e-banking transactions at Rs8.8trn in Oct-Dec

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) recorded 112.3 million of e-banking transactions worth Rs8.8 trillion during the second quarter (Oct-Dec) of the current fiscal year (FY15).
The volume and value of transactions were two percent and five percent, respectively over the first quarter, SBP figures showed on Thursday.
Transactions from auto teller machines (ATMs) accounted for 64.3pc in total e-banking deals in the second quarter, up more than three percent in volume and 1.3 percent in value.
During Oct-Dec, numbers of ATMs grew 6.9pc to 9,018. “This means that banks deployed more than six ATMs daily,” said the central bank’s statement.
The numbers of real-time online branches and point of sale terminals reached 11,149 and 34,945, respectively, by December-end.
More than 319,000 plastic cards were issued in the three months under review, bringing the plastic card inventory to around 26 million, the statement said. Of total, 23.7 million are debit cards and 0.9 million are ATM cards. Total users of internet and mobile and call centre banking hit 18.62 million by the end of the second quarter.
While volume of internet banking transactions marginally increased 0.5 percent, their value decreased 2.16 percent in Oct-Dec FY15.
The volume and value of mobile banking transactions dropped 20 percent and two percent, respectively in the second quarter as compared to the previous quarter of the current fiscal year.
For large value payments, Pakistan Realtime Interbank Settlement Mechanism settled 188,424 transactions, through the real time gross settlement system, during the second quarter of FY15. The payments had value of Rs42.4 trillion.
This showed an increase of almost 14 percent and more than 38 percent in volume and value respectively, compared to the first quarter of FY15.
The SBP said non-financial transactions, during the second quarter of FY15, showed a growth of more than two percent.
It added that payment

systems infrastructure continues to grow during the second quarter under review.