Press Release – 14 February 2012 - CITADEL & INTERFIMA Form Alliance

The International Association of Financial Management and Citadel Advantage Ltd. are pleased to announce the launch of their relationship. With this launch INTERFIMA will be offering a wider range of professional courses, certification & membership within the market.

Richard Barr of Citadel Advantage said "This new exciting association with INTERFIMA demonstrates our commitment to our clients & the market. By affiliating with INTERFIMA, we are able to offer internationally recognized certification by a well respected organization for our extremely popular range of specialist operational risk and payments training courses & workshops."

Anastasios Avranas of the International Association of Financial Management (INTERFIMA) said "Our cooperation with Citadel Advantage will allow us to further strengthen our mission statement & expand our members' areas of professional excellence. This relationship furthers INTERFIMA's goal of servicing financial markets and contributing on their progress and development."

About Citadel Advantage Ltd

Citadel Advantage Ltd. (www.citadeladvantage.com) offers a wide & comprehensive range of professional courses and training for banks, central banks and other financial institutions in the areas of; Operational Risk Management (for Basel and operational risk mitigation), Specific Operational Risk Management areas including Business Continuity Planning, Anti Money Laundering & Payment Systems, and Liquidity Management and Bank Operations Improvement. Citadel Advantage also provides back office system consultancy and specialist services, specifically covering operations risk mitigation, fraud prevention, payments, and liquidity & treasury systems.

About the International Association of Financial Management (INTERFIMA)

The International Association of Financial Management (www.interfima.org), a global organization, delivers professional training courses to individuals and organization, connects financial services professionals via networking opportunities and works towards the development and well being of people, entities and markets. Banking, Insurance, Financial Services and Corporations are among its core activities. Within its mandate, INTERFIMA provides certification & membership, allowing professionals to exhibit their knowledge and commitment to continuing professional education.

In-House Training – Do you really understand the benefits?

The benefits of in-house training are obvious yet few managers explore that option. An organization’s staff is its greatest asset. In-house training allows an organization to minimize costs while increasing its effectiveness and impact on staff. For details as to how cost-effective in-house training really is click here.

PayPal testing QR code app at Singapore metro stations

PayPal is testing a mobile application in Singapore metro stations. The app allows commuters to scan QR codes to get merchandise information and then make the purchase through their handsets.

Billboards and posters have been set up at 15 subway stations across Singapore that feature Valentine day-related offers on gifts like flowers and chocolates, from eight merchant partners.

Commuters who have downloaded the app can then scan the QR codes related to the offers and can then make the purchase through PayPal or credit cards. Purchasers can then arrange to pick up the goods at the store or have them delivered.

"Risk Management - Focus on Fraud" Athens - April 23rd & 24th

This going to sound like the beginning of a great joke but what do 4 male Ukrainians (a self-employed web designer and three from the building industry), 1 unemployed female Ukrainian, 2 male Latvian supermarket workers, 1 unemployed female Latvian, 1 unemployed male Estonian and 1 unemployed male from Belarus have in common? Give up? They made up a cybergang that robbed bushels of money from European banks.

Who are Kweku Adoboli, John Rusnak, Wang Liming and Liang Shihan? And what do they have in common? They’re just a few bank employees who defrauded their banks. Understanding Fraud & managing the risks are critical to your bank’s survival. For details CLICK HERE.

"Ops Risk Management for Non-Risk Managers" Athens - April 19th & 20th

First there was the crisis in 2007. Now there’s the sovereign crisis closer to home. With these economically trying times here in Europe, many banks have cut back on training in an attempt to cut costs. While understandable, that may be a costly mistake; And when it comes to managing operations risk, it most certainly is. In these dynamic times, understanding operations risk is critical to your bank’s survival. Too many banks in Europe will fail, simply because they didn’t understand the importance of managing their operations risk. That’s why Citadel Advantage is offering this much needed 2-day workshop in Athens. For details CLICK HERE.

Whisky, Whisky everywhere and more than a drop to drink …

Citadel Advantage Principal Associate Richard Barr has been travelling again.
This time its Singapore and he visited the “Auld Alliance”, run by Emmanuel Dron, a Frenchman with more than a serious passion for Scotch Whisky. Read about Richard’s experience HERE.

Thieves yank ATM out of bank wall

Thieves, using a stolen tractor, ripped an ATM out of the wall of NatWest branch in Bingham, in the UK and then drove off with it in the early hours of Monday morning.

British Police have released CCTV footage showing the offenders using the stolen tractor to crash into the bank wall and take the ATM

The ATM, along with a Land Rover Defender and a large trailer, both stolen, was later found at an abandoned farm building. The ATM had been broken into and "a quantity of money" stolen.

If there were Oscars for Bank / Financial Industry advertisements

The Financial Brand (www.FinancialBrand.com) has looked at hundreds of bank and credit union videos produced in 2011. They say that if there were Academy Awards in the banking industry the following would be their nominees.

If you have a favourite bank or financial industry advertisement why not let us have the details in the Comment section of our blog.

Best Use of a Celebrity Spokesperson

Financial Institution: DnB, Norway

Title: Good Morning Mrs. Clooney

This commercial from DnB, a Norwegian bank, is hilarious. It’s a bit indirect with the link back to financial services: “Some people are lucky in life. For the rest of us, saving up can be smart.”

Most Freaky Guerilla Stunt

Financial Institution: NAB, Australia

Title: Guerilla Traps

The Aussie banking giant produced two fascinating spycam videos capturing how people react when forcibly trapped.

Best Tear Jerker

Financial Institution: ASB Bank, New Zealand

Title: Mint Sauce

A young boy wants a new Nintendo DS. Alas, he can’t afford it.

Best Use of Man’s Best Friend

Financial Institution: FNB, South Africa

Title: Lost Dog

This 90-second TV commercial shows the lengths people are willing to go to for their pets… but with a clever, unexpected twist at the end.

Best ‘Glee’ Knockoff

Financial Institution: Innovations FCU, USA

Title: Bad Romance

The credit union’s staff get together for a dance routine ala Glee, set to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

Most Ridiculous Lawsuit

Financial Institution: New Zealand Credit Union

Title: Piggybankers

This spot shows average consumers lugging their banker around everywhere, like monkeys on their backs.

Most Bizarre Cartoon

Financial Institution: Numerica Credit Union, USA

Title: Animal Instincts

Best Drive-Thru Theater Act

Financial Institution: Michigan First Credit Union, USA

Title: Boogie Woogie Banking

Michigan First set up a hidden camera to film members’ reactions as a dance crew puts on a show in the credit union’s drive-thru lanes.

Best Mr. Mayhem Imitation

Financial Institution: RaboDirect, Australia

Title: Stealing Your Dreams

A metaphorical thief working on behalf of big, bad banks steals people’s financial dreams.

Best Pirate Movie

Financial Institution: Island FCU, USA

Title: Pirates Tale

Best Villain

Financial Institution: NAB, Australia

Title: Banks Hate Us

NAB tries to ingratiate itself with consumers in this TV advert by painting itself as the bank hated most by other bankers.

Best Customer Testimonial

Financial Institution: Webster Bank, USA

Title: Type W Personality

This ad campaign features real Webster bankers and customers.

Weirdest Use of a Talking Squirrel

Financial Institution: BankWest, Australia

Title: Click to Chat

A middle aged man woos his lunch date when a gust of wind suddenly blows his toupee off.

Best Use of Bad Habits

Financial Institution: UBank, Australia

Title: Habits

Best Use of a Goofy Foam Costume

Financial Institution: NAB, Australia

Title: We Killed The Asterisk

NAB “kills” the evil asterisk to emphasize that their accounts have no/fewer conditions attached.

And the winner is .....

Texting money could replace wire transfers

In the US, a new service from M-Via in Palo Alto called “BOOM” allows for person to person money transfers. Beginning with tens of thousands of retailers and ATMs - in the US, Mexico and Haiti - M-Via is building a social network, for those who want to share currency.