WESTPAC Delivers new Technology

Westpac Banking Corporation is using new technologies to drive its commitment to being the bank of choice for the Pacific.
In reconfirming the bank's commitment to the region, Westpac's Pacific Banking chief executive Alan Walter said it would continue to invest in improving products and services to enhance the banking experiences of Pacific customers and to ensure they benefitted from the same products and services available to customers in Australia and New Zealand.

This will complement extensive investments already made in the region over the past four years, enabling the expansion of banking services in all the islands countries where Westpac is represented. It includes initiating new ways to make banking easier such as telephone and electronic banking.

"Our most recent electronic banking initiative was to introduce Internet Banking for our business customers. It's now up and running in nearly all countries where Westpac is represented, which includes Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands," Walter said.

Westpac's Internet Banking service provides customers with a new level of electronic banking.

The service means that customers have the convenience of accessing the bank any time and anywhere in the world.
A number of services above and beyond the usual banking transactions are available on Westpac's Business Internet Banking. Customers can view their account details anytime day or night, transfer funds, pay bills with Westpac's BillPay service and confirm new balances instantly. There is also a mail service attached to the account to allow customers to send and read mail to and from the bank regarding the bank, its products and services.

Walter said Westpac's investment in technology for the islands nations' customers showed that it was serious about the Pacific region.
"Remember, Westpac has been in continuous operation in Australia since April 1817 and its move into the Pacific (via Fiji) in 1901, followed by PNG in 1910, was just the start of our long association with the Pacific," he said

Westpac employs around 1170 people across eight Pacific nations with 97% having been born in these nations.

Some of these staff members have now moved with the bank from their home countries to work in other nations, sharing their ideas and cultures in their new countries.

Walter said "it's our intention to remain the Œbank of choice' for all Pacific region residents and we will continue to invest in improving our products and services to enhance our customers' experiences in the Pacific."