Archie Hesse
A number of banks in Ghana are working to make their Point of Sale (POS) devices accessible to domestic cards.
Chief Executive of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System (GhIPSS), Archie Hesse, who disclosed this in an interview, said the new arrangement allows holders of gh-link cards to also use their cards on POS devices.
Zenith Bank and Ecobank have lately joined the bandwagon.
This means their customers could use their PoS devices anywhere in Ghana, with an added opportunity to use their cards for payment. This is because Gh-link is a national payment system and currently all domestic cards are connected to it.
Until these two institutions came on board, gh-link cards could only be used on the hybrid gh-link PoSes.
The hybrid gh-link PoSes accept both e-zwich and the domestic cards.
However to widen access, steps are being taken to ensure that other PoSes also accept the domestic cards.
He explained other major banks would soon come on board.
Ghana has been making steady strides since 2007 to migrate the economy into an electronic payment society where less cash will be used while electronic means such as paying on PoSes, Instant Pay, e-bills pay among others will become the preferred payment channels.
The move to enable other POSes to accept the domestic cards is part of the general agenda to drive electronic payments in the country.
There are more domestic cards in Ghana compared to the international cards, and the cost of terminating transactions on the domestic cards is cheaper, making them the preferred card for the Ghanaian market.
GhIPSS is therefore making every effort to ensure that gh-link card users have a lot of avenues to use their cards.
Currently, gh-link cards can be used on all ATMs in the country.
Zenith Bank and Ecobank have their POSes in super markets, fuel stations and some restaurants, implying that gh-link cards can be used to make payments at such places.
Mr. Hesse, therefore, encouraged the public to patronise these POSes and enjoy the convenience of shopping off their cards.
He explained that POSes that accept gh-link cards have the gh-link logo on them.