People’s Bank and CEB make bill payment more convenient

Friday, 5 September 2014 01:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In an attempt to allow consumers to pay their utility bills in a hassle-free manner, People’ Bank and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) joined hands this week to provide a more sophisticated payment system. While the two state entities were already in collaboration to allow the payment of electricity bills through internet banking, the system it launched this Wednesday (3) allow customers to make payments through e-banking and SMS banking, where the funds will be credited immediately. In addition to the instant fund transfer where the customers receive an immediate alert of the transaction, they will also provide the facility of obtaining details relating to their electricity bills upon registering with the CEB. Doing so customers will be able to have access to information such as amount paid and remaining balance on their electricity bill. To ensure that the service is accessible to the majority of its 13 million account holders, People’s Bank has tied up with the top three mobile service providers in the country, Dialog, Etisalat and Mobitel. The notion behind the service from People’s Bank is to allow customers a hassle-free payment experience while the CEB seeks to increase bill collection. The service is offered for free to customers. At the launch event, which was graced by senior officials from the two organisations, a MoU was signed and exchanged, establishing the collaboration. Expressing views on the new facility, People’s Bank Chief Executive Officer and General Manager N. Vasantha Kumar stated that with the bank having evolved over the past 53 years and becoming sensitive to the needs of the people, it has made substantial investment on physical, technological and human resources so it can fulfil the aspirations of its customers. “From now on, together with the CEB, People’s Bank will afford our customers the luxury of paying their electricity bills from the comfort of their homes,” he said. According to Ceylon Electricity Board Additional General Manager – Generation M.C. Wickramasekara, out of the 20 institutions that have been authorised to collect payments on behalf of the CEB, People’s Bank accounts for near 40% of the collection and has the potential to capture a further 20% in the coming years. The CEB currently has 5 million consumers. The two entities expressed that the launch of the new service marks a key milestone in the 40-year long journey jointly undertaken by the organisations. With the bank being the first in Sri Lanka to introduce mobile banking to Sri Lankans living overseas, the initiative reflects the commitment of the institution to promote value added services to its clientele through cutting-edge technology and processes.