PNB picks Microsoft tool to ramp up digitalization

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Bank (PNB) has picked Microsoft’s preferred e-signature solution Adobe Sign to deliver a digital-first customer experience as part of the bank’s pivot to meet changing market needs and make banking easier, simpler and safer in the new normal.

Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso, president and chief executive officer of PNB, said the bank is dedicated to its vision of a stronger, better, younger bank by adopting digital-first solutions.

“For PNB, digital-first means being constantly aware of the fast-evolving digital landscape and customer expectations, and being able to transform and innovate to serve customers’ needs. As a bank, we need to keep up with the changing times,” Veloso said.

The partnership makes PNB the first Adobe Sign customer in the Philippines to be hosted on the Microsoft Azure South East Asia region data center located in Singapore.

With Adobe Sign as its electronic signature solution, the   bank said its digital document workflows would be improved and customer experience would be enhanced.

With the seamless integration with PNB’s existing Microsoft information technology (IT) infrastructure, Adobe Sign aims to make the end-to-end change process easier and more efficient across the organization, flattening the learning curve for employees.

To enable customers to transact with PNB from anywhere, the bank has embarked on a digital transformation journey. Starting with its institutional banking business, the bank is adopting paperless processes while reducing its reliance on wet signatures.

PNB aims to provide a harmonized banking ecosystem that integrates the strengths of both digital and traditional business models.

With Adobe Sign, PNB will introduce new digital capabilities to provide customers the option of both physical and digital signing experiences, offering enhanced efficiency and security to help customers stay safe and healthy while enjoying uninterrupted critical services.

“What matters most is the assurance that privacy and safety measures are in place to protect our customers’ well-being when they transact with us. For that, we partner closely with local regulators and our digital ecosystem partners, such as Adobe, to ensure clients’ safety and security throughout our digitization efforts,” Veloso said.

According to PNB, the latest initiative is compliant with Republic Act 8792 or the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000.

Adobe managing director for Southeast Asia Simon Dale said Adobe Sign would help PNB achieve its vision of becoming a digital-first bank.

“To ensure long-term success, we have put together a strong post-sale team that works closely with PNB to upskill their officers with adequate training – partnering with the bank through every step of their transformation journey,” Dale said.

Implementing Adobe Sign not only lowers the risk of paper documents being damaged, lost, or stolen; it will also help PNB save time and cost, and operate more sustainably across the organization.

According to Adobe’s Total Economic Impact study, on average, reducing manual signature steps saves employees 1.5 hours per transaction, and reducing the use of paper documents saves $6 per transaction.