_EN.png" width="600">
</a> | 4/29/2021 11:00:00 AM | | |
| BIL partners with CANDRIAM for the development of its ESG services | https://www.bil.com/en/bil-group/pressroom/news/Pages/BIL-partners-with-CANDRIAM-for-the-development-of-its-ESG-services.aspx | BIL partners with CANDRIAM for the development of its ESG services | | <p>Our planet is increasingly exposed to the unpredictable consequences of climate change and the depletion of natural resources. The investment needed to reach the targets set in the Paris Agreements for 2030 is considerable, and public investment will not be enough.</p>
<p>The finance industry has a decisive role to play in chanelling investments that, as well as generating a return, will help in the pursuit of environmental and social goals. In addition to financial data, asset management companies and financial advisors must incorporate ESG factors into their analysis, and present this clearly to their clients. This is a sizeable challenge for the industry given the huge increase in data volumes and the lack of standards.</p>
<p>As a responsible bank, BIL is committed to sustainable finance. To improve its offering, the bank has partnered with CANDRIAM, a leader in this field. The partnership will give access to CANDRIAM’s ESG expertise: proprietary data, training and advice. With better visibility over, and a greater ability to measure, ESG factors, BIL will be better equipped to reflect them in its investment decisions and in the products and services that it offers its clients.</p>
<p>Alessandra Simonelli, Head of Sustainable Development at BIL, said: “<i>We believe that banks have a key role to play in fighting climate change. By providing clients with clear information on the sustainability of our products, and by developing our ESG range, we will be contributing to this. We felt it essential to join forces with a partner like CANDRIAM whose core business is based on combining fundamental analysis with use of ESG data.</i>”</p>
<p>David Czupryna, Head of ESG Development at CANDRIAM, added: “<i>Because they finance the personal and business projects of the future, banks have a key role to play in the transition towards a more sustainable world. CANDRIAM is proud and honoured to have been chosen to support BIL in its journey as a responsible bank. We will do everything we can to advise it and help make its long-term vision a reality.</i>”</p>
<p>CANDRIAM is one of the first signatories of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. For its assessment process, CANDRIAM employs a dedicated ESG research team, which examines companies’ ESG performance either in absolute terms or relative to industry peers, focusing on those ESG factors considered to be most significant.</p>
| 3/4/2021 11:00:00 AM | | |
