HFC Bank to sign agreement with Visa to broaden Payment Base

Accra, June 14, GNA - HFC Bank will sign an agreement with Visa, a U S global payments technology company, to broaden its payment base and increase access of customers to their funds.

Visa connects consumers, business, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories, enabling them to use digital currency instead of cash and cheques. Mr Joseph Acquah, Head of e-Banking of the financial institution tol d the Ghana News Agency that the bank is positioning itself to leverage on its electronic platform to provide customers good and reliable quality servic es that meet their demands.

He urged customers to make use of the services to transform their banking experience, for convenience and to save time. Some of the electronic services offered by the bank include Fast Pay , a school payment platform, Fast Cash, Fast Net and Fast Alert. Mr Acquah said the fast pay service allows students of some universities, which are hooked to the platform, to pay their fees at the bank and once the payment was made it is immediately reflected in the accounts of the school.

This, he said, had prevented fraud in schools and presented a great opportunity to parents.

So far, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Regent University and All Nations University had signed on to the school payment

platform and the bank was in touch with other institutions to avail themselves of the service. He said the Fast Cash permitted the use of Automated Teller Machines , which allowed clients to check their balance, transfer monies, make reque st for cheque books and to buy mobile top ups. Customers also have the ability to block their ATM cards in case of theft or misplacement through their mobile phones. There is also fast text and fast alert through which customers are alerted about any transaction on their accounts through the e-mail or the

phone. Mr Acquah emphasised the speed with which the fast text and fast ale rt service are carried through, saying delivery is done in real time and "is

therefore a very significant service". He said a key issue in e-banking was the use of the mobile phone technology because of its huge penetration, adding that the bank would fi nd innovative ways to make use of this major avenue for payment. Mr Acquah asked potential customers in need of reliable and customer-friendly services to come to HFC bank for their expectations to be met.