During my internship at Aleph-labs Malaysia, I worked in a few cross-cultural projects in conjunction with Aleph-labs Australia and Singapore. IMB Bank is one of them. It is a mutual bank, regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and is a member of the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA).
Project Overview
Project Goal
To conduct preliminary research on the direct and indirect competitors of IMB Bank and present recommendations to stakeholders in terms of what can be done better to improve the digital banking aspect of IMB Bank. Furthermore, the long-term aim is to expand IMB Bank to other regions of Australia.
Team Members
Aurnad Asctruc, Jerry Qin, Kemei Lee, Sean Smith, Akhmad Abu Jabal, Jared Low, Kezia Jenissa, Lydia Pung, Meghla Mehnaz Rose (me), and Avis Lum
My Responsibilities
Do brand analysis of the traditional banks of Australia and suggest recommendations to IMB Bank Australia.
Sync up with fellow team members to prepare the UX research presentation
Brand Experience
Next, we had numerous sync-ups with my Singapore and Australia office colleagues. and put the brand analysis more in perspective and developed our presentation.
Key Takeaways
Working cultures vary a little depending on the location. However, if the main goal is aligned, it is possible to overcome the challenges.
There is always opportunities to learn and grow from the people around us, no matter the geographical location and the differences.
The banking culture in Australia is unique in its own way and there are strategies that can be exchanged between South-east Asia and Australia in the finance sector.