By Edd K. Usman
US-based technology firm NCR Corp. has introduced in the Philippines a range of automated teller machines (ATMs) with deposit and recycling facilities, including an ATM that is powered by the ubiquitous Android operating system (OS).
NCR Philippines country manager Carlo Cruz led the local launch of the solutions, which included the Cx110, the first thin client ATM to run on Android-based Kalpana software, as well as a host of ATMs that can accept deposits and recycle cash — the SelfServ 83, SelfServ 23, and SelfServ 27.
Cruz said NCR has “a very rich history” in its 130 years of operations in the Philippines, noting that the company has offices in Makati and Manila, as well as a research and development center in Cebu City. It has around 1,000 employees overall in the country.
“We are very excited to introduce new technologies in the Philippines because local banks also like to introduce new and exciting stuff to differentiate themselves from others,” the executive said, adding that a local bank in Naaga City is already testing the Android-based ATM.
“Consumers and businesses want quick and easy access to banking services. Through our SelfServ ATMs and innovative omni-channel solutions, financial institutions in the Philippines will not only be able to offer customers fast, reliable access to their bank accounts but also offer banking services beyond traditional banking hours,? he said.
Cruz said the flagship Kalpana platform is still being continuously developed in a “controlled deployment” in the United States and Indonesia. Cruz pointed out that there would still be some tweaks or updates that will be made before its wide-scale launch.
Cruz, along with regional executives Matthew Heap and Yiannis Papadopoulos, said the company?s new suite of CxBanking solutions will help the country’s financial sector improve the speed of service and enhance customer experience.
Papadopoulos noted the “enormous pressure” that banks go through to implement innovation because of the demand of customers for “amazing experiences when and where they want, and on a platform for their choice to interact with their bank.”
“This has led us to focus on the next-generation of online and mobile services to complement traditional person-to-person interactions, creating an ‘always available’ 24/7 banking environment to ensure that banking customers have the flexibility and control in their hands to manage transactions wherever and however they choose,” he recalled.
