HSBC Bank Malta vies for new UK award

After winning the prestigious Best Bank in Malta award granted by FT The Banker Magazine for two consecutive years, HSBC Bank Malta has now been short-listed by the Institute of Financial Services (UK) for the Financial Innovation Award in the category of Most Effective Back Office Initiative.

This is the first time an IFS award is being given for this category.

The other finalists are Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Halifax General Insurance, Nationwide Building Society and National Savings and Investments.

HSBC Bank Malta's entry highlighted the achievements under the highly successful internal project Wisdom Tooth. This initiative, which saw the centralisation of a substantial amount of work from the branch network to the business support centre, was born from the imperative to allow more time for the bank's front office staff to focus on providing a superior service to clients.

Shaun Wallis, HSBC's chief executive officer, said: "It is very encouraging to receive this nomination as it is a sign of recognition for the excellent work done by the team involved in this back office project and the cooperation and commitment of all staff members who ultimately made it such a success.

"As a result we are now providing a better quality service to our customers and have greatly increased efficiency. The bank will continue to build on this achievement and is committed to remain the leader in setting new standards in the Maltese banking sector by offering innovative products and introducing new work practices".