Cuban banking system moves towards electronic payments

Cuban banking system moves towards electronic payments

Cuba, Jun 24 – In keeping with the country policy of computerizing itself in favor of the progress of the national economy and the welfare of the people, the Cuban banking system encourages the development of computer infrastructure and easy-to-use services that are beneficial to all.

This is what Alberto Quiñones Betancourt, Director General of Informatics Services of the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC), said in a press conference. He valued positively the assimilation of the options available until now by users.

He highlighted the increase in the number of magnetic cards issued up to May of this year, which exceed five million 265 thousand; with a growth of nearly half a million units since 2018.

Regarding the behavior of the electronic payment channels in the first months of 2019 (Telephone, Remote and Mobile Banking), he informed that the use of Mobile

Banking grew more than seven times with respect to the same period of the previous year, for 830 thousand payment operations.

With 67,000 transactions, Remote Banking grows 37 percent compared to 2018, while Telephone Banking decreases by nine percentage units.

Digitization lowers the costs of banking activity in the country, favors organization and internal control, while providing users with different options to optimize their time and facilitate management, said Quiñones Betancourt.

Among the services that are working to add to Mobile Banking this 2019 is the recharge of the Nauta account, as well as electronic commerce and payments with the CIMEX Corporation, he said.

On the other hand, the current challenges are focused on promoting the use of digital payment channels, including the so-called Point of Sale Terminals (POS), which reduces the use of cash.

Regarding cybersecurity, he stated that it is one of the main concerns of the Central Bank of Cuba, which is why it works together with national software development companies so that each service is not only efficient, but safe for users and banking institutions.(ACN)