Launching a lending facility with consumer-driven communications

Challenge

The National Bank of Egypt (NBE) wanted to expand its capacities in lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), to sustainably and effectively provide multi-purpose loans to MSMEs across the country.

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Approach

CID worked with DAI in order to launch the NBE’s new lending facility; providing recommendations and assisting with the implementation of measures to expand the company’s SME lending and risk management framework. We reviewed NBE’s existing strategy and portfolio of MSME products and used our knowledge of the market to assist with new product development which reflected both consumer needs and the client’s strategy. Good products are of little use however unless consumers are aware of them, so we worked closely with NBE to construct a marketing communications plan which effortlessly aligned with the bank’s wider strategy. Finally, in order to institutionalize our intervention, we worked with NBE to design and establish the MSME Advisory Services Unit with a dual role of providing financial and non-financial services to MSME Clients.

Results

CID and its partner DAI effectively enabled NBE to serve MSME Clients through a range of financial and non-financial services – the latter being a completely new and innovative introduction to the banking sector in Egypt. We also successfully designed and produced a creative marketing communications tool kit that effectively defined the key benefits of the facility and provided information needed to reach the right audience and spur engagement. In doing so, we helped medium and small businesses utilise NBE’s evolved capabilities and range of products contributing to The National Bank of Egypt's (NBE) small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to reach LE 37.5 billion ($2.1 billion).

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Citibank Egypt would like to express its deep appreciation of CID’s dedicated team for their support, passion, integrity, and high quality work that was demonstrated over the last year. From downturn to crisis, CID has challenged every misperception on the bank with guided impactful communication strategies that were taken to action towards transforming the downs to up, and adversary to ally.

Having CID as our partner, advising us in unpredictable times has helped us maintain trust and transparency with the media and our clients, which has helped secure Citi’s stand in the market and ensured positive brand perception and coverage worth of millions.

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Lamise Negm
Vice Chairman, Citibank Egypt

I would like to seize this opportunity to thank CID Consulting for all their hard work throughout the COVID-19 lockdown situation and all the constraints we are all going through, as well as for their patience in processing the assignment.We now hope there will be a strong commitment from the key decision-makers to implement the recommendations of the report through the project and look forward to a successful operationalization of these recommendations.

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Dahlia Lotayef
Lead Environmental Specialist Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice Middle