On the morning of November 3, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Vice Chairperson Jean Chiu, National Development Council Deputy Minister Yu Chien-Hwa, and Political Deputy Minister of Finance Chuang Tsui-Yun proceeded together to central Taiwan to conduct visits at two pilot bilingual branches there for the first time. The branches visited were both in Taichung City -- the Shi Zheng Branch of Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank ("Taipei Fubon Bank"), and the Taichung Branch of Chang Hwa Commercial Bank ("Chang Hwa Bank").
In support of the government''s Bilingual Nation 2030 policy, the FSC is encouraging banks to set up pilot bilingual branches, help employees improve their English ability, and create service environments that are conducive to the provision of bilingual financial services. From December 2019 through September 2020, visits have been conducted at four pilot bilingual branches in northern Taiwan (DBS Bank Taiwan''s Tianmu Branch, Mega International Commercial Bank''s Lanya Branch, the CTBC Bank''s City Hall Branch, and the First Commercial Bank''s Yanji Branch), while this trip represents the first visit to pilot bilingual branches in central Taiwan.
Domestic banks have actively responded to the Bilingual Nation 2030 policy by adopting plans to open pilot bilingual branches in northern, central, and southern Taiwan. The FSC, taking into account the progress of banks in implementing these plans, chose to travel to Taichung for visits to the Taipei Fubon Bank Shi Zheng Branch and the Chang Hwa Bank Taichung Branch. Each of these pilot bilingual branches has its own distinctive features. The main lines of business at the Taipei Fubon Bank Shi Zheng Branch are retail banking and wealth management. Its business lobby is installed with multilingual simultaneous translation devices and a foreign language Help Desk. Its target customers include recently arrived immigrants (foreign spouses), foreign tourists, and expatriates returning to Taiwan recently because of the epidemic. Meanwhile, the Chang Hwa Bank Taichung Branch is a traditional bank branch that operates many different lines of business serving foreign teachers, students, and travelers from nearby schools, shopping districts, and tourist attractions. There is strong demand for currency exchange and remittance services in the area, and the branch has set up convenient and customer-friendly digital banking equipment of the sort that foreign nationals often use. At the two pilot bilingual branches in question, the multilingual service counters provide a customer-friendly experience in every way, including the counter staff, the transaction forms, the environment, and the facilities. These features show that our domestic banks are well capable of providing friendly, innovative, and internationalized financial services.
Besides the two branches visited this time, there are other pilot bilingual branches in central Taiwan that also provide innovative services that combine a human touch with cutting-edge technology. Since the FSC began promoting pilot bilingual branches last year, 15 banks have opened 69 such branches (see the attached table), and consumers with a need for bilingual banking services are encouraged to make use of them. The FSC urges banks to open more pilot bilingual branches in order to create friendly bilingual services and will conduct visits to such branches in southern Taiwan in the near future.

Contact: Lilian Lin, Section Chief, Domestic Banks Division, Banking Bureau
Tel: (02)8968-9685
Please direct all correspondence and inquiries to:
http://fscmail.fsc.gov.tw/FSC-SPS/SPSB/SPSB01002.aspx