By LIDIANA ROSLI
KUALA LUMPUR: RHB Bank Bhd is targeting to grow is home financing portfolio by up to 10 per cent, on the back of its newly launched RHB MyHome App.
The first of its kind in Malaysia, the RHB MyHome App will provide convenience of mortgage applications and documents submissions via smart devices for its existing and future customers.
"As of now, 25 per cent or some RM45 billion of our loans portfolio are from home financing. In fact the RHB Group had been growing this segment faster at a rate of 15 per cent, which is higher than the industry average of nine per cent,” said its group managing director, Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli at the launch this morning.
“It is all about speed these days and with this app, customers will be able to apply faster and we will be able to deliberate the approval and disburse the funds faster too. Because of that, we believe that this app will be able to push our home financing portfolio by between eight to 10 per cent.”
Khairussaleh stressed that this app isn't for first home buyers seeking a primary home only, but it is also open to anyone who is interested in owning or involved in real estate.
“This is not only for those properties under construction or primary homes, it is also for secondary homes and those who are seeking to buy existing properties,” he said.
“This is also just the first step for this app. In the future, we will look into opportunities to work with property website and even, interior designers.”
At the same event, Khairussaleh also launched the RHB Banking-at-Your-Doorstep services, which enables new customers who have opened an RHB Smart Account/RHB Smart Account-i online to complete the process without having to visit the bank’s branches.
These customers can then take delivery of their debit cards at home or their workplaces, at a prearranged time where an on-the-spot verification process will be conducted by a RHB Rider.
“This service is now concentrated in the Klang Valley, as we only have eight riders now. But we are looking to increase to 40 riders in 2018 first quarter, as well as expand the services to the rest of Malaysia, also within the same period,” said Khairussaleh.
The group expects at least 50,000 new RHB Smart Account/RHB Smart Account-i to be opened next year; out of that, 30 per cent are expected to opt for the Banking-at-Your-Doorstep services.
Despite all the digital push, Khairussaleh stressed that the group will not be streamlining its brick-and-mortar branches.
"Physical branches are still an important delivery channel for us. Going forward, there will be evolution of deliveries and services at our branches, but these branches will not be going away," he said.