Due to customers' surging demands for transactions at the end of the year, the banking system needs to take appropriate measures for ATMs, including increasing mobile ATM operations (for organizations supplying supply payment services with mobile ATMs); working with businesses to adjust the salary payment period appropriately; implementing alternative ATM solutions (cash payment at desks or mobile counters, payment via banks' POS machines, etc.).
Banks need to proactively implement specific plans for ATM operations at the end of the year and Lunar New Year; closely monitor and promptly fund ATMs; instantly handle incidents to ensure safe and smooth ATM system operations (especially in industrial parks, processing zones, and populated areas with a large demand for cash withdrawal). Bank branches need to timely support and customers' problems with ATM transactions and quickly handle cases where the ATM swallows customer's cards.
Also, it is necessary to provide information, advertise and guide customers to use electronic payment services to reduce cash withdrawal at ATMs as well as contribute to ensuring health safety when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve complexly.
Banks must ensure safe and accurate coordination of State budget revenues - expenditures at the end of the year; support customers on the process and procedures as prescribed by law; closely coordinate with relevant units, such as intermediary payment service providers, to promptly handle inquiries and complaints from customers.
Based on the SBV's regulations on operation time of the interbank electronic payment system during the year-end settlement and the Lunar New Year, SBV branches in cities and provinces and SBV Operations Center must regulate and advise foreign bank branches in the locality the time to stop receiving documents, timely process documents that have been sent within the day to avoid delays and congestion in payment.
Besides, it is required to strictly and fully implement procedures for cash deposit and withdrawal via the interbank electronic payment system; ensure compliance with regulations on delivery, storage, and transportation of cash. The SBV branches in cities and provinces proactively monitor public opinion to improve service quality as well as ensure security and safety in payment.
Intermediary payment service providers must strictly comply with the provisions of law and the SBV's guidance documents; closely coordinate with the relevant units to promptly handle arising problems to ensure stable, safe, and continuous intermediary payment service provisions; check and review the actual arising transaction data, ensure the accuracy and match with the data on accounting books, reports, and statistics.
The SBV requires NAPAS to regularly control contingency plans; closely supervise and promptly handle incidents to ensure that the financial switching system and electronic clearing system operate stably and safely, and continuously and meet increasing transaction demands at the end of the year and Tet holiday; closely coordinate with member banks to promptly respond to customer inquiries and complaints according to regulations.
It is required to strictly handle violations in ensuring service quality and security of ATM operations in the locality; direct banks and foreign bank branches to implement the coordination of state budget collection, create favorable conditions for people and businesses to pay the budget through the banking system.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the banking industry has proactively joined hands with the Government and regulators in overcoming difficulties of the pandemic and of the recovery period, contributing to macroeconomic stability, and supporting economic growth at a reasonable level. Supportive policies of the banking industry including interest rate decrease, credit, and debit structure support, fee exemptions in payment transactions have released the burden of businesses and society and actively contributed to economic recovery, ensuring social security. Also, foreign partners, international organizations, embassies, and diplomatic agencies have greatly contributed to the above achievements.
Compiled by VietnamCredit
