Standard Chartered taps ePLDT for digital upgrade

MANILA, Philippines — Standard Chartered Bank has tapped the information and communications technology (ICT) arm of telco giant PLDT Inc. to boost its digital infrastructure after it picked the Philippines as the site of its new global business services hub.

Under the partnership, the country’s oldest foreign bank and ePLDT agreed to colocate in VITRO, the country’s premier data center network with the largest and most hyperconnected data center sites.

Rowena Kapunan, interim CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, said the Philippines was selected as the location of Standard Chartered Group Services Manila Inc. (SCGS Manila).

“This is part of our long-standing commitment to support the growth and development of the Philippines. ePLDT has been a reliable and dependable partner as we continue to provide excellent service to our clients and grow our presence in the country,” Kapunan said.

Kapunan and ePLDT president and CEO Victor Genuino signed the partnership agreement last Oct. 10.

Standard Chartered previously maintained its client-server and critical applications on premise.

The move to colocate this digital infrastructure is based on ePLDT’s capability to support the foreign bank’s stringent global colocation requirements, as well as its track record and expertise in data center management and operations.

The colocation also aligns with Standard Chartered Bank’s commitment to service excellence, further elevate customer experience and operational efficiency.

SCGS Manila covers strategic planning and business management supporting the business growth and shared services activities of the bank globally. It is the fifth business service center of the Standard Chartered Bank, with other hubs in China, India, Malaysia, and Poland.

With ePLDT VITRO as its data center partner, SCGS Manila can focus on supporting the seamless delivery of products and services to the clients of Standard Chartered Bank worldwide.

“We build robust and world-class hyperconnected data centers that enable enterprises for hyper growth. Our commitment as the country’s leading digital transformation and data center partner of choice extends to finding ways to meet the demands and accommodate the unique requirements of our clients,” Genuino said.

ePLDT, through its suite of multi-cloud and data center solutions, also enables banks and financial institutions to achieve a successful digital transformation and focus better on their customers and core banking operations.

Backed by ePLDT’s more than 20 years of industry experience, VITRO has set the standards in providing world-class data center facilities in the Philippines. It has the largest data center footprint located in prime cities across the country with a service uptime of 99.99 percent.

Early next year, its largest and first true hyperscale facility is set to go live in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It will have a total power capacity of 50 MW and can readily integrate and utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

“We continue to expand and transform our existing facilities to ensure these are always at par with hyperscalers’ global standards. Simultaneously, we are progressing with the construction of ePLDT’s largest state-of-the-art data center in Sta. Rosa, Laguna,” Genuino added.

This network of purpose-built VITRO data centers is part of an even bigger domestic fiber network of PLDT that will be connected to a vast international underwater cable system of the telco giant.

Mitch Locsin, head of Enterprise and International Business Groups at PLDT and Smart, said the company places great importance in ensuring that its banking industry partners have a resilient network to support their organizations through ICT solutions from ePLDT.

“In doing so, we consistently provide them with world-class facilities to support their vision of secure banking operations and an enhanced customer experience,” Locsin said.