The new Belgian Ambassador to Ireland, H.E. Philippe Roland, officially opened KBC’s latest banking hub on Eyre Square in Galway, where he was joined by the Mayor of the City of Galway and representatives from the local business community, at the hub’s official ribbon cutting.
KBC Bank Ireland is part of the KBC Group, one of Europe’s largest banks headquartered in Belgium.
The opening of the new Galway hub is part of KBC’s move towards becoming a full retail bank, having already launched a new current account and mobile banking service for customers earlier this year. It follows the announcement that KBC is opening five new banking hubs as part of the bank’s expansion in Ireland, following the launch of new hubs in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Further retail product and service developments are also planned for 2014. With the development of new banking hubs, products and services KBC customer numbers have risen to 165,000, as the bank establishes its retail offering in Ireland.
Managed by Keith McDonagh, KBC’s new Galway hub offers a relaxed, modern meeting space to meet with the bank’s personal finance specialists on a range of competitive products, including current account, savings, insurance and mortgages. The hub is open from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5.30pm, with late opening on Thursdays (until 7.00pm) to make banking easier for customers with busy schedules. In addition, KBC remains open as normal for business customers using its Dock Road location in Galway.
H.E. Philippe Roland, Ambassador of Belgium, said: “It is with great interest that I have come to Galway to the official opening of KBC’s new banking hub in the region. This recent move by Belgium’s second biggest bank to expand its activities here, in line with its overall expansion plans all over the major urban centers in the rest of the country, bear testament to its faith in the future and in its capacity to become a banking leader based on the growth of the Irish economy.”
Wim Verbraeken, CCEO, KBC Bank said: “The official opening of our new Galway hub by the Belgian Ambassador to Ireland is the culmination of a very busy year for KBC, during which time we celebrated our 40th anniversary in Ireland, opened new banking hubs in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, launched our new current account and rolled out a mobile banking service for customers nationwide. I’m pleased to say that KBC is now a genuine retail banking alternative for customers looking for competitive products, choice and first rate customer service. Galway is such a vibrant city and we really look forward to becoming an integral part of the city’s retail landscape, where customers will find a warm welcome at our new hub on Eyre Square.”