Several months ago, Cuaresma was introduced to digital banking, and he admits: “I was really skeptical at first”.

“I went to a RCBC branch and I asked how I can avoid the traditional system of going out to a bank, falling in line, and filling out forms. They suggested: why don’t I open an online bank account?” Cuaresma said.

Cuaresma’s main concern is security. He is anxious about his bank account details being exposed.

A study called “Mapping a secure path for the future of digital payments in APAC” published by Kaspersky, shows that Cuaresma is not alone about digital banking, specifically about doing digital payments.

The survey says that 21 percent of respondents in the Asia Pacific region admitted to having anxieties when completing online transactions.

In the survey, Cuaresma’s age group, or those 55 years old and above, was referred to as the “silent generation”, and they were the most worried, at 30 percent, who are finding it hard to trust and do online transactions.

“The older adults are not from the internet age. Their worries are understandable and should be seen as a precautionary measure toward making costly mistakes in a technology they are still learning to use,” Sandra Lee, managing director for Asia-Pacific at Kaspersky, said.

“As they are welcome to adapting to changes, we encourage the younger generation to step forward and assist our older loved ones. Community and government awareness and education efforts are also essential,” she further said.

What sealed the deal for Cuaresma, was the one-time password (OTP) security feature of the digital bank.

“For me, the one-time password was the best security feature of the digital bank and it convinced me to finally enroll and do online banking,” Cuaresma said.

“With the help of RCBC, my questions about online banking were answered. They gave me all the details I needed,” he added.

Ramil Ramos, vice president and business relationship manager at RCBC Novaliches Branch, admits that it was not easy getting senior citizens to enroll in digital banking.

“They have many questions,” Ramos said. “But the solution to this is very simple: you just patiently answer all their questions”. 

According to Ramos, the key to getting older people on board in digital banking is patience and willingness.

“There have been a lot of changes in the way we do banking over the years. Compared to 10 years ago, there have been a lot of new banking services and transactions. This is why it is understandable that our older clients will find it hard to adapt, but we are very willing to teach. We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” Ramos said. 

His team was the one responsible  for convincing Cuaresma to enroll in the bank’s digital banking app.

The branch manager said that it took some time before Cuaresma finally gave in. “The first thing he did was view his balance through his phone and he was amazed.”

“He is keen to transfer money and we are assisting him so he can learn it. Another thing he can do, we told him, is pay bills like electricity and water,” Ramos said.

Since the bank’s digital transformation in 2019, many banking services have been digitized and integrated into RCBC’s digital platform to enable safe and secure remote banking.

Major revamps in the bank’s digital portfolio include a complete suite of digital banking services  from online account opening to fund management via RCBC online mobile app that can process QR payments, check deposits, foreign exchange conversion, remittance and credit card purchase conversion, to name a few.

For clients who are not yet ready to go fully digital, RCBC branches also offer innovative services in their branches such as RCBC Touch Q app, which allows people to prepare and book their transactions online before going to the branches, and other forms of automation that significantly improve customer experience.

In select areas nationwide, RCBC also has the so-called Branch of Today (BOT), which is the middle ground of physical and digital services. In BOT, transactions are self-service and  automated, resulting in faster and more efficient banking experience.

“Banking has evolved. If you can’t be digital at this point, call us for help,” Ramos added. “We got you covered.”