Russian Standard Bank has ordered 1100 Persona ATMs and 150 cash-dispensing units from US-based NCR Corporation which it is using to expand its personal loans business at retail outlets.
Russian Standard Bank is the largest private lending bank in the country with a 40% share of the retail loan market.
Cash is the most common method of repaying loans in Russia and NCR says its Intelligent Deposit Personas ATMs were chosen by the bank because they allow customers to make monthly loan repayments in cash at the ATM. The machines can also be used to make monthly credit card repayments.
Most of the ATMs will be deployed in off-premise locations, such as department stores, shopping malls and underground stations. The bank has partnerships with a network of retailers where customers are able to take out a loan to cover the cost of purchases at the point of sale. They can then use the ATMs to make monthly cash repayments.
NCR says it has customised its Aptra ATM software to enable customers to repay loans by scanning in loan agreements and bills and then inserting their cash into the unit. Customers are provided with a receipt confirming the amount deposited together with itemised totals of the different bank note denominations accepted.
The vendor will also provide the bank with installation and maintenance services.
George Gorshkov, SVP and marketing director, Russian Standard Bank, says: "We chose NCR because of its track record in pioneering this technology and because it is the only ATM supplier with the service infrastructure to provide maintenance and staff training across the whole of Russia."
Ruth Fornell, VP for NCR's financial solutions division in Emea, adds: "While the Russian consumer lending market is still in the early stages of development, this is a highly innovative application for our deposit technology."
The bank has already installed the Intelligent Deposit ATMs in Moscow, as well as other major cities and will now roll out the units to 120 smaller towns and cities across the country.