The move down from developed markets. The private safe deposit box service began as an international trend, already installed in Europe, Asia and the United States. The digitization process of the banks caused them to begin to virtualize their operations, merge branches and change the service format, therefore the available spaces decreased. In this area, the case of the Ulster Bank of Ireland, which became the last bank to leave the market, asking its customers to empty their boxes, is well known.
In Latin America, on the other hand, the product is not fully developed, “We understand that there is great potential. Although it requires a lot of effort and investment to position the concept and general culture, it is a ‘trust’ business, where the client must mainly trust in the seriousness, professionalism and security provided by the Institution to which he is going to deposit his values so that they are protected”, he emphasizes Juan PiantoniCEO of ingot.
Niche. In Argentina, the service seems to have been installed. Although it is mainly offered by banking entities, private companies found their space to gain a place and saw in this segment an opportunity to promote a new business niche. “If we take the current banking sector, where it is estimated that there is an offer for approximately 700,000 safe deposit boxes in Argentina, our objective is to absorb 10%”projects Piantoni.
“Demand continues to increase as a result of the closure of bank branches. We offer an outstanding value safekeeping service in more and more local and strategic places such as shopping malls, where we are doing it with truly cutting-edge technology. These branches offer a robotized operation, an superior experience in terms of greater discretion, efficiency and speed. We are going to complete the year with five new branches and we will continue next year investing in new openings, some in places in the interior of the country, which we are finishing defining,” he points out. Carlos GesinoCEO of Hausler.
The company, which has more than 20,000 active customers, was born in 2014 “in response to the unsatisfied demand for differential services to those offered by banking entities, in the categories of safe deposit boxes and rooms,” he says. ignacio serranoMarketing Manager of the company. hausler started its operationswith the aim of providing a modern, digital and high-tech solution in a historically traditional business, thus becoming the first private non-bank safe deposit box company that today provides its differential service to more than 20,000 active clients.”.
Technology. Hausler supports his operation “in the expertise of world leaders in the category, with whom we develop strategic alliances,” adds the executive. For example, he has automated vaults developed by Gunnebo, a company of Swedish origin, and manufactured in Germany, a world leader in security solutions. “These vaults allow the client to operate without human interaction, reducing the time and concerns of the clients, in addition to accelerating the processes, providing discretion”, Serrano expands.
In the case of ingot, the company was created in 2014, by Piantoni, a former Hausler. “We created this company understanding that there was a lot to develop, incorporating new concepts (automated vaults and art vaults) in the market, following an international trend and observing a change from traditional banking to digital banking”, he assures.
What is the customer profile that demands this type of service? Market connoisseurs indicate that the user segment is very broad, while admitting that the demand increases to the extent that the banking entities cannot satisfy the demand. “A cultural change is taking place that we have been postulating for a long time, regarding the need to safeguard values in appropriate places. Merchants, companies, savers are perhaps the main segments, where women have begun to equalize in decision-making compared to men, who historically was the one who made these decisions”, indicates Piantoni.
“We are based on different experiences developed both in Europe and in the United States, taking the best practices, adapting to local problems, mainly reinforcing security rings and incorporating the greatest innovation in safeguarding values (automated vault) that later the competition began to replicate”, adds Piantoni.
While the trend points to the digitization of the financial sector, a new segment is opening up for companies that are not in the sector. “We are looking for new solutions for old problems, we are occupying a new market that is left by the banks, with an innovative proposal for clients and far superior to the traditional banking product.. Being able to open your box on a Saturday and having access with biometric data are just a few examples”, describes Piantoni, a benchmark in this business that is based on trust.
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by Marcelo Alfano
