Cebuana Lhuillier Bank opens first Visayas branch in Cebu

Cebuana Lhuillier Bank (CLB), one of the country’s fastest-growing rural banks, has set its sights on further expansion in the Visayas region, beginning with the opening of its first branch in Cebu City.

Cebuana Lhuillier Bank opens first Visayas branch in Cebu

The move is in line with the bank’s mission of providing financial inclusion to every Filipino, especially to clients from the countryside. CLB, in particular, is reaching out to mom-and-pop businesses and to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) whose operations definitely needed a boost following the challenges brought to the economy these past two years.

“MSMEs have always been the backbone of our economy, with 99% of total businesses in the Philippines considered falling under this sector. They are also a major source of employment, and also a major contributor to our total export revenues.¹ However, in spite of their huge contributions to the economy, MSMEs often lack financial resources that will help in their growth and development,” Cebuana Lhuillier Bank president Dennis Valdes said. “True to the mission of becoming a partner for progress, CLB’s first-ever branch here in Central Visayas is open to all, especially to the more than 65,000 MSMEs looking to further grow their business.”

Located within the business center of the city, CLB’s newest branch can be found in Acacia St., Brgy. Kamputhaw, Cebu City. The bank offers a wide variety of business loan products primarily aimed to provide financial assistance to MSME business owners for their working capital, business expansion, and investment. Depending on the business size and profile of the clients, CLB offers loan products such as Microfinance Loans, SME loans, and Corporate Business Loans.

Jean Henri Lhuillier, President & CEO of PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies, the parent company of Cebuana Lhuillier and Cebuana Lhuillier Bank, enthuses, “As a conglomerate, PJ Lhuillier has always been guided by its mission of financial inclusion. We make sure that this is reflected in all the products we offer in our companies, and a vital part of how we extend our services to the millions of Filipinos who rely on us for their micro financial needs. Our banking arm, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank is guided by this vision—from their ground-breaking micro-savings product which empowered close to 6M Filipinos to start saving for their future, to their expansion plans to Visayas and Mindanao which will allow them to serve more of our kababayans and MSMEs in rural communities.”

CLB currently offers housing loans and business loans in the province. With low interest rates, a fast application process, and flexible loan payments, CLB aims to empower MSMEs and business owners. Qualified CLB clients can get a maximum loan amount of ₱300,000 for business loans.

Aside from business loans, CLB also offers housing loans, and soon to be available in its Cebu branch, the Teachers Loan and Motorcycle Loan products.

To date, CLB already has five (5) branches nationwide and is expected to reach the Mindanao region before the year ends. As the banking arm of micro financial services giant Cebuana Lhuillier, CLB recently tapped the industry leader to serve as its cash agent, utilizing Cebuana Lhuillier’s more than 3,000 branches nationwide for its Micro Savings product.

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The wide network presence provided the bank and its clients greater accessibility; while also enjoying wider connectivity thanks to the mobility provided by the eCebuana app, which enables clients to conveniently access micro financial services such as Micro Savings, Money Remittance, Bills Payment, and e-load services among others.

1. Reference: MSMEs are key to Philippine growth; https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/08/28/2123064/msmes-are-key-philippine-growth