Nabilah S
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been established between Women’s Micro Bank Ltd (Mama Bank) and Digizen. This partnership aims to streamline the process of opening new bank accounts by utilizing a digital identification tool that captures biometric data.
In a concerted effort to address the prevailing gender inequality in Papua New Guinea, both organizations have pledged to collaborate and improve conditions for women. The focus of this partnership is to tackle the distinct obstacles encountered by women in rural and remote areas of PNG.
The digital identification tool captures the customer’s biometric data to ensure compliance with ‘know your customer’ (KYC) requirements mandated by the Central Bank. This tool allows Mama Bank customers to securely provide their personal information for identification purposes.
Gunanidhi Das, the Chief Executive Officer of Mama Bank, revealed that the bank successfully piloted a digital identification tool in the Sepik region in partnership with Digizen and the Asian Development Bank. This groundbreaking pilot project, the first to be conducted within the regulatory sandbox hosted by BPNG, was supported by the Bank of PNG.
During the Pilot, it became evident that the customers were new to Mama Bank and predominantly rural women lacking proper identification to open an account. Das expressed that Digizen recognized the issue and aimed to address it by introducing digital identification for women in the country.
Mama Bank is committed to collaborating with Digizen to enhance digital identification and expand access to financial services.
According to Mama Bank, Frank van der Poll, CEO of Digizen, stated that the digital identification system will enable them to fulfill their obligations by ensuring the accurate collection and registration of customer identification on a secure platform.
The digital identification card can now be swiftly issued in remote areas in just a matter of minutes. “I have witnessed the positive impact of this technology on women through our partnership with Mama Bank,” van der Poll remarked.
The system operates on a biometric system and smart cards, utilizing digital processes to address identification issues and comply with banking security standards. This enables the establishment of verified identities and immediate issuance of customer ID cards.
