BSP opens Hela unit

 BANK South Pacific Rural has opened a branch at Komo in the newly-created province of Hela.

BSP Rural Komo branch, which opened for business last March 8, has four staff, two tellers and two sales officers. 

The innovative branchless banking technology used by BSP enables officers to travel to surrounding communities to open bank accounts for customers. 

New accounts are opened in real-time and debit cards with PINs are issued at once. 

The branch, which now serves more than 3,000, is expected to bring relief to more than 30,000 people in the Komo district. 

The main objective of BSP Rural is to provide basic banking services to the largely unbanked rural population in PNG. 

The new branch is complemented by the main branch in Tari and three bank agents in Nogoli, Koroba and in nearby Nipa district.  

BSP has been the first bank to provide banking services in the area since the independence. 

The Rural branch is part of BSPs objective of creating viable e-payments through Eftpos merchants, ATMs, agents, rural branch and main branch.

BSP said it has a strong connection and relationship with many communities, offering banking services that are basic to the growth of the nation. 

The bank said in a statement: “The relationship we build with each and every customer is important to us, be it our corporate clients in Port Moresby or our customers in the most remote and rural locations, such as Komo, in Hela Province.”

BSP said it was now recruiting more Eftpos merchants and agents in the Tari-Komo-Hides area.