Bank South Pacific is broadening its digital offering, according to Nuni Kulu, BSP’s General Manager Digital. She told the 2019 Business Advantage Papua New Guinea Investment Conference that technology is driving big changes in the banking landscape.

BSP’s Nuni Kulu Source: BAI

2019 is the year Bank South Pacific has committed itself to implementing its digital strategy, according to Nuni Kulu.

The strategy is underpinned by a three-year project to implement a core banking system across all the territories in which the bank operates: Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Already, ‘significant opportunities’ are opening up, said Kulu, who is responsible for BSP’s digital strategy.

‘The impact will be beneficial for the entire economy, as the bank will be able to reach rural communities and provide reliable online banking services that will save money and costs for most of our customers, who have to travel by road or sea to get to a branch, an ATM or a merchant in the nearest town.’

Increased transactions

Kulu said the banking landscape in PNG is changing; there is an increasing appetite for real-time, online payments.

She stated that education in financial and digital literacy will be needed for people who are previously unbanked in order to improve service delivery, via the bank’s agents, in rural centres.

‘Businesses are looking for digital solutions to improve their business outcomes.’

The Bank of PNG, she noted, has recently launched a retail payment system which will enable financial institutions to offer both card and mobile banking payments services to their customers via the National Switch System.

‘For BSP, we do expect an increase in our transaction volume, as most of these banks and their cardholders will now start to use the extensive ATM and EFTPOS network that we have throughout the country. That will expand financial access to banking systems.

‘Businesses are looking for digital solutions to improve their business outcomes. The use of social media technologies is connecting buyers and sellers, and we’re seeing an increase in third party transaction payments from peer-to-peer or peer-to-business activity, especially on our mobile banking platform.’

Apps

There’s no better example of how BSP is using technology than the way it plans to bring new customers into the bank.

With its new All Aboard customer acquisition app, ‘customers will be able to receive a bank card and an account with mobile banking registration and internet banking registration, and the option to order a visa debit card, all without needing to come into a branch,’ she said.

The app will use biometrics and offer ‘touch and go’ secure contactless payments.

‘Our challenge is trust.’

‘We’re also seeing more contactless transactions via wearable devices with our local merchants. As customers’ appetite for online shopping increases, we will see growth in the number of online merchants coming into the market with the bank’s internet gateway service.’

Kulu acknowledged that banking services outside Port Moresby have challenges because of unreliable electricity supply and communication links.

She added that there are also non-technical obstacles. ‘Our challenge is trust. This is where we need businesses, together with Government, to adopt online transactions that will improve productivity in delivery of service.

‘We need to build that digital knowledge and capability for the employed bank customers, as well as the unbanked.’

Nuni Kulu will be participating in the Innovation PNG 2019 Conference at the Stanley Hotel, Port Moresby on 8 November 2019. For more information, visit www.innovationpng.com.