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BSP unveils new ATM

By ALISON ANIS
THE Bank South Pacific (BSP) opened a new automated transaction machine (ATM) at Jackson airport yesterday, much to the relief of Air Niugini workers located at 7-Mile and the travelling public.
The machine is located between the domestic and the international terminal and will service up to one hundred customers fortnightly.
The ATM was opened by BSP managing director Garth McIlwan and withnessed by BSP general manager Kevin McCarthy, staff from BSP and members of the public.
The newly installed ATM is among 50 brand new ATMs imported from Australia this year.
Mr McIlwan said the machines could only dispense a minimum of K20 at a time and would seldom close due to lack of cash.
BSP will install another ATM in the Arrival Section at the international terminal within the following months.
“We are looking at installing 100 to 150 ATMS by the end of the year,” Mr McIlwain said.
BSP reported that as of last June, it recorded 928,253 customers nationwide.
“Our strategy is that we would like higher usage of electronic banking.”
He said in Australia, an ATM machine would transact 3,000 transactions a month on average, whereas our Goroka branch handled 20,000 transactions in one month last year.
“So you can imagine the amount of utilisation our machines go through, especially when the machines are open between 6am to 7pm unlike Australia, where they are open 24 hours.”
ATM call-outs in Port Moresby were easier to respond to than in other places, where technical assistance and the travelling time would mean longer hours, Mr McIlwan said.