Westpac Bank’s “In store” service visits Man Ples

Over 30 new accounts were opened by Westpac Banking Corporation in Port Vila when the bank’s “In Store” rural banking service went to Man Ples Wednesday (yesterday).

Two of the four-man team of the bank’s service was at Man Ples all day during which people who had never had bank accounts before, both adults and children, opened new accounts with the bank.

According to Westpac’s “In Store” team member, Roderick Aiong, these new account holders will do their banking including deposits, withdrawals, and checking of bank statements, through Rock Store which is right in the middle of the community.

Last week and this week on Monday, Tuesday, today and tomorrow, Westpac’s “In Store” team is at Blacksands in Port Vila where they anticipate around 300 new accounts will be opened.

At all meetings, the team first runs a financial literacy and money basic workshop with the people before starting to open new bank accounts.

Aiong says that since the “In Store” rural banking service on Efate began about three years ago they have registered people at Ifira, Erakor village, Erakor Bridge, Teouma, Ohlen, Freswota Sakari Store, Bladiniare Sakari Store in Port Vila, Mele and Eton, and last year they recorded 3,000 new accounts registered. He said the service is also located in Luganville Santo at Michel Tabi Store and Japin Tari Store at Chapuis 1 and Chapuis 2.

Aiong says people save money through the “In Store” rural banking service because it allows holders of bank accounts to do their banking in the community without coming to Port Vila.

Since 2012, Westpac has partnered with the Government’s Civil Status office and every week when they go to a rural location in Efate to open accounts for people, staff of the office accompany them and they register people who have no birth certificates. In exchange for registering with the Civil Status, these people get the opportunity to open bank accounts free of charge and with zero vatu.

The Civil Status’ Morrison Mahit, District Registration Officer for Shefa Province, says that on Wednesday at Man Ples they registered over 15 people who never had birth certificates before, both adult male and females and children. He said many of these people are those who were born in the islands and then migrated to Port vila.

During last year, 96 BuzzFM radio did half an hour to an hour of “live” broadcast on Wednesday afternoons at the venues of “In Store” banking meetings in rural Efate and yesterday a team from the commercial radio station visited the Man Ples “In Store” activity and did half an hour of “live” broadcast. They spoke with some of the new bank account holders, many of them women, who expressed their gratitude to Westpac Bank for the service.