Learn how RCBC obtained help from the IBM Global Technology Services team to design and build a robust IT infrastructure, based on IBM System z and DB2. For more information on IBM Systems, visit http://ibm.co/RKEeMO. Visit the official Scribd Channel of IBM India Smarter Computing at http://bit.ly/VwO86R to get access to more documents.

1. Delivering optimal banking services to a growing customer base
with IBM
The Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation in the Philippines transformed its IT infrastructure with
IBM to run a new core banking system that would serve a growing customer base, and improve the
quality of its banking services.
The Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) is one of the
largest private domestic commercial banks in the Philippines.
The challenge Established in 1960, it started as a small development bank, in
the province of Rizal; the first commercial bank to ever establish
The Rizal Commercial Banking
Corporation (RCBC) needed a
a head office in that province.
scalable and powerful IT
infrastructure to support a new core Since then, the bank has expanded into a wide range of market
banking application. segments, covering consumer, retail, middle income groups and
The solution corporate businesses. It is also a strong player in the remittance
industry, with an extensive presence supported by its remittance
IBM Global Technology Services subsidiaries and partners in in North America, Europe and Hong
helped RCBC implement a solution
built on IBM System z and DB2. Kong.
The benefits Aggressive plans to grow the customer base
RCBC acquired a high-performance
and scalable IT infrastructure that RCBC wanted to retain its strong business momentum through
maximized the full capabilities of further growth; in the next five years, it intended to add 10
the new core banking system, and million new customers to its existing base. In order to achieve
handle growing customer demands
without compromising service
this goal, the bank realized that it had to surmount several
quality and customer experiences. obstacles.
One key obstacle was the fact that its customer data and
applications ran on fragmented and siloed IT systems. Given the
complexity and interoperability issues, employees found it difficult to share information, while
decision makers could not obtain timely visibility across the entire institution, resulting in slower
decision making and limited oversight.
To transform its banking operations, RCBC made the decision to consolidate its existing core banking
applications into an integrated platform, built on Finacle software. The new platform would give the
bank better insights into its customers, allow it to design differentiated services, and optimize its
banking processes.
Yet, RCBC’s existing IT infrastructure was not powerful enough to support the new core banking
application, and also unable to scale up to meet projected IT workloads arising from the bank’s
ambitious growth plans.

2. An optimized and reliable banking IT platform
To ensure the highest levels of performance and reliability of its new core banking system, RCBC
obtained help from the IBM Global Technology Services team to design and build a robust IT
infrastructure, based on IBM System z and DB2.
IBM System z would provide RCBC with leadership capabilities for availability, scalability, security
and management; essential to scale up for growth, and powerful enough to cater to the full
capabilities of Finacle. System z also integrates operational data with performance analytics to give
RCBC the ability to optimize IT workloads and maintain reliability and quality of service across the
entire infrastructure.
DB2 was deployed to provide an industry-leading scalable and reliable database to support the
information management needs of the core banking application. It would give the bank the
headroom to accommodate a rapidly expanding base of customers, improve service levels while
lowering the cost of data.
All in all, the new IT infrastructure would be capable of running at peak levels of availability and
performance, in order to support the bank’s mission-critical applications. Furthermore, the
infrastructure would also be extended to other banking applications such as its wealth management
and customer relationship management systems, as well as mobile banking.
Apart from providing the solution, IBM also helped to tailor the solution to support the bank’s
specific requirements. IBM professionals collaborated effectively with RCBC’s third party banking
application provider, ensuring that all timelines were met.
Confident business growth and improved banking services
The move to the new core banking system, run on IBM platforms, have brought about new levels of
service delivery and capability to RCBC. With IBM’s help, RCBC no longer has to deal with multiple
fragmented IT systems, nor endure limits on its ability to serve a growing customer base. The new
system would also provide RCBC with the ability to provide customers with a personal and targeted
banking experience through the deployment of new services.
Since the deployment, RCBC has successfully applied the capabilities of the platform to expand into
new demographics, including farmers, small business owners and clients in more rural parts of the
Phillpines, where banking facitilities have yet to penetrate extensively. For these customers, RCBC
will be able to offer new services like micro-financing.
All in all, the new system has transformed the way RCBC conducts its business, by effectively
providing the institution with the reliability and confidence it needed to take its business forward.