Tanzanian CRDB Bank adopts CR2 self-service banking tools in Burundi
CRDB Bank is targeting Burundi, where 94% of the population is currently unbanked
Tanzania’s CRDB Bank has migrated its Burundi subsidiary to software provider CR2’s BankWorld platform, in a bid to bring self-service banking to customers across the East African country.
Established in 1996, CRBD Bank has 100 branches and 280 ATMs in Tanzania. The bank is now looking to expand across east and central Africa, beginning in Burundi. Burundi is located northwest of Tanzania, south of Rwanda, and east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The country has a population of 9.85 million, of which only 6% has a bank account, according to figures provided by the World Bank.
CRDB chose to roll out the CR2 BankWorld platform across several different modules, including its ATM product suite, its card and POS services.
“Our target is to grow the bank into a financial giant in East and Central Africa,” said Charles Kimei, CRDB’s managing director. “The bank has recently opened a branch in Burundi in an attempt to continue to foster a relationship with neighbouring Tanzania.”
CR2 aims to reduce costs and increase revenues by providing self-service solutions. These cover, ATM, internet, mobile, kiosk and IVR through a single platform. Headquartered in Ireland, CR2 has 110 customers in 60 countries around the world.
Sub-Saharan Africa has seen several product launches in recent months, including a new mobile payments deal between telecoms firm Orange and Visa in Botswana, as well as a Western Union mobile money transfer service in Nigeria, both announced in August.
Burundi had achieved 36.2% mobile penetration in September 2013, according to the World Cellular Information Service.
