ORO Bank, touted as Asia’s first full-reserve digital bank, leveraged global financial software provider Finastra’s SaaS core banking solution to launch its cloud-based platform within six months. The Bhutanese bank had launched last week.
Finastra’s combination of rich, broad, and deep banking functionality with advanced technology allowed ORO Bank to quickly establish a competitive edge in the market.
With Finastra’s cloud-based core banking solution, ORO Bank aims to provide a safe, innovative and sustainable banking experience.
ORO Bank is part of the Gelephu Mindfulness City Special Administrative Region (SAR), a strategic initiative announced by the King of Bhutan, with the aim to serve both local and international clients, particularly startups and emerging businesses.
This includes new company with limited history, operate in a disruptive industry, or are an individual with a non-traditional career.
Currently, ORO Bank accounts can be opened from various locations, including Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, and numerous Eurozone countries.
Account holders will have access to a broad ecosystem of traditional and future financial (TradFi and FutureFi) services.
However, regulatory requirements currently restrict Bhutanese nationals from opening accounts. They can explore banking options with DK Limited’s DK Bank division instead.
ORO Bank has also committed to monitoring and offsetting its carbon footprint, as well as donating 1% of its profits to initiatives promoting sustainability.
Unlike traditional banks that engage in fractional reserve banking, ORO Bank operates on a full-reserve model, meaning 100% of customer deposits are backed by reserves.
This approach mitigates the risks associated with bank runs, as seen with the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, and ensures that customer funds are always available when needed.
Mike Kayamori, CEO at ORO Bank said,
“In addition to serving the Mindfulness City, we aspire to become the preferred bank for global startups and innovative emerging businesses.
Finastra’s expertise in cloud-first deployments and supporting new digital banks in this region is second to none. We knew working together would result in a wonderful partnership that has helped us bring our vision for a different kind of bank to life.”
Siobhan Byron, EVP, Universal Banking at Finastra said,
“This is a bank that thrives in bringing innovators and entrepreneurs around the world together to collaborate – a reflection of the same open finance ideals we hold at Finastra.
It is a pleasure to have helped kick start ORO Bank’s journey. Our platform is ideally placed to enable the bank to focus on its inspiring vision and customer service, while we take care of the core banking operations.”