Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat touted roughly $200 million in cost savings the bank found in 2018 by going digital and taking on other related initiatives.
It seems $200 million is only the beginning.
Corbat said the bank will potentially reap $500 million to $600 million in incremental savings each of the next two years. That would make for well over $1 billion in cost savings over three years, and presume to generate perhaps 25% more growth in savings in 2019.
“A lot of that savings is dependent upon the continued investment in terms of the switch from analog to digital and, in particular, in parts of our consumer business, coming from behind and kind of getting cards back on track,” Corbat said.
Additionally, he referenced cutting out some “empty calories” in terms of marketing investment. He also credited investments Citi has made in Mexico that have resulted in growth, particularly in card products and retail loans.
Also see: At Citigroup, Mobile User Growth Outshines Online Activity by Nearly 3x
Corbat’s comments came during Citi’s earnings call yesterday when asked what investments will drive growth at the bank and keep it competitive in 2019 and beyond.
Total operating expenses in 4Q18 were $9.9 billion, down 4% from $10.3 billion in the fourth quarter of last year, “as lower compensation costs, efficiency savings and the wind-down of legacy assets more than offset investments and volume growth,” according to Citi’s earnings presentation.





