OREANDA-NEWS. September 06, 2012. The Bank of East Asia (“BEA”) announces that it has won the “Innovation and Creativity Grand Award” in the 2012 Hong Kong Awards for Industries, reported the press-centre of BEA. 

BEA received this award in recognition of its outstanding achievement in the design and development of the i-Teller, an innovative banking solution that connects customers and bank representatives via video call. BEA was evaluated by a judging panel from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in four areas, namely creativity (design, development, and performance), commitment to an innovative culture, commercial results and prospects, and contribution to the industry and the society.

Introduced in January 2011, the i-Teller is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. Located in BEA’s extended-hour i-Financial Centres and 24-hour banking centres, the i-Teller  leverages the best features of existing banking channels, including the retail branch, ATM, phone banking, and internet banking, to provide customers with highly convenient and personalised service.

The new service’s instant videoconferencing capability allows customers to speak directly with a Bank representative face-to-face and conduct banking transactions.

This creative way of delivering service – combining human and technological support – enables the Bank to provide quality service during extended hours from even smaller footprints and in more remote areas.

Mr. Adrian M.K. Li, BEA’s Deputy Chief Executive, received the award on behalf of the Bank in a ceremony held on 27th August, 2012. Commenting on the award, Mr. Li said, “We at BEA are delighted to receive this recognition from the business community and we will continue to dedicate ourselves to delivering new and innovative solutions and enhancements that improve the quality of the customer experience.”

BEA has built its reputation as a pioneer in the banking field. In 1999, it launched Hong Kong’s first comprehensive internet banking service for personal customers, Cyberbanking, and in 2001, it launched the first internet banking service for corporate customers, Corporate Cyberbanking. BEA was the first bank in Hong Kong to provide advanced mobile banking service independent from telecom network and devices.

The Hong Kong Awards for Industries is a prestigious award programme that recognises the outstanding achievements of Hong Kong enterprises in high technology and high value-added activities. Only one Grand Award is presented to the most outstanding entry in each of the six categories every year.