The challenge
As a Belgian banking and insurance firm, Belfius exists to help its customers realise their dreams. "Our mortgage policy isn’t just about giving mortgage loans, for example, but enabling customers to realise their projects, which in turn supports the economy and helps assure the wealth in our society," says Marc Raisière, CEO of Belfius.
Having become financially solid over the last years, the organisation has invested hugely in digital transformation and is today considered to have the most user-friendly mobile banking app for customers.
Belfius hasn’t done it all alone, having called on PwC’s Strategy& strategic consulting practice to help with a number of initiatives. PwC also works with Belfius supporting it with risk management and financial management.
Proving to be an agile partner
"With Strategy&, we have a strong partner to challenge us and support us in developing our activities," explains Marc Raisière. PwC has already worked with Belfius to pass a stress test, create a value proposition and robust processes.
Our ability to move very quickly is something the client greatly appreciates: "In a world where we have to decide very quickly with very in-depth analysis, PwC’s agility and flexibility are very helpful to us," says Marc Raisière.
Making Belgium smarter
Strategy& and PwC co-invest with Belfius in Smart Belgium Services, an enterprise aimed at developing a smart cities ecosystem and delivering consulting services to help municipalities in Belgium implement a smart cities strategy.
Smart Belgium Services uses Belfius’ experience in financing smart cities projects and in-depth knowledge of the field as a long-standing partner of the public and social sector, along with Strategy&’s unique expertise in the field of telecoms and digital infrastructures, and experience in the development and execution of smart cities strategies. "Without Strategy& and PwC we weren’t able to launch such an initiative," notes Marc Raisière.
"Trust exists between PwC, Strategy& and Belfius, and I think trust is probably the most important asset in our world."
Emotion makes the difference
For Marc Raisière, people and the emotion between them are at the core of the firm’s success: "If we want to develop a strategy, you don’t just need smart people, but emotion between them. You can make a difference in processes and in the quality of expertise in specific domains, but more important is the capacity of a team to work together, to decide together, to take some risks."
He believes that PwC has been able to create that kind of emotion with Belfius.
Creating greater client centricity
Now on solid financial ground and with corporate banking and wealth management already added to its portfolio of services, Belfius is looking at how it can deliver excellent services to customers.
Currently comparing itself to other players in its sector, Marc Raisière believes it’s time to start comparing its customer satisfaction levels with more digital players. To do that, Belfius intends to stretch and challenge people more with regards client centricity, "today, we deliver strong results, but I’m not totally satisfied with the way we manage our customers."
Data, technology and marketing
With the firm belief that strategy and digital are key to Belfius’ future, the firm looks for strong partners to help it develop its strategy digitally around the three pillars of data, technology and marketing.
"We need people to challenge us, to help us. When I see the structure of PwC, I believe that PwC has every means to be that partner. I think that trust exists between PwC, Strategy& and Belfius, and I think trust is probably the most important asset in our world," Marc Raisière ends.
Contact us
