Benefits for both banks and customers.

(Baonghean) - Today, banking activities are no longer simply about mobilizing capital and lending. The development and acceptance of credit cards, ATMs, and mobile banking have given rise to electronic banking services, providing customers with many convenient, versatile, and modern products.

Customers using Agribank Nghe An's automated ATM transactions.

Besides focusing on capital mobilization and lending to the economy, commercial banks are paying attention to developing service activities, especially expanding cashless payments through the deployment of electronic banking services, installing and connecting more ATMs and POS terminals in the area. Currently, Nghe An province has 217 ATMs and 508 POS terminals, of which 466 are installed at businesses selling goods and services and accepting card payments from other banks in the area (the remaining 42 POS terminals are located at transaction counters to serve customers' cash withdrawal needs). Most state-funded units in Vinh City and the centers of some districts and towns have implemented salary payments via bank accounts (accounting for over 90%). Currently, approximately 1,077 units in Nghe An province are paying salaries via bank accounts, of which nearly 900 units receiving salaries from the state budget are doing so, accounting for 30% of all state-funded units in the province. The total number of payment cards is 680,000, and POS payment volume is steadily increasing, reaching 17 billion VND per month in 2013, an increase of 8 billion VND per month compared to the previous year.

Electronic banking services are one of many modern banking technology applications of the Vietnam Foreign Trade Commercial Bank (Vietcombank). With the ability to process information online, electronic banking provides online payment and inquiry services to customers, credit institutions, and economic organizations with payment and account relationships with Vietcombank. Mr. Vo Anh Tuan, Head of Administration and Human Resources at Vietcombank Vinh, stated: "With 25 ATMs and 198 card acceptance points in the province, Vietcombank Vinh not only satisfies more than 150,000 customers using the bank's card services but also tourists from other countries and provinces. At the same time, it encourages people to reduce the use of cash, significantly reducing the operational time of staff and the waiting time for customers. In the first six months of 2014, the sales volume through Vietcombank Vinh's POS card acceptance points alone reached 35 billion VND."

To date, the branch has developed many more electronic banking services for customers such as VCB IBanking, SMS Banking, Phone Banking, etc., which are modern conveniences serving customers with accounts at the bank for checking and printing data without having to go to the bank. Especially with the VCB-iB@nking online banking service: with just a computer connected to the Internet, customers can check daily fee schedules, interest rates, exchange rates, account balances and related transaction information, inquire about information on credit and debit cards, print account statements by time, and especially make transfers within the VCB system with a limit of VND 100,000,000/day.

The Agribank Nghe An branch currently has 29 ATMs installed in districts, towns, and cities, with only the two mountainous districts of Ky Son and Quy Chau lacking ATMs. The branch also offers many convenient services for customers, such as: card services, online banking services for individuals and businesses (internet banking); mobile banking; SMS loan repayment reminders... connecting payment between the bank and customers. Recently, it has added online payment services (E-Commerce), a cardless payment service where cardholders pay for goods and services on e-commerce websites via the Banknetvn payment gateway. Currently, 143 merchants and websites offer E-Commerce services. With these services, customers can "go to the bank" anytime, anywhere with just an internet-connected device or a mobile phone. They can easily check personal account information, make online payments, pay postpaid bills, deposit savings online, register for banking services... and many other conveniences, saving customers time and travel costs. E-commerce activities play a significant role in helping Agribank attract more and more customers.

Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Service and Marketing Department of the Agricultural Bank of Nghe An Province (Agribank), stated: To date, the Agribank Nghe An Branch holds the leading position in the province in terms of the number of cards issued, with 263,000 cards, and serves salary payments through bank accounts for 506 units, accounting for 50% of the market share of units paying salaries through banks in the province. The ATM system has developed 29 machines, and the EPC/POS (card swiping for purchases) system has 34 devices. Over 68,000 customers use Mobile banking and Internet banking services. Agribank has the advantage of a wide network covering the entire province with 69 transaction points, facilitating the introduction of modern banking services to rural areas. In the first six months of 2014, the transaction volume through ATMs (including cash withdrawals, transfers, and other payments) of Agribank Nghe An reached 1,900 billion VND.

However, there are still limitations such as people's habit of using cash in circulation and their unfamiliarity with using modern means of transportation. Some suppliers have not met quality standards for goods, leading to a lack of customer trust.

Thanks to technology, banks have become closer to consumers through the internet and telecommunications networks. Now, information exchange between customers and banks is simplified to just a click of a mouse or a keypad on a phone. The application of e-commerce to business operations not only increases labor productivity and brings higher profits to commercial banks but also provides customers with more products and services, increasing their business efficiency.

Quynh Lan