2017-10-24Staff Report 2 Staff Reporter Windhoek On Thursday last week Bank Gaborone celebrated the launch of its refreshed brand as a member of the Capricorn Group. More than eleven years ago the Capricorn Group decided to enter the Botswana financial services sector with the establishment of Bank Gaborone. By January 2017, Capricorn Group acquired the controlling shareholding of 68.7 percent in Capricorn Investment Holdings Botswana Limited, which in turn holds 100 percent of the share capital in Bank Gaborone. This transaction allowed for more synergies and collaboration between the group companies. Capricorn Group is a regional financial services group operating as an investment holding company with interests in banking, insurance, asset management and microfinance in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. The group was incorporated in September 1996 and has been listed on the Namibia Stock Exchange (NSX) since June 2013. Its main shareholders are Capricorn Investment Holdings (CIH) and the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), the largest institutional investor in Namibia. In its quest to ensure that all entity brands are closely aligned, Capricorn Group embarked on a monolithic brand architecture journey in 2016. This led to Bank Gaborone evolving its current brand to align with the brand of the group. Sybrand A. Coetzee, the managing director of Bank Gaborone, commented: “Our brand refresh signifies a pathway of progression for the bank and all its stakeholders. It gives us a fresh new look, and along with the change in our look we have a new brand purpose – to be a connector of positive change and new values: open, inspired and dedicated.” Marlize Horn, group executive: brand & corporate affairs, highlighted that Capricorn Group is proud of Bank Gaborone and said: “Bank Gaborone was the strongest performer in the group for the past fiscal year which ended on 30 June 2017, showing growth in revenue of 28.4 percent and 98 percent improvement in profit after tax.” Horn further expressed the group’s support by confirming the intention of the shareholders to build a strong bank in Botswana evidenced by the investment in the Bank Gaborone brand. Capricorn Group will remain committed to providing support to the bank, so that it can become a more dominant player in the financial sector in Botswana. As the group’s identity and ethos are so closely linked to the well-being of the countries within which it operates – Namibia, Botswana and Zambia – there is a shared responsibility to bring positive change, thereby creating an environment of empowerment and prosperity for all. Bank Gaborone has over the years supported several initiatives in the community and is highly regarded as a responsible corporate citizen that contributes to the economic growth and development of Botswana. “This commitment will not change. In fact, the sense of responsibility and urgency to play a meaningful role in society will only increase. Furthermore, with the group’s customer-centric strategy, the bank will continue to differentiate itself through unique service offering and commitment to building strong relationships with clients, and make Bank Gaborone the bank of choice in Botswana. You will start to see changes in our logo application on communication material and some infrastructure elements. We will ensure that our customers experience the positive change we are talking about,” said Sandra Mokobi, marketing and corporate communications manager of Bank Gaborone, in outlining the journey ahead. Bank Gaborone provides retail banking services across a network of nine retail branches, 12 Bank Gaborone Finance unsecured lending offices and 17 ATMs throughout the country. Bank Gaborone offers a suite of products and services ranging from transactional accounts, savings accounts, investment accounts, business banking, SME banking, treasury services including foreign exchange services, property finance, vehicle finance, and electronic channels including E-pula Internet Banking and Tobetsa Mobile Banking and SMS Alertz. Capricorn Group believes in the value of a positive reputation and strong brands and will, therefore, continue to invest in the brands within the group, including Bank Gaborone. 2017-10-24Staff Report 2
