According to Absa, these portable devices enable Absa staff or agents to capture accounts, issue debit cards and select PINs in areas where people have limited access to a physical branch.
 
This facility means that customers can open a bank account no matter where they are in a bus, under a tree or even at school, Absa says.
 
The invention is made possible through state-of-the-art technology, consisting of a portable kit with an embedded PC, thermal printer, scanner entry device and external modem, the company adds.
 
In total 110 devices will be in use countrywide this year compared to 70 last year. Of this year's total of 110, Absa Retail Delivery will be using 60 and Absa's social pension arm AllPay 50.
 
Ten of the devices currently being used by Retail Delivery are used in 10 roving sales vehicles (Absas mobile banks).
 
Currently Absa Mzansi, FlexiSave, MegaSave and Sekulula accounts can all be opened remotely.
 
The business objective with the remote opening devices was to provide a remote delivery platform to enable Absa and other contracted third parties to open new savings accounts.
 
Says Venete Klein, executive director: Absa developed this technology for the remote opening devices to provide for SAs unbanked/underbanked market.
 
The primary driver, in addition to flexibility and convenience, was to reduce the cost of delivery of this service compared to the current cost of opening accounts via the existing physical channel, Klein adds.
 
This will enable Absa to be flexible and less dependent on physical infrastructure for those South Africans who previously did not have access to banks, says Klein.
 
With the roving sales vehicles the marketing of transactional and lending products, consumer education and training, as well as ATM demonstrations and training on a live ATM are also possible, Klein continues.