Albury Mayor Stuart Baker and key members of the local business community welcomed BankWest to Albury on Thursday night at the official opening of the BankWest Business Banking Centre in Olive St, Albury.
The opening comes off the back of BankWest's announcement of its assault on the Australian banking industry with the roll-out of more than 160 major new retail and commercial banking centres.
BankWest's Head of Rural and Regional Jamie Ritchie said there was growing demand in the Albury Wodonga region for competitive financial agribusiness and commercial products.
"Albury was a natural choice for our business centre because of the region's strong economic growth. The diverse mixture of commercial and agribusiness industries influenced our decision to open this dedicated Business Banking Centre," Mr Ritchie said.
"The Albury Business Banking centre is another milestone for BankWest rural and regional as we continue to expand on the east coast of Australia."
"BankWest has listened to feedback from businesses in many different areas and identified a clear need for specialised banking services across various industry sectors," he said.
Albury Mayor Stuart Baker cut the official ribbon at the opening and said the dedicated BankWest Business Banking Centre was a vote of confidence for the area's economic development.
"It's great to see BankWest bringing new competition into Albury and investing in the region. BankWest sees the inherent opportunities delivered through our high performing business and agribusiness sector and locals will win through better deals and services from the new competition," Mr Baker said.
BankWest has a growth strategy to become a significant force in Australian financial services, through a strategy focusing on driving competition and change in the banking industry.
"We have made a significant investment in our future here in Albury. We have a modern business bank premises with the latest technology and systems and, more importantly, we have recruited the very best bankers in the local area," Mr Ritchie said.
"Our recent expansion announcement means it will be even easier for BankWest customers to access our services and products over the coming years," he said.
