MALAYSIA – Coffee chain Bask Bear has launched its latest café banking concept, a partnership with AmBank at AmBank PJ New Town, as part of its strategy to expand the concept.
The unique concept brings the café inside the bank, allowing customers to conduct their banking business while enjoying a cup of coffee between queues.
Bask Bear also revealed plans to open a new outlet at AmBank Rawang Country Homes before the end of the year.
The ‘community banking’ concept was first launched in 2023 in three Ambank locations- Penang, Klang Valley, and Kedah. It has since become popular in Malaysia, a favorite among AmBank customers.
The other eight branches are AmBank Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor; AmBank Lagenda Heights, Kedah; AmBank Sungai Dua, Penang; AmBank Jalan Zabedah, Batu Pahat, Johor; AmBank Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Cheras; AmBank Sungai Buloh, Selangor, and AmBank Banting, Selangor.
Aaron Loo, Managing Director, of Retail Banking, at AmBank, welcomed the new outlet by saying, “Partnering with Bask Bear has allowed us to bring a fresh, innovative approach to the traditional banking experience. We’ve seen how this concept not only deepens our relationships with existing customers but also attracts new ones.”
“The café banking model creates a space that feels like a community, where customers can enjoy a coffee whilst taking care of their banking needs.”
Bask Bear also welcomed the new outlet, describing it as ‘enriching’ according to a social media post by Bryan Loo, founder and CEO of Loob Holding Sdn Bhd, which owns Bask Bear.
Loo praised the partnership, reiterating it has helped transform the country’s banking landscape by merging the different worlds of finance and the café lifestyle.
He also praised AmBank’s capitalization and scalability strength for allowing the partnership to extend its reach, which has allowed the coffee chain to inject what Loo describes as a much-needed level of energy and engagement into the bank’s network and operations.
To celebrate the launch, Bask Bear and AmBank are offering an exclusive promotion at the community bank outlets. Customers using the bank’s credit and debit cards can purchase any two select products for RM10 (US$2.40).
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