Bank Pekao is the first bank in Poland that offers SME and corporate customers who are users of the PekaoBiznes24 online banking to make transfers to the phones. The new solution has been in the testing phase which the bank runs together with PZU S.A. since February.
From the 1st of March 2021, business customers of Bank Pekao can make a transfer to the telephone number of an individual payment recipient, registered in the database called Polish Payment Standard (PSP) – in the BLIK system. Until now, only individual customers could use such an option. More than 7 million Poles have already linked their telephone number with the bank account number in the PSP database, and the data is still growing. The limit of a single transaction carried out by PekaoBiznes24 is 10 000 PLN (approx. 2 169 EUR), and the number of transfers in one day is unlimited. The order is possible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
BANK PEAKO AS THE PIONEER IN IMPLEMENTING PHONE TRANSFERS FOR SMEs
„The undoubted advantages of phone transfers are their real-time implementation and the fact that the sender does not need to know the recipient’s account number, therefore does not spend time to obtain and enter it into the transfer form. Everything is done in a cashless and fast way, which is especially important during the pandemic restrictions related to COVID-19. That is why it was very important to us to make this service available to our corporate clients in the shortest possible time, and the fact that we were the first one in Poland that implemented it in the corporate and SME segment is an additional reason for us to be content” – says Magdalena Zmitrowicz, Vice President of the Management Board of Bank Pekao SA, supervising the Small and Medium Enterprises Banking Division.
„A transfer to the phone will allow entrepreneurs to quickly top up an employee’s to pay, for example, an invoice, make a company purchase or pay the future remuneration in advance. This form of payment will also work in those industries where the company conducts settlements with retail clients. It can be used, among others for transferring funds as part of returns, complaints, or other forms of claim from an individual recipient, as well as for quick payment of funds to beneficiaries of insurance or other benefits, e.g. social benefit”s – says Jerzy Kwieciński, Vice President of the Management Board of Bank Pekao SA, supervising the Corporate Banking, Markets and Investment Banking.
PHONE TRANSFER ALSO FOR COMPENSATION PAYMENT
PZU S.A. started the system of using a transfer to the phone as a form of compensation payment. The first claims paid with Blik have already been implemented and, as the insurer emphasizes, the solution was very well received by customers.
“Payments to the phone number are the fastest possible form of settlement and we want to use it also in the area of claims and benefits handling. Let’s imagine a situation of catastrophic atmospheric phenomena, which often result in damage to our clients’ houses, apartments, or cars. The very quick availability of funds will allow clients to immediately take the necessary actions” – says Grzegorz Goluch, Managing Director at PZU Group – Claims Handling and Operations.
The use of mobile payments can be used irregularly or cyclically depending on the demand. It enables quick settlements, for example during a call, when the company does not yet have a customer’s bank account and wants to transfer money quickly. This form simplifies the process and reduces the scope of data and documents needed to send a transfer. The name, surname, and telephone number of the payment recipient is all that is needed.
Source: Bank’s Press Release from 01.03.2021.
