Lifestyle as a Lure?
So how will bank branches look two to five years from now? A DBS branch at Plaza Singapura provides a glimpse of the future: Designed as a «café and branch», the bank features an open space filled with the aroma of coffee due to the location of a coffee vendor supported by the bank's charitable foundation.
«Ideally, branch spaces should reflect the environment in which the branches operate, and cater to its needs even outside of banking,» DBS' and POSB's head of branch banking Susan Cheong told finews.asia.
This branch of DBS – the bank with a motto to live more and bank less – also features a virtual reality corner for retirement planning, where customers will be advised on saving for their desired pension lifestyle.
Wherefore Beautiful Branches?
While DBS in Plaza Singapura mixes cafe lifestyle and banking via VTMs, another branch at Singapore University of Technology and Design exudes a collegiate vibe, welcoming students to use it as a hangout space.
Bank branches with great architecture or historical significance can take a leaf from Credit Suisse, which recently revamped its Via Vegezzi branch (pictured above) in Lugano, Switzerland into an art gallery featuring Swiss artists.
Effete Mini-Museums
To be sure, not all bank branches can be converted into effete mini-museums or cafes. But if banks crave the «face-time» with customers, they must ensure each visit to their branches are enjoyable. In any case, Singapore's heritage coins and paper notes are sure to be on display somewhere. Below each «legal tender note», a SG QR code awaits interested collectors.
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