Goswami cautions against equating transformation with technology.
Artificial intelligence, digital platforms and other technologies can create new possibilities, but investing in them before identifying which customer problems need to be solved can
turn transformation into a pursuit of novelty rather than value.
“Technology is an enabler, not the starting point. The tail can’t wag the dog,” she said.
The same principle applies to data. Banks hold large amounts of customer information, but Goswami believes the more important question is what customers receive in return for
allowing institutions to use it.
Personal financial management tools, for example, can use customer data to help people understand their spending, savings and financial behavior, potentially supporting better
decisions and strengthening relationships beyond interest rates and promotions.
Transformation also depends on employees. A strategy can appear strong on paper but fail if employees are not supported, equipped or empowered to execute it, Goswami said.
She therefore views organizational culture as an execution issue rather than a separate “soft” consideration. Employees need the confidence and support to act in customers’
interests, while customer feedback, complaints and recurring points of friction need to feed into decision-making.
At the board level, this means keeping strategy focused on customer outcomes and ensuring technology and investment decisions serve the broader strategy. Transformation, Goswami
said, “starts and ends with the customer.”
Strategy determines how the bank responds to customer needs, execution turns those choices into action, and governance helps keep the organization on course. Employee experience
forms part of the same system, as supported and empowered employees are better positioned to deliver the intended customer experience.
Over the next five to 10 years, Goswami wants Eximbank to become a bank that Vietnamese customers trust, find convenient and feel understands their needs.
She also hopes its transformation can become a case study of how a long-established financial institution can adapt to changing customer expectations and compete against
international benchmarks.
Its next phase will require new technologies, capabilities and ways of working, along with discipline in setting priorities.
But the underlying purpose does not need to disappear.
Eximbank’s next chapter, in Goswami’s view, is about preserving the purpose that gives the bank meaning, changing what no longer serves customers and earning their trust through
everyday banking experiences.