ING Direct 2013 Annual Report Download - page 6

Dear reader,
Our customers are at the heart of what we do. What
they want and what they expect determine the changes
and improvements we make. We want to demonstrate
with our product and service offering that we can
support and advise our customers when it comes to the
financial choices they make and the issues they face.
We want to make a difference and help our customers
get ahead. In doing so, we can contribute to economic
growth in the countries where we operate.
to manage their procurement and sales processes.
It is a similar story in insurance, where we are
introducing new ways of serving customers and
improving processes. Insurance Europe is building a
multichannel distribution platform to service customers
across all channels. In the Czech Republic and Spain
weintroduced For You, a concept of breast cancer
insurance and related services.
Our role as a bank and insurance company goes
beyond our primary function of providing financial
services. We are part of society, and as such we are
committed to help build a financially healthy and
sustainable society for citizens, businesses and other
organisations. We are committed to be part of the
communities we operate in and believe that through
the sustainable choices we make today, we can help
shape the society of the future.
There are various ways of doing this. For example
through our global range of responsible investment
funds or responsible investment solutions, or offering
products like the ING Savings Account for UNICEF
which allows people to save and simultaneously
support UNICEF. In our project finance portfolio we
focus on renewable sources of energy. We finance
companies that want to operate sustainably. An
example is the financing of the Butendiek offshore
wind farm in Germany, which supplies green energy
and makes a major contribution to Germany’s
conversion to renewable energy. So we are meeting
thegrowing demand for products that generate good
financial returns, while at the same time investing in
society and the environment.
Over the past few years, ING Group has made a huge
effort to restructure and change, and we continue to
do so. This transformation was pursued vigorously
bymy predecessor, Jan Hommen, whom I succeeded
inOctober.
While working diligently to strengthen our business,
wehave consistently placed our highest priority on
customer centricity and have gained more customers
along the way. ING-DiBa for example, welcomed its
eight millionth customer in 2013 and is the third-largest
retail bank in Germany by number of customers. ING
Spain opened its millionth payment account, eight years
after the first account was opened there. We are proud
that customers choose to do business with us.
Winning The Banker magazine’s “Bank of the Year
2013” awards for the Netherlands, Belgium and
Western Europe is a good signal that we are on the
right path. Our commercial bank won several high-
profile deals and closed major transactions. These are
ademonstration of our customers’ trust in our
capabilities. Commercial Banking maintained good
positions in the league tables and won awards like the
“Corporate Deal of the Year Award (Europe)” and “Best
Structured Commodity Finance Bank (Global)”.
Also NN Group received several awards, for example in
Poland, it was the most customer friendly life insurance
company in the Gazeta Bankowa 2013 contest.
Investment Management in the Netherlands was
awarded for a second year in a row the People’s Choice
award for “Best Fund Manager”. All these awards are a
recognition of our commitment to support our
customers throughout the challenging financial
environment.
Internet and mobile banking are expanding rapidly. We
are constantly innovating these delivery channels, and
now have around 3 million mobile banking customers
in 14 countries. We are seeing a transformation in
customer interaction, sparked by the growth of online
services, and this is just the beginning. This is paving
the way for new forms of customer communication.
For example, ING Bank Slaski is the first bank in
Polandto introduce an online platform for businesses
4ING Group Annual Report 2013
Message of the CEO