Macedonian Post, supported by Halkbank A.D. Skopje, reopened the doors of every citizen’s first choice for payment in the country and shown that it is a serious partner who strives to provide excellent service to the citizens. That is why Halkbank required an operational partner to provide the necessary banking software for all payments while also delivering innovations that support their financial operations and at the same time, to make a greater social impact on the entire society in the country.
Before implementing the project, we have identified the social value to enhance outreach in the most rural areas through financial inclusion and building a better future and more happy clients.
We see the importance of payment operations in all Postal office units in the simplicity of making cash payments, and at the same time, for some residents, it is the only way to pay bills and liabilities to the state or pay funds. We have implemented the system in the shortest possible time, in just two months, to ensure the functioning of payment operations, pondering that payment operations are the cheapest way to pay.
By establishing the system for Macedonian Post, ASPEKT has proved its dedication to sustainable banking and modernization by providing real-time transaction processing and 24/7 availability to the most vulnerable categories of people. Financial inclusion of a large population to financial instruments is becoming increasingly crucial, particularly in rural areas where access to other types of infrastructure is almost non-existent. To bring transactions closer to individuals, Halkbank and Macedonian Post made it possible for pensioners to get their pensions at home, that is, to have them delivered to an address where they are needed. As a financial software provider, our mission is to bridge the gap between lenders and borrowers, including reaching out to those who do not have a bank account and assisting the majority of the population in rural regions.
Together, we have significantly improved the performance of the less active offices of the Macedonian posts and significantly increased the overall financial success ratio of the institution, which processes more than 25% of the total payment transactions in the country at a bank level. After the implementation, the Macedonian Post once again offered the option to pay bills and perform other transactions with the lowest commission at over 300 locations around the country, since there are locations in the Republic where individuals have no other option except to conduct financial transactions at Macedonian Post counters.
There were more than 500 transactions in the first hour after the system was launched live. As a socially responsible company, we are pleased to be a part of this project that provides all citizens with outstanding customer service. The implementation of such a system is driving huge social impact, anchoring to a deeper set of values, especially to deliver a life-changing effect for all citizens in the country by improving their overall well-being. The aim was to build a more inclusive society and make better and more positive changes.
With the implementation of this project, we have provided an inclusive and accessible financial service to the whole society, especially to pensioners and to those groups of people that often do not have very easy access to services that the Macedonian Post is offering. We definitely contributed to the improvement of the banking sector in our country and will continue to support sustainable growth in the industry.
We consider that social impact finance is an important approach because it drives a necessary move in the assessment of how value is generated in the economy and society.
We are very proud and will continue in our journey to create such success stories of social finance.
