17 Jan 2016

The managing director of BancABC says they are the first bank in Africa to introduce a customers’ block capability for their ATM cards through cellular phones in case they were lost or stolen.

Speaking at the launch of BancABC Mobi, a mobile banking platform, Mr Jitto Kurian said the bank has once again developed a first of its kind solution for the Botswana market.

“We understand that our customers want efficient and reliable products and services and they also want technological solutions that make their lives easier, and BancABC Mobi is that solution,” he said.

He added that the mobile application was the first ever self-registration mobile banking solution in Botswana which means the customer does not need to register at the branch.

“No other bank in the country offers this kind of convenience,” said Mr Kurian.

Speaking about the bank, Mr Kurian further said the bank started operating in Botswana in 2010, and that they have introduced a few initiatives to the retail banking industry. “We are the only bank in Botswana that has a branch at Airport Junction Mall that operates seven days a week and opens from 7am to 5pm,” he said, adding that they so far have eight branches.

He further said they were the first retail bank in Botswana to offer 100 per cent home loans to customers who were first time home owners.

“Five years on, we were also the first bank to introduce the prepaid ATM card that allows the unbanked section of the population to bank with us without necessarily opening a bank account,” he said.

For his part, the country manager of BancABC, Mr Chester Nziradzemhuka said the mobile application could be used by any BancABC customer to interact with their account at any time they choose.

“A simple three step process of downloading from app stores and registering for the app allows customers to perform various transactions,” he said, adding that for the USSD option, customers simply dial *117# to register and transact at their convenience.

He said some of the features offered by the Mobi include the ability to make DSTV payments, loan application enquiries, purchases of prepaid electricity, prepaid airtime and enquiries.

“Users can also have the liberty to conduct inter-account transfers between own accounts, transfer to other BancABC accounts, transfers to other banks as well as make bill payments at their convenience,” he said. Ends