Today in Hungary, OCR-based utility bills are in use. Those can traditionally be paid at post offices or alternatively via wire transfer from home internet banking. However, for many uses a proof of payment is required. That is a detachable part of the bill, stamped by a post officer and returned to the customer.

Transaction amount, identification and other information are printed in the bottom part of the utility bill with OCR characters. Thanks to Diebold's bulk-deposit Intelligent Deposit Module (IDMbd) technology, Diebold Opteva® ATMs can process these images, convert them to Hungarian Post-compatible format, copy transaction data and stamp images to the bill, forward it to the host, and print a copy of customer portion of the bill with the receipt printer.

"We are continuously committed to introduce innovative and convenient services for our customers," said Zoltán Sipos, director, card management at Erste Bank Hungary. "This is the reason why we leverage innovation in our delivery channels and Diebold offers the most flexible ATM technology to assist us in renovating our ATM channel."

The initial phase of the project entails Erste Bank to pilot the bill payment service on 12 Diebold Opteva® ATMs equipped with IDMbd and Diebold Agilis® multi-vendor software application. Diebold's solid relationship with Erste Bank includes maintenance and professional services for nearly 400 Opteva® ATMs deployed across the country.

"Our direct services and Professional Services organizations in Hungary have been in operation for more than 10 years," said Viktor Zala, sales manager, Diebold Hungary. "This is a very strong asset, providing Hungarian banks with innovative solutions to ensure optimum performance and end user availability."

"This project confirms Diebold's commitment to deliver banking innovation to customers by creating and implementing ideas that optimize convenience, efficiency and security," said Danilo Rivalta, vice president and general manager, Diebold EMEA Southern and Central Regions. "For Erste Bank Hungary, we are providing a solution which opens its ATM channel to new, cutting edge services for consumers."