Simbanking enjoys tremendous success

DAILY NEWS Reporter

CRDB Managing Director Dr Charles Kimei

SIMBANKING users have increased by 140 per cent in the first six months of this year, raising the bar of e-transaction in the country. The surge, from 250,000 users in 2015 to 600,000 as of yesterday, demonstrates the country is walking towards e-payment, which boost revenue collection as it simplifies tax payment.

“The number is climbing fast as more people have discovered the benefit of using Simbanking and internet services,” CRDB Managing Director, Dr Charles Kimei, said at a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

He said the actual number is 1.6 million users but the rest are partially registered on Simbanking platform.

He called on Dar es Salaam residents to visit the bank’s pavilion at the on-going Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) in Dar es Salaam to get more information about CRDB Bank’s latest innovations that have transformed the banking industry.

The fair, which runs for the next ten days, have attracted 2,500 exhibitors from inside and outside the country and goes parallel with CRDB 20 years of growth and transforming people’s lives celebrations.

Dr Kimei said at the moment the bank’s customers were around 2.5 million and they still educate the public on the advantage of using Simbanking and the risks of carrying hard-cash.

“Through our Simbanking service, one can carry out any type of transactions using your mobile phone, which is integrated with client’s bank account,” he said.

The bank, listed on Dar bourse, cautioned people on carrying large amount of money during the fair, saying the bank has put a state-of-the-art branch that offers all services. Mobile banking trucks - with ATMs and teller services plus FahariHuduma agents, would be added whenever the need arises, he said.

Late in April, CRDB Bank launched a 1.0bn/- e-payment sensitisation campaign using Tembo debit cards aiming at easing payments and maximising government revenue collection. The campaign dubbed ‘Win Big with TemboCard’ geared, among other things, to change people’s cash-payment to cashless society.

The campaign follows a survey by the bank that reveals that majority of the people prefer paying in cash to e-payment as some want to dodge taxes, cash-base culture and lack of e-payment infrastructure.