BPR in Mobile banking drive

It boasts the biggest coverage countrywide, with a total of 190 branches yet few of its clients have embraced the bank’s latest technology. Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR) is in a campaign aimed at shifting its customers from traditional banking to electronic mobile banking, in a bid to cut queues and congestion.One of the oldest banks in the country, BPR is encouraging its clients to adopt mobile banking, whereby all transactions, including transfers, payments can be conducted using a mobile phone while withdrawals can be made at ATM. Richard Ndahiro, Head of Marketing and Product Development of BPR, told Business Times that the bank is targeting about 300, 000 registered users by the end of this year under its flagship promotion ‘Simbuka na Bank Populaire’ which started last December. “The campaign was inspired by what we realised was lacking after launching mobile banking. We realised that there was a need for more people to be aware of our product and to achieve that we needed mass awareness campaign to make people understand these products,” he said.“That is why we came up with ‘Simbuka na Bank Populaire’ because we wanted people to jump from one level of banking to another – you jump from normal ways of banking, such as queuing, to another level of banking using your mobile phone.”Ndahiro said their aim is to take the product deep the villages, even at the grassrootsw, by explaining the advantages of electronic banking.He also explained that ever since the campaign was launched, it has taken the market by storm, tremendously impacting on the bank’s clientele.In Kigali alone, he said, about 500 people register daily on average, while in upcountry towns like Gisenyi, about 300 people register for mobile banking everyday. The bank, however, says the promotion will continue until satisfactory numbers are attained.“We have a target of having 300, 000 mobile banking registered users by end of 2012. So we expect another 195,000 registered by the end of this year through ‘Simbuka’ and other initiatives we have in our branches,” Ndahiro remarked.The electronic solutions mean that one can carry out transactions, including payments and transfers using the mobile technology.Nevertheless, Ndahiro stated that challenges remain with a considerable number of their clients still conservative given the low levels of literacy, while others are reluctant to embrace electronic banking on grounds that it’s unreliable.Maria Goretti Sinibajije, 22, a house help in Niboyi, Kicukiro District, said: “We have been sensitised about the advantages of using mobile banking; so that is why I came to register and benefit from its user-friendliness.”And, 56-year-old Faustino Hitimana, a resident of Kicukiro, who believes in Benjamin Franklin’s saying: “Time is Money”, was indeed enthusiastic to be part of the electronic banking system.She noted: “I am excited to be part of this modern technology and look forward to using mobile banking. It’s really convenient because it saves time.”

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BPR in Mobile banking drive