Page 28 - ASSET MANAGER 11 (EN)

28 • HYPOTHEKARBANK LENZBURG ASSET MANAGER • NO. 11/2019
THE CEO OF THE MOST DIGITAL BANK IN SWITZERLAND IS A POWER WOMAN
Marianne Wildi joined Hypothekarbank Lenzburg (HBL) as a programmer in 1984 and has reshaped the regional bank on her way to becoming CEO. Today, the bank's Open API architecture makes it one of the most progressive and fintech-oriented banks in Switzerland and the bank has received various awards, such as "The most digital bank in Switzerland", the "EURO FINANCE TECH Award" or, most recently, the 2019 Finance-IT Innovation Award for the Finstar Open Banking Ecosystem.
Interview by Roger Fromm with Marianne Wildi, CEO of Hypothekarbank Lenzburg
You are a founding member of Swiss Fintech Inno- vation, the Swiss Blockchain Federation, a board member of Economiesuisse, a vice president of the Association of Swiss Regional Banks and a member of the Board of the Swiss Bankers Association. You are committed to further economic development in the canton of Aargau, regulatory issues and the dig- itization of the Swiss financial center. I can see that you are an incredibly dedicated woman. How do you bring it all under one roof? What drives you?
I love my job and have a healthy curiosity about every- thing new. As a former programmer, this applies especially to technical innovation. And decisive things are currently happening in the banking sector: blockchain, fintech, open banking – all of these are technical developments where I as a bank manager recognize a great potential for my bank, but also one for the banking center of Switzerland. My technical background helps me get involved as an am- bassador for a new banking culture in Switzerland. In ad- dition, I love contact and exchange with people; I am an open and accessible person, which really obliges me in the accomplishment of my tasks in the context of my diverse mandates.
HBL deals with various fintech topics. From virtual ATMs via Crypto / Blockchain to the opening of the core banking system via Finstar.
What opportunities have opened up from Finstar? Which topics mean the biggest advancements for HBL and why?
The culture of open banking is new. It marks the evolu- tion of classical banking into an open, digital ecosystem in which banks collaborate with third-party external pro- viders. One of our flagship projects in this regard is our cooperation with neon. The Zurich-based fintech compa- ny neon Switzerland uses the core banking system Fin- star from HBL for its mobile product. I have tried it and am thrilled that we have a great alternative to Revolut and N26 coming from Switzerland. I am sure that HBL will be very successful in gaining new customers with this cooperation. This market is fiercely contested; neon is competing with Revolut or N26.
There will be more and more innovative, new providers coming to the market, providing their services from abroad and also reshuffling the cards in Switzerland.
Which topics are new at HBL? What role will global FinTech solutions from abroad have in Switzerland and the financial center?
Tech giants Apple and Google play in a league of their own. G Pay, which is just launched, is just the last step in a development that is sure to bring some more inno- vation. Will Twint be able to withstand these develop- ments?