About

BCI is a Chilean bank that operates across four business areas: savings and deposits; insurance; asset management; and securities brokerage. Founded by the Yuar family in 1937, BCI has grown into one of Chile’s leading financial institutions, enjoying a significant international presence with 22% of its assets and revenues derived from abroad. The legal department of the bank, led by Paul Reginald McDonnell Huerta, has been an increasingly important part of all operations – as indicated by recently supporting several transformative initiatives implemented by the company. For example, 2016 has seen BCI implement a significant organisational change, with the company restructuring its retail, SME, institutional banking and finance areas, achieving enhancement of its value offering through specialised products and channels. The company has also rolled out digital transformation initiatives, such as a fully digitised opening service of checking accounts and an online debt consolidation service in its retail banking service, as well as a personalised service model and specialised service platform in its SME banking division. McDonnell and the legal team have played an important part in this restructure, helping the change run as smoothly as possible. As well as supporting these initiatives, McDonnell’s legal team has received acclaim for its pro bono work, recently receiving a ‘Most Outstanding Legal Department of the Year’ award from Fundación Pro Bono – a distinction for the work and voluntary contribution of professionals of the legal department.