At Absa self-service kiosks, customers will be able to request bank statements that feature an electronic stamp. According to Absa, this will soon be widely accepted by service providers as an alternative to normal bank statements. “This patented innovation, known as eStamp, is a South African first,” stated Christo Vrey, managing executive of Absa Digital Channels.

Additionally, customers will soon be able to make use of a new service known as Scan ‘n Pay at Absa’s cash accepting ATMs. This functionality allows users to scan bar-coded invoices from a number of utilities companies and other large corporates, and then instantly pay from their Absa account or by inserting cash into the device. Vrey said that Absa customers will as of next year also be able to make quick donations to a selection of charitable organisations.

Over the next three years, the above-mentioned enhancements will be complemented by the rollout of new ATM and kiosk casings (the outward appearance of the devices) as well as the replacement of some of Absa’s older devices.

“Our range of innovations are expected to reduce the length of queues in branches, particularly at month end, thereby making access to a range of banking options more convenient for our customers,” explained Vrey.

He added: “Annually, over R200 billion is moved via our ATM network, through 500 million transactions. With nearly 6 000-Absa owned devices and approximately 3000 Absa-supported ones, clearly this is one of our most fundamental customer touch-points. We are now in the exciting phase of rolling out a brand new ATM experience across the country.”

In related news Absa revealed in September that a dramatic 65% year-on-year increase in financial transactions have been made via its three cellphone banking offerings.