People’s Bank partners Dialog, Mobitel to make smartphones affordable for customers

Committed to enhancing customer convenience, People’s Bank has embarked on an aggressive digitalisation drive to deliver greater convenience and speed to customers. In a unique initiative to empower its customer base, People’s Bank has launched the ‘People’s Smart Phone Easy Payment Scheme’ in partnership with two leading telecom operators in the country, Dialog and Mobitel. This innovative scheme enables the bank’s 13 million customer base island-wide to purchase smartphones - from either of the mobile service providers - at 0% interest with installment plans of up to 24 months with the People’s Bank Voice banking app. This scheme will help People’s Bank customers to own their dream smart phone and will also help the bank build its relationship with the customer while popularising digital banking. The ‘People’s Smart Phone Easy Payment Scheme’ promotion is valid until 31 March 2017.

People’s Bank has consistently spearheaded the banking industry towards a more robust future and this unique scheme will not only improve the profile of the sector but also help fulfill customers’ aspirations of owning feature-rich smartphones, providing them access to the internet and enhance IT literacy. The People’s Bank Voice App, which empowers customers to check their account balance via their mobile phones by a simple voice command, is the first of many apps that the bank is rolling out to its customers to enable seamless banking from Android, Windows and iOS smartphones. 

Customers interested in purchasing a smartphone through the ‘People’s Smartphone Easy Payment Scheme’ will need to have a sufficient balance in their Savings, Fixed Deposit or Non-Resident Foreign Currency account. Customers’ balance will be held in their account and they will be eligible to purchase a smartphone for 95% of the value held in the account. Eligible customers will be issued a letter at their request which can be presented at any Dialog or Mobitel office to enable them to make use of the special price when purchasing a smartphone. Once the initial payment is made, the customer can then opt to pay a reasonable monthly installment to cover the remaining amount that is due.

Commenting on the digital drive of People’s Bank, People’s Chief Executive Officer/General Manager Bank N. Vasantha Kumar, said “People’s Bank is working towards being the most successful bank in Sri Lanka through the digitaliisation of its services. With the widest network of up to 740 branches island-wide, we are essentially serving a customer base of over 13 million.  With these strengths, People’s Bank is in an ideal position to take the convenience of digitalised banking services to all citizens of Sri Lanka”.

People’s Bank Ranjith Kodituwakku Deputy General Manager Offshore Banking and Digitalisation says, “People’s Bank is the first bank in Sri Lanka to launch a promotion of this nature, which brings smartphones within easy reach of all customers by making it available at a special rate. One of the biggest barriers for people to connect with digital technology and avail of its benefits is limited accessibility to technological devices and facilities. One in three people in developed markets now carry a smartphone and this scheme will drive smartphone penetration in Sri Lanka. People’s Bank is proud to empower its customer base to move up onto the latest digital platform through ‘People’s Smart Phone Easy Payment Scheme’ which can be deemed a socialy responsibility initiative. Besides the People’s Bank Voice App, we also have plans to roll out other smartphone apps that will make banking with People’s Bank a seamless process.”

People’s Bank Deputy General Manager Retail Banking Lionel Galagedara adds: “People’s Bank has established a strong reputation as a customer-focused bank and is regularly devising banking products and solutions to deliver enhanced convenience, ease-of-use and efficiency for its customers. This one-of-a-kind easy payment scheme to make smartphones affordable for customers demonstrates the bank’s commitment to its loyal customer base. Our Environmental Sustainability Policy, the People’s Green Pulse, is inspiring the bank to think out of the box to design one-of-a-kind banking solutions for a greener future.”

People’s Bank Head of IT Priyantha Edirisinghe explains, “The ‘People’s Smart Phone Easy Payment Scheme’ is a landmark promotion to bring the benefits of the digital age into the hands of consumers by offering them easy access to smartphones at 0% interest rates with installment plans of up to 24 months. We believe that this scheme will dramatically elevate people’s access to the benefits of digital banking. Considering People’s Bank has a widespread network of 740 branches, we expect this scheme to impact the lives of citizens nationwide. Moreover, customers are free to select from a wide price range of smartphones provided by mobile vendors. People’s Bank is proud to be aligned with the government’s efforts to take the nation into the digital age.” 

SLT Mobitel Chief Operating Officer Nalin Perera commented, “It is a pleasure for Mobitel to partner with a national organisation such as People’s Bank to provide customers access to ICT services which is a growing trend globally. Mobitel operates with the vision of leading Sri Lanka towards a knowledge-rich society through digitalisation and innovative service offerings. With this partnership, both People’s Bank and Mobitel customers will be empowered to utilise modern technology to improve their day-to-day lives. Mobitel’s mobile network along with the latest technology will complement the offer with the best service and connectivity and also provide the latest and widest array of devices to the customers with this special offer.”