Most of the work now Sberbank branches will exist in five years, but growth reduction network will gradually increase because of changes in the banking market, said the President and Chairman of the Board of the credit organization German Gref.
“In my opinion, the physical network of branches is still some number of years will last. The rate of reduction will increase, but the next five to seven years of early to say that consumer habits of people, especially people older than 40 years, will change dramatically. So I think that 50 to 70% of the network we have to save and five years, and maybe longer,” said Gref in an interview with TV channel “Russia 24”.
The head of Sberbank noted that the Bank has no plans to reduce the number of ATMs, and in cities in the near future will be closed only “offices, which are not in demand”. Reduction of the network of the savings Bank in a rural area while suspended altogether.
“We’re not doing something that will artificially push people out of branches,” — said Gref.
Associated with the closure of the offices of the decline in the overall number of jobs, according to Gref, will not be a serious threat to workers. The head of Sberbank explained that employees tend not to dismiss but to transfer to another place. As for scheduled for 2017 reduction of 8% of the workforce, its implementation will be sufficient to suspend the hiring of new employees.
“We have a year the natural rotation of about 12-15%, so we’re just a little brakes new set of people — and thus compresses the overall number of staff”, — said Gref.
He also explained that in the future “around” Sberbank plans to create “a large number of small businesses”, which will be gradually transferred the Bank’s employees.
“This strategy is creating a digital ecosystem, the trend which we see today in the world, and it’s critical to the economy of our country. This is a very serious change in almost all sectors of the economy. On the other hand, for us it is a way of preserving our people, jobs,” — said Gref.
Earlier it was reported that the Bank accelerates the reduction of staff at the background of growth in the number of users of remote channels. At the end of September 2016 at a meeting with Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, Gref said that the active development of Internet technologies in the next year should lead to a first in the history of the savings Bank decrease number of visitors in offices.
In early December, at the annual meeting with the employees of the savings Bank Gref said that traditional banking is “risky and uncomfortable”, there is no future. “I don’t want to go to the banks to spend your time standing in queues. I want him to come to me here, and helped me in a time in which the help I need. And even better to have it before I saw the issue, predicted it and gave recommendations,” explained your requirements to the Bank Gref.
About the upcoming “absolutely colossal changes” in the field of banking and the disappearance of traditional banks and warned a member of the Board of Directors of Alfa-Bank, co-owner and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of “Alfa-Group” Mikhail Fridman. According to him, within ten years of the payment function of banks in a rapidly “ocifrovivaem” the world will go to a variety of digital businesses that will make payments online.
