Canada’s CIBC Partners With Will-Writing Platform Willful

Canadian financial institution (FI) CIBC will be working with Willful, a platform for will creation, to add digital options for affordable estate planning, a press release said Tuesday (July 5).

The release notes that many Canada residents consider cost and convenience when they’re considering making a will. And in addition, over half of Canadians don’t have a legal will.

The report noted that CIBC’s collaboration with Willful will offer online banking clients without complex will requirements a good, easy way to make a will in a short time. Clients can also use this to do things like make power of attorney documents, compile a list of assets and record their wishes for their funeral and burial.

David Attard, senior vice president of digital banking and enablement and personal and business banking with CIBC, said the impetus for this comes from the fact that Canadian residents want access for simple ways to manage finances and plan for the future.

“[W]orking with Willful enables our clients to have the peace of mind that comes with having a will and plan for their estate,” he said. “With this new collaboration, we’re encouraging clients to have important conversations and get these vital documents in place, leveraging the convenience of digital to make it as easy as possible.”

CIBC has been making other moves, including investing $12 million in Phorest, a platform for salon owners’ online booking and management.

See also: CIBC Pledges $12M to Help Salon-Booking App Phorest Grow

Phorest, based in Dublin, plans to use this to add market growth and boost the rollout of new products.

The company’s software eases a salon’s administrative work with online bookings, stock control, eCommerce and payments.

“CIBC Innovation Banking has provided incredible support to our team at Phorest over the years,” said Phorest Vice President of Finance Jonathan Miller. “We’re grateful for their assistance through this growth facility, which will enable our immediate market development plans and accelerated product initiatives.”