Bank’s roster of products expected to empower the region’s small and medium enterprises

EMPOWERING MSMEs IN VISAYAS. Cebuana Lhuillier Bank opened its first branch in the Visayas region, setting another expansion milestone pioneering Cebu City. Present in the photo are (from left to right) Dennis Valdes, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank President; Mrs. Edna D. Lhuillier, wife of Ambassador Lhuillier; Amb. Philippe Jones Lhuillier, Chairman and Founder of PJ Lhuillier Inc.; Mrs. Camille Lhuillier-Albani, Mr. Andrea Albani, and Jimmy Ang, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank Vice President

Cebuana Lhuillier Bank (CLB), one of the country’s fastest growing rural banks, has set its sights for further expansion in the Visayas region, beginning with the opening of its first branch in Cebu City. 

The move is in line with the bank’s mission of providing financial inclusion to every Filipino, especially to clients from the countryside. CLB, in particular, is reaching out to mom-and-pop businesses and to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) whose operations definitely needed a boost following the challenges brought to the economy these past two years.  

“MSMEs have always been the backbone of our economy, with 99% of total businesses in the Philippines considered falling under this sector. They are also a major source of employment, and also a major contributor in our total export revenues. However, in spite their huge contributions to the economy, MSMEs often lack financial resources that will help in their growth and development,” Cebuana Lhuillier Bank president Dennis Valdes said. “True to the mission of becoming a partner for progress, CLB’s first-ever branch here in Central Visayas is open to all, especially to the more than 65,000 MSMEs looking to further grow their business.” 

Located within the business center of the city, CLB’s newest branch can be found in Acacia St., Brgy. Kamputhaw, Cebu City. The bank offers a wide variety of business loan products primarily aimed to provide financial assistance to MSME business owners for their working capital, business expansion, and investment. Depending on the business size and profile of the clients, CLB offers loan products such as Microfinance Loans, SME loans, and Corporate Business Loans.

Jean Henri Lhuillier, President & CEO of PJ Lhuillier Group of Companies, the parent company of Cebuana Lhuillier and Cebuana Lhuillier Bank, enthuses, “As a conglomerate, PJ Lhuillier has always been guided by its mission of financial inclusion. We make sure that this is reflected in all the products we offer in our companies, and a vital part of how we extend our services to the millions of Filipinos who rely on us for their micro financial needs. Our banking arm, Cebuana Lhuillier Bank is guided by this vision—from their ground-breaking micro savings product which empowered close to 6M Filipinos to start saving for their future, to their expansion plans to Visayas and Mindanao which will allow them to serve more of our kababayans and MSMEs in rural communities.”

CLB currently offers housing loans and business loans in the province. With low interest rates, fast application process, and flexible loan payments, CLB aims to empower MSMEs and business owners. Qualified CLB clients can get a maximum loan amount of PHP300,000 for business loan. 

Aside from business loans, CLB also offers housing loans, and soon to be available in its Cebu branch, the Teachers Loan and Motorcycle Loan products.

Amb. Lhuillier welcoming the expansion of Cebuana Lhuillier Bank in Cebu

To date, CLB already has five (5) branches nationwide and is expected to reach Mindanao region before the year ends. As the banking arm of micro financial services giant Cebuana Lhuillier, CLB recently tapped the industry leader to serve as its cash agent, utilizing Cebuana Lhuillier’s more than 3,000 branches nationwide for its Micro Savings product. The wide network presence provided the bank and its clients greater accessibility; while also enjoying wider connectivity thanks to the mobility provided by eCebuana app, which enables  clients to conveniently access micro financial services such as Micro Savings, Money Remittance, Bills Payment, and E-load services among others.

The Jollibee Group and Yoshinoya International hailed its partnership in a ceremony that culminated in a beef bowl toast led by Jollibee Group President & CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong (front row, 3rd from left), Asia Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse (front row, 4th from left), Jollibee Group President for Philippine Business Joseph Tanbuntiong (front row, 2ndfrom left), and Jollibee Group Chief Real Estate and Design Officer William Tan Untiong (back row, 3rd from left).

 The Jollibee Group welcomed Yoshinoya International executives in a Partnership Ceremony on June 25 to celebrate their collaboration that will bring the authentic Yoshinoya Japan beef bowl experience to the Philippines.

Yoshinoya, Japan’s world-famous Beef Bowl Chain, is the first foray into Japanese food by the Jollibee Group. Jollibee Foods Corporation formed a joint venture with Yoshinoya International Philippines Inc. (“Yoshinoya International”) to operate the Yoshinoya stores in the country, with plans to expand to 50 stores in the long term.

The Yoshinoya International executives who attended the private ceremony were Tetsuya Naruse, CEO of Asia Yoshinoya International Sdn Bhd (“Asia Yoshinoya”); Shigekazu Miyata, President of Yoshinoya International; and Shigeo Kurokawa, Director of Yoshinoya International.

Asia Yoshinoya CEO Tetsuya Naruse hailed its partnership with the Jollibee Group during the partnership ceremony. “In the history of Yoshinoya, I can say that we have never encountered a company such as yours. I’ve met the best partners that we could work with and I’m really looking forward to this partnership.”

"We would like to thank Yoshinoya International for partnering with Jollibee Group. Together, under Yoshinoya Jollibee Foods Inc., we will grow and expand Yoshinoya in the Philippines, and we will work hard to make it the No. 1 Japanese restaurant in the country," said Joseph Tanbuntiong, President for Philippine Business of the Jollibee Group.

In a disclosure released in February 2021, the Jollibee Group said it aims to be the leading market developer of foreign restaurant brands in the country, as these foreign franchised brands are expected to contribute to the sustainable growth of its domestic business.  Jollibee Group continues to see the success of brands like Burger King, Panda Express, and PHO24 and will apply the same success drivers in expanding Yoshinoya.

Partnership for success

Like the humble beginnings of the Jollibee Group, Yoshinoya started as a family-run shop located at Nihonbashi Fish Market in Tokyo. Today, Yoshinoya has more than 2,000 global locations.

“Our dreams to make it big one day in our respective markets have driven Yoshinoya and the Jollibee Group to continuously work hard and always strive for excellence,” said Tanbuntiong. “With similar values and a true love for great tasting food, we see a strong foundation for success in this partnership.”

“I met Jollibee Group Founder and Chairman Tony Tan Caktiong, and after our conversation, I concluded that there is no other company that we would like to do this partnership with. And although some years have passed since then, we have reached this moment today and it’s all thanks to all your efforts,” added Naruse.

“Part of who we are in Yoshinoya Holdings is being ‘For the People,’ which means reaching as many people as possible with our tasty and value-for-money food—this is also what the Jollibee Group is all about. I look forward to working well together and I commit that we in Yoshinoya will give our full support to the Jollibee Group,” he added.

Now ready to serve the same superior tasting and authentic Japanese Beef Bowls, Yoshinoya is set for its grand opening slated this July.