Serag Abdel Fattah, Head of the Business Development and Sales Group at the Agricultural Bank of Egypt (ABE), said the bank is working to grow its retail banking portfolio and broaden its customer base by developing financing products and programmes that meet the needs of a wide range of segments. It draws on a network of about 1,100 branches and some 20,000 employees serving customers across the country.

Speaking in a media interview, Abdel Fattah explained that, alongside its core role in supporting the agricultural sector, the bank's services extend to all segments of society. He pointed to its expansion in personal loans, car loans, credit cards and financing for commercial vehicles, strengthening the bank's ability to meet customers' diverse needs and increasing its competitiveness in the banking market.

Serag added that the Business Development and Sales Group aims to increase sales of retail banking products and grow the retail portfolio. The group comprises several divisions whose roles complement one another, covering customer outreach, product development and streamlining internal procedures.

Serag Abdel Fattah noted that the sales division has about 700 employees spread across the governorates, helping the bank reach customers in villages and cities and make use of its wide branch network to promote its products and services and make them easier to obtain.

The head of ABE's Business Development and Sales Group stressed that the business development division follows market developments, studies customer needs and works on innovative banking ideas and solutions that support the bank's leadership. He explained that product development starts from identifying the services closest to customers and best suited to their needs.

Serag continued that the group also includes a business support division, which streamlines procedures and strengthens coordination between the bank's various divisions in order to cut the time taken to process applications and speed up responses to customers. He noted that the bank aims to bring its response time down to a matter of hours in the coming period.

On car finance, Abdel Fattah explained that the bank offers private car loans through a variety of programmes with simplified procedures, with sales teams stationed at car showrooms across the country, from Aswan to Alexandria, to receive customer applications and help them complete the financing process.

He added that a sales officer meets the customer at the showroom and submits the loan application, noting that car finance applications are answered within four to five hours in many cases.

On personal loans, he said sales teams reach customers where they are, including at their workplaces, to present the available products, explain their features and make it easier to apply for financing.

He noted that the bank offers financing programmes tailored to professional groups, including university professors and physicians, as part of its drive to widen the scope of its services and provide solutions that suit the needs of each segment.

Abdel Fattah stressed that diversifying products, developing sales channels and speeding up procedures are key pillars for promoting financial inclusion and strengthening the Agricultural Bank of Egypt's position in the banking market, while it continues its role in serving the agricultural sector and meeting its financing needs.