BARCLAYS Bank officially launched its recently introduced point of sale (POS) machines in the resort town of Victoria Falls on Friday to demonstrate how the product could support the Zimbabwean tourism sector, which relies on fast and efficient card payments system.
Nokuthaba Dlamini Own correspondent
Speaking at the official launch, Barclays Zimbabwe managing director George Guvamatanga said their main objective in launching the new products was to improve the economy mainly in the tourism sector.
“When we develop and introduce new products, Barclays is cognisant of how these products and services will support the growth of our key sectors within the economy,’ he said.
“The world is increasingly becoming digital and travellers have long since stopped carrying large amounts of cash. We strongly believe that the launch of our POS machines will provide a safe and secure means for visitors to transact while positioning Zimbabwe as a dream destination for the international community,” Guvamatanga said.
He said the tourism industry was able to grow and bear fruits for the country and it is was their ambition to support such development.
“The Zimbabwean economy has been facing quite a lot of challenges of late. It is anchored on mining, agriculture, tourism and that is where Victoria Falls comes in, but unlike agriculture, mining, technology and energy, tourism does not require equipment because it is based on nature and it allows stakeholders to play their part,” he added.
“We therefore saw it correct to support the government to take the tourism industry forward and improve our economy. We present better qualities and cheap services so we should be able to attract the tourists. Some shops have many point of sale services such as American Express, Master card, Visa and Maestro and we can support the Zimbabwe tourism industry,”he said.
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Barclays banking director Valeta Mthimkhulu said merchants and service providers in Zimbabwe were gaining real value with the Barclays terminals.
“Customers are at the heart of our business. At Barclays we aim to make their lives much easier by constantly developing new and exciting products and services that will cater to their needs. Our POS machines achieve this by offering real convenience, allowing our customers and other card holders to safely pay for a wide range of products. Merchants have found the machine convenient as it takes three different card schemes on the machine,” Mthimkhulu said.
She said the machines were reliable, fast and convenient to all users.
“They are portable and connect to both GPRS (mobile network) and internet connections allowing for mobility and fast connectivity. The e-channels charges are lower than some of the normal channels and these include Internet banking, tablet banking and mobile banking which we offer and automated teller machines. We are the first bank in Zimbabwe to launch an app on Google store and it is much cheaper, convenient and faster,” she said.
She said they were recruiting people to educate their clients on how to use POS .
