ADB connects customers to Visa International
By: Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh
The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has formally launched its visa classic card service at a ceremony in Kumasi as part of its efforts at making banking more accessible and convenient to its teeming customers.
This follows the approval to issue visa cards obtained from Visa International, the global company which has the rights to the visa digital payments technology. By this approval, ADB is authorised to issue visa classic cards for use both locally and internationally.
The Managing Director of ADB, Mr. Stephen Kporzih, in his address, noted that the visa classic card service would make it possible for customers of ADB to access their accounts both locally and internationally.
'Locally, ADB visa classic cards can be used as an ATM card on all ATMs in Ghana which are visa compliant, and to make payments at merchant points directly from the holder's bank account with ADB. Internationally, ADB visa debit cards are acceptable on well over one million visa ATMs and by over 24 million merchants worldwide,' he said.
Visa International is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, banks and governments in more than 200 countries and territories, enabling them to use digital currency instead of cash and cheques.
Visa has thereby built one of the world's most advanced processing networks, capable of handling more than 24,000 transactions per second, with reliability, convenience and security, including fraud protection, for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants.
Meanwhile, the occasion was also used to formally introduce to the public a host of electronic banking products, and an inward money remittance product which the bank has added to its range of products, in its bid to give its customers enhanced services.
Mr. Kporzih explained that key to the three-year strategic plan of ADB is the use of IT platform as a strategic tool for competitive advantage. Thus, this informed the need to transform the IT infrastructure of ADB through increased investment in technology, and also our eagerness to introduce new channels to bring more satisfaction to our cherished customers.
'ADB now offers a wide range of electronic banking products and services differentiated for specific needs, to provide ease and convenient for customers. A number of our products have signed on to use our range of e-banking products such as ABD quicalert, quicmail, quicstatemants, quicpay, electronic voucher, mobile phone payment, NLA fastpay, and bill payment products and also very soon, quicnet, ADB's version of internet banking,' Mr Kporzih added.
On the money remittance front, in addition to its traditional Western Union and MoneyGram services, ADB has now made it possible for Ghanaian residents in the United States (US) to remit money through a new Sikacash money transfer service. Sikacash is a US-to-Ghana specific service. It is a low-priced and more culturally-service remittance service. Sikacash money transfer service is available at all ADB branches, but arrangements are underway to extend the service to other partner institutions.
The Managing Director of ADB also described the opening of 21 new branches and the relocation of three other branches in the last two years, operating longer banking hours including Saturday banking services at selected locations, and the setting up of a call centre to handle complaints, enquiries, requests and suggestions of customers and the general public, as concentrated efforts made to improve service quality to delight its customers.