Private account holders benefited in 1985 from
an increase in the number of ABN cashpoints.
These operate 24 hours a day, seven days a
week, and are easily identified. A start was also
made in 1985 with the installation of automatic
payment facilities at petrol stations in the
Eindhoven and Tilburg areas. There are two
types of machine, and both can be used by
private account holders with an ABN Bank pass
embodying a magnetic strip, the issue of which
commenced in 1984. To operate the machine,
the user inserts the pass and punches in his
personal number, the pin code. The bank pass
and the pin code will also play an important role
in the Open Bank project.
Our business clients were confronted with
several innovations in 1985. In October, as
planned, an optionally readable Giro payment
card was introduced, replacing the earlier
deposit/payment card. The many new possibil
ities created by I hese cards, which can be
produced and processed mechanically, will also
have the effect of widening the range of
commercial users, who include societies and the
professions. In many cases Ihe en ids fit in well
with the increasingly automated accounting
systems employed by business clients. Our
experts are busy providing information about
this new development and negotiating contracts
for payments to be made in this manner.
A special circuit via which urgent payments are
processed fully automatically became operative
during the year. With the introduction of a
Foreign Inward System, the time taken to credit
foreign currency amounts received via the
SWIFT system has been reduced, to the benefit
of clients.
The list of measures to speed up payments
The sponsorship contract for the ABN World Tennis
Tournament was signed by Mr. R. J. A. van der Veen, Chief
General Manager, Commercial Development.
