A ‘phygital’ experience at HSBC Premier Centre in Pelawatte

HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives CEO Mark Prothero opens the refurbished Premier Centre. Country Head of Wealth and Personal Banking Nadeesha Senaratne is also present

With the demographic equation changing and the mass affluent customers now choosing to live in the suburbs, HSBC is gearing its branches of the periphery of the city to service customers in this segment.

Pelawatte has become the latest HSBC branch to be upgraded into an exclusive Premier Banking centre to meet the growing demand of the affluent population in the residential hub of the Colombo metro region.

The newly refurbished Premier centre was declared open by HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives CEO Mark Prothero. Also present was Country Head of Wealth and Personal Banking Nadeesha Senaratne, together with senior management and staff.

Senaratne said: “HSBC has established a long history of 128 years in Sri Lanka, and in the past few years we have seen the value of strategically expanding to meet the specific needs of our customers.”

HSBC’s Pelawatte branch was opened in 1998 and is conveniently located at No. 418B Battaramulla, Pannipitiya Road, Battaramulla, which currently serves a diverse portfolio of retail banking customers. With the new improvements undertaken, HSBC hopes to provide customers with an inclusive banking service, and attract potential new customers with its Premier banking proposition and worldwide banking service, within the expanding residential neighbourhood.

The Premier centre in Pelawatte models HSBC’s flagship Premier centre located on Flower Road, Colombo 7, with an expansive ‘open’ space concept for casual open dialog with customers. The space has been optimised to enhance the customer experience by providing a ‘phygital’ banking experience, with private meeting rooms specially designed to give customers an exclusive banking service with the assistance of a dedicated Relationship Manager. It also features a video conferencing facility, which enables customers to connect with their Premier RM’s internationally, while enjoying the highest standards of privacy. Customers can walk out of the branch with the ‘bank in their pocket’ by opening an account in less than an hour, and begin transacting digitally almost instantly.

Senaratne added: “In our experience our Premier customers, while being digitally savvy, also need personalised services - which means meeting their Relationship Manager to manage their portfolios - and we have upgraded the Pelawatte branch to provide that personalised service and give them a physical plus digital experience with HSBC.”

The Premier centre operates from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during weekdays and will soon be open for Saturday banking as well. Customers can also perform their banking through a self-service express banking area that operates 24/7, with an Easy Pay Machine for cash and cheque deposits, and ATM for cash withdrawals, when the branch is closed. Ample parking is also available to customers.

HSBC Premier remains the banks flagship global proposition that offers exclusive banking services and privileges reserved for high-end customers. In Sri Lanka the proposition was refreshed to help customers navigate a changing world and to provide support for their families’ international banking needs through a ‘bank in their pocket,’ borderless banking and HSBC Premier Rewards for curated lifestyle experiences for the entire family. 

HSBC recently launched a Premier lifestyle series to bring global experiences closer to customers, with renowned international sporting stars, beginning with world-cup winning Springbok Winger and HSBC Rugby Ambassador Bryan Habana, which was followed by Champion golfer Henrik Stenson on 22 September, with others to follow. This also ties in with HSBC’s annual Premier golf tournaments scheduled to be held from 25-27 September at the Royal Colombo Golf Club. HSBC also sponsors fashion and wildlife photography, curated dining, experiential travel and shopping, all catering to the unique interests of customers.  

HSBC also operates branches in Galle, Kandy, Jaffna, Negombo, Moratuwa, Nugegoda, Bambalapitiya, Union Place and Fort. The bank’s flagship Premier centre and concierge service is located in Colombo 7. There are also 20 Day and Night Express banking centres located islandwide to serve the banking needs of customers.