Bank Outreach

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Banks are increasingly opening branches inside cafes or department stores these days. Some banks even offer traveling services as bank employees seek out their customers.

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Here a bank and a cafe sit side by side. After the bank closes, the cafe takes over a wider space.

[Soundbite] Jo Seong-yun(Customer) : "Here I can take care of my banking affairs during leftover time and also enjoy coffee while waiting."

Now banks are inside department stores and large supermarkets. A sense of crisis lurks behind this competitive new trend of seeking out customers.

[Soundbite] Hong Geun-seok(Bank Branch Manager) : "Face-to-face transactions account for a mere 10%. We needed to think of new ways to attract customers."

The number of bank branches nationwide has dropped by more than 400 over the past three years, from some 76-hundred at the end of 2012. As customer numbers continue to decline in the era of mobile banking, banks are devising ways to attract clients by merging existing branches into new ones with unique features. Even traveling bank services have debuted where a bank employee visits the customer.

[Soundbite] "Where are you going? I'm off to meet a client."

The client's ID is confirmed through a tablet PC. A transaction request is filled out and following step by step verification procedures, a bank account is opened. As banks strive to transform themselves with new and enhanced services, it's expected that customers will follow by shifting their business to the most innovative banking institutions.