SCOTIA Group Jamaica (SGJ) Limited is expanding digital banking services and customer tools as it enters the third year of a five-year strategy aimed at strengthening client relationships, executives said at the bank’s annual meeting.

The strategy, launched globally by the Bank of Nova Scotia in December 2023 under Chief Executive Officer Scott Thomson, centres on four pillars: Growing and scaling priority businesses, deepening primary client relationships, making it easier for customers to do business with the bank, and strengthening internal collaboration.

As part of that push, the Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica (BNSJ) Limited has been rolling out new digital tools aimed at improving the customer experience and simplifying routine banking services.

“With our clients at the heart of our decision-making, we implemented several strategic initiatives to make it very easy for our clients to do business with us. We introduced digital solutions to strengthen security, improve usability and add more value to our clients,” stated Audrey Tugwell Henry, president and CEO of SGJ, at the company’s annual general meeting held on March 5 by the Iberostar Selection Rose Hall, Montego Bay, St James.

During the October 2025 financial year, the bank introduced debit card controls and card dispute features on its online banking platform and mobile application, allowing clients to manage card security and resolve issues digitally.

Deposit alerts were also added to the mobile application to notify customers when transfers arrive.

The bank has also introduced digital loan and credit card applications, allowing existing clients to begin and track applications online before visiting a branch to complete documentation.

“We also were very pleased to roll out digital onboarding for loans and credit card applications. This feature allows for simplified onboarding process for our clients to commence loan and credit card applications online. This offers reduced processing time, faster decision-making and transparency regarding application status,” Tugwell Henry added as she revealed that more than 600,000 clients are enrolled online.

The Scotia Caribbean mobile app is also being expanded as a platform connecting services across the group’s subsidiaries.

Clients of Scotia Investments Jamaica Limited can now view investment balances and statements through the app, while customers of Scotia Jamaica Life Insurance Company Limited will begin receiving monthly statements through the mobile platform, starting May 1, 2026.

Additional payment services are also expected to be added in the coming months.

The Scotia Group CEO noted that Apple Pay and online wire transfers are expected to be introduced shortly, with roll-out likely by late 2026. These services would complement earlier payment innovations including Garmin Pay and American Express integration.

Alongside its digital expansion, the bank is also investing in its physical banking infrastructure.

At the end of September 2025, BNSJ had 292 automated banking machines (ABMs) installed, with 281 in operation, according to data from the Bank of Jamaica.

However, 17 machines were lost following Hurricane Melissa, leaving 244 operational ABMs by December 2025.

Despite that disruption, Tugwell Henry said the bank plans to instal 128 new ABMs during the current financial year, while also improving accessibility by adding ramps where possible and expanding services for visually impaired clients.

The group is also working to expand the reach of the Scotiabank Women Initiative, which has already deployed $6.2 billion in loans to more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs over the past four years.

According to the CEO, an additional $5 billion has been earmarked for lending between 2026 and 2029.

Scotia Group is also preparing to launch a new internal case management system known as ScotiaFlow, which will help resolve customer issues more quickly once implemented later this year.

The financial group also reported that its insurance subsidiary, Scotia General Insurance Agency Limited, which trades as ScotiaProtect, expanded its partnership with GraceKennedy Limited in November 2025 to Barbados, Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas, with the business transferred in January 2026.

“Through our banks that we have in those islands, we’ve partnered with GraceKennedy to provide insurance products that we distribute on their behalf,” stated meeting chair Anya Schnoor on the expanded partnership.

The bank’s digital push and operational changes come as the group navigates a challenging economic environment following Hurricane Melissa.

Despite growing total operating income by eight per cent to $17.90 billion, Scotia Group’s consolidated net profit declined by $84.72 million to $4.12 billion during the first quarter ended January.

The reduced profitability was due to higher asset tax charges, hurricane-related expenses and an eight per cent rise in salaries and staff benefits to $4 billion.

“We’re very pleased considering it was the first quarter after [Hurricane] Melissa. We’re very pleased with the first-quarter performance and the resilience of the bank and how we’ve been able to support our customers and the recovery that we see,” Schnoor stated.

The group’s stock closed Monday at $50.48, leaving it down five per cent for the year and giving the company a market capitalisation of $157.08 billion.

Scotia declared a $0.45 dividend, totalling $1.40 billion, to be paid on April 14 to shareholders on record as of March 23.