BCH (Banco Comercial do Huambo) is an commercial bank that was established in Huambo, Angola, in 2010. The bank is owned by five individual shareholders. Natalino Lavrador – a businessman with vast experience in the Angolan banking sector – is the majority shareholder. BCH is still a young institution but has a solid foundation, it’s well-structured and offers financial services to almost all market segments, from individuals to large corporations.
Ultimately, the objective of BCH is to support the people of Angola, from startups, to SMEs and large companies. It also aims to actively contribute to socioeconomic development of the nation. It is a bank that is dedicated to offering innovative products and services in retail and agro-economic activities.
BCH’s aim is to provide high quality products and banking services, and create and distribute value to customers, employers, partners and shareholders. The vision is to become the reference point for high quality banking in Angola. By basing its offering around important values, such as prudent management, professionalism, transparency, loyalty and reliability, BCH is confident it can achieve this.
The bank’s headquarters are in Huambo, where part of the central services operate. The very first branch opened by BCH in 2010 is adjacent to the headquarters. In 2012 BCH branched out to the Angolan capital Luanda where customer transactions are carried out. At present, BCH has five branches, which are designed to accommodate customers and provide a modern, professional environment for the bank’s team to work and progress.
The bank is taking significant steps in the process of expansion of its branch network. Its strategy is focused on opening new retail branches in areas and districts, which are currently without banking.
At the end of 2016 BCH had 51 employees, of which 72% had graduated from, or attended university, and with an average age of 31 years old, BCH has a skilled, vibrant and young team of professionals. The bank’s recruitment policy is geared towards young graduates, with a professional outlook, who are technically competent and able to meet the high standards of quality and efficiency demanded by the bank’s customers.
BCH is involved in many CSR initiatives, especially with local universities, sponsoring students and supporting research programmes in partnership with local academics.
BCH has many partnerships and works with three European banks, whose world-class standards guarantees efficient processing of the transactions requests. They are: Byblos Bank, in Brussels, Caixa Central Mutuo Agricola, in Lisbon, Commerzbank, in Frankfurt
Great strides
BCH ended 2016 with a net profit that exceeded $15.9m, which represents an increase of 20% compared to 2015. The total assets of BCH reached $199.8m in 2016, an increase of 59% compared to 2015. The value of deposits is approximately $70.9m in 2016, which represents an increase of 70% compared to 2015. The 2016 return on assets is 13.34% and the return on equity is 37.7%, which shows BCH’s shareholders have a rate of return much higher than what the market offers.
The solvency ratio in 2016 of BCH is 154.2%, which represents the highest ratio in the Angolan banking system, taking into account that the regulatory framework established by the central bank requires a 10% of solvency ratio. The cost-income ratio is 17.4% for 2016, which shows that BCH has a very efficient structure.
These financial indicators show that BCH made great strides during 2015 and 2016 in terms of results and returns. BCH is consolidating its position in the market as the partner of choice in Angola and is placing special emphasis on continuing to improve the quality of the services and working for the Angolan people.
Further information
www.bch.co.ao
