Martí Bravo: "At Caixa Guissona we capture about 1,000 new clients each month"

BarcelonaUntil the return of the headquarters of Banc Sabadell last year, Caixa Guissona was the second Catalan financial entity, surpassed only by Caixa Enginyers. Today it is the third, with a classic banking model, which keeps and lends money and with little weight of services and, therefore, of commissions. With a network of five offices, results that grew by 23% last year, to 19.3 million euros; the cooperative of the BonÀrea Agrupa group has its sights set on Girona, the only province where they are not present, explains the general director, Martí Bravo (Sant Cugat del Vallès, 1992), who works at the entity, where he started as an office employee, 11 years ago.

Last year was a record for results for the fourth consecutive year, wasn't it?

— Yes. We have acquired a lot of clients, at a rate of 12,000 per year.

That is to say...

— We are capturing at a rate of 1,000 per month, right now. And, with the opening of the office in Manresa, the pace is an increase of 10-15%. Furthermore, Barcelona is contributing more than ever. In the last three years, at the Barcelona office we have gone from 4 to 11 people. And right now, if we had anyone else, it wouldn't bother us at all.

And how does this work? Because you don't advertise...

— Word-of-mouth... And it also works to have very simple products, for individuals, for SMEs, that everyday people understand. It is also true that, for example, in active loans (credits), especially with personal guarantee, that is, for a car or a renovation, we have very competitive rates. And this also attracts people who are searching the market.

They could also be considered a classic bench.

— We don't do strange things, as our balance sheet shows. Our commission share is 2% of all income, whereas for big banks it is normally over 40%. This makes us a traditional bank. We take in money and we lend it out.

They are a cooperative, therefore, the client, at the same time, is a partner, right?

— Not always. We only oblige when funding is requested.

Consequently...

— We have more than 110,000 clients and around 18,000 partners. In any case, if any client wishes to become a partner, we are delighted.

What characterizes them?

— Our focus is on deposits. We have always aimed to be at the highest possible level. It is our way of understanding the banking business. Our secret is efficiency. Possibly because we come from a background where we have always been obsessed with efficiency. The structure we have is lean. We do not receive complaints, because since we do not charge commissions, we do not need to overstaff to handle complaints. This is the big secret.

Do you have a strategic plan?

— Yes, in fact, we are already finishing this year. And now, in the next councils, we will prepare for 2027-2029.

And what characteristics does it have? If there is anything that can be known...

— As a cooperative and not having shareholders as such, we do not impose ourselves. It is true that for four years we have had significant profit growth, but we do not impose ourselves to earn many times more in three years. What we want is to prioritize the service with new applications that allow the client to feel well attended to.

How many employees do they have?

— In the last three years, we have doubled. By the end of the season, in the summer we will have practically 90.

Don't believe in the physical office?

— We have five physical offices with accessibility. The client can perform operations at any time. But we were ahead in banking. For many years now, 99% of transactions have been online. Our model is also based on the client being able to self-manage. And our telephone service platform... We have a call center, led by our own team.

Automated or with artificial intelligence?

— No, no, no. They are natural persons, who are in Guissona. People prefer to relate to people.

They opened an office in Manresa, the first in 14 years. Is there a plan to open more?

— If we take a map of Catalonia, we see that Girona is left to cover. We have many requests and the truth is that a few months ago we opened one in Manresa, therefore, we want to finish digesting it, but we are not closing ourselves off in the short or medium term.

Anything in the short term?

— We are in talks for Girona city. Our model is to be in cities, with main offices, providing them with many resources and that they can attend to everything. Since the client then self-manages, being in very small locations reduces our potential.

Do they help reduce the lack of offices in sparsely populated areas?

— The use of ATMs from any other entity is subsidized by us. The commission they charge for withdrawing money is subsidized for clients, at all entities. This allows the client to have total coverage, wherever they may be.

What prospects are there for this year?

— They are good. Everything points to us breaking the record again.

I raise again how clients reach you in a market with large entities...

— In general, people are very wary, they are looking for alternatives. Being a cooperative generates more sympathy. It also hooks people that we are so simple.

How much are in deposits and credits currently?

— We will be almost 2.3 billion and active, 630 million.

What policy do they apply to mortgages? Have they entered into any commercial dispute?

— We have always gone our own way. We have made mixed mortgages. If we don't see profitability in a product, we don't get involved. It is clear to me that the money belongs to the partners. Therefore, what we do must always make economic sense. For us, mortgages are not a means of acquisition because we don't tie customers down like the big banks do. In our case, the client can, if they wish, just pay the fee. We don't impose other products on them like insurance or bringing their salary. Simplicity, simplicity, and simplicity. This is the basis of our business.

And with the passive, what is the policy?

— We always pay everyone equally. In this sense, we are unique. No one has to fight with us to be paid their passive because we pay them.

And what is the evolution of the exercise?

— In the first quarter, we are between 10% and 15% above last year.

Although commissions are a small part of the revenue, they also manage funds...

— Yes. We have an agreement with GVC Gaesco and two investment funds and two pension plans. Always, simple things. One of variable income and one of fixed income. The basic client, which is what we aspire to, is very well covered. In funds and portfolios, we grew by 23% last year. We have extremely tight commissions. A management fee for any variable income fund is above 1%. In our case, it is 0.65%.

Do you have growth objectives?

— We don't desperately go after clients. On the contrary. Little by little. Organic growth creates structure and clients are always well looked after. With exponential growth, things get left behind.