11Onze Founder, James Sène
Over 148 private investors have already become founding shareholders and the demand grows daily as 11Onze – the first digital community bank in Catalonia – gears up towards its launch.
What is unique about this 11Onze bank is that it is created to shift the balance of power from the few to the many. In an age where knowledge is power, it aims to share intelligence and know-how with its customers to help them control their financial future. Big banks are controlled by a few and serve a few. 11Onze is turning this practice on its head. It’s a bank largely owned by the Catalan people, serving its locals to build stronger communities – all with cutting edge innovation at its fingertips. It’s revolutionary on several fronts – from being the first bank ever to offer a private social network to its customers and provide a marketplace to do business with each other.
I am proud to be a founding shareholder, says Jordi Roset, Co-Owner of the Petrolis Independents fuel chain, a franchise of Petro7, a brand of the Petrolis Roset S.L. “11Onze will be the bank for SMEs and ordinary people. I see it is an investment into our future. I am hoping my children and my grandchildren will be doing business with this bank! I am not investing in the bank like those shareholders who are all day looking at the stock market to see if they made a killing; for me it’s an investment for the future and the country.”
“Moreover, as a Catalonian I would like to say that we saw many large banks with a long history here, decamp after the independence referendum in 2017. This really shocked all of us. To have a community bank like 11Onze, of which we are founding shareholders, gives me the confidence that it’s here for us and it will stay here for us, for our society and its business fabric.”
“Our founding shareholders are people who share our vision,” confirms 11Onze Founder James Sène “11Onze is a Catalonia-based digital community bank focused on serving and empowering the local people. I believe it is revolutionary not only in its vision but also in execution. We go beyond the normal challenger banks by using a digital platform for banking, offering a private social network and a marketplace to its customers to interact, engage and take control of their finance. We also aim to educate our customers on how to make the most of their savings and investments.”
Being digital will not compromise 11Onze from being personal, Sène adds. “When banks became digitised, they inevitably became distanced from their customers. Customers are often served by bots or strangers on the end of a phone line. 11Onze brings the local bank experience into a digital world. Every customer will be connected to a dedicated 11Onze member whom they know by name and background. It’s not merely about going digital, it’s also about keeping it local and intimate.”
“I see it as a bank that listens to people, regardless of their ideology,” reveals shareholder investor Mercè Comas, entrepreneur, had run Moto Auto Juni for more than 25 years. “I like the fact that it will be a bank to support personal and business projects, any project that is viable will have our support. This will be a true revolution in the sector.”
