KYIV. March 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – State-run PrivatBank plans to expand cooperation with the government in providing some social services on the basis of Privat24 platform, PrivatBank Head Oleksandr Shlapak has said.
“PrivatBank today is a leader of so-called ‘digital banking.’ For many years we have been providing services that no country provides. We are trying to convince the government that state-run banks are able and must be agents of the state in providing public services, crediting and many state-sustained programs,” he said at the presentation of Privat.Share in Kyiv on March 21.
The head of the bank said that some services have been realized, including via the utility services cabinet using which anyone who works with the Privat24 application can pay for any utility services.
PrivatBank also presented a first electronic student ticket and quickly received requests from many educational institutions asking to implement the similar initiative in their institutions.
Shlapak said that the bank is holding talks with Lviv City Administration on the creation of the first digital card of city residents and announced the subsidy service.
“Information bridges between PrivatBank, Social Policy Ministry and Pension Fund are required to launch this service [subsidies]. The negotiations are being held. I have submitted the relevant proposal to the prime minister. I am sure that exchange of this information would help the government to provide subsidies quicker and not to provide them to those who are not to receive them,” he said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman who visited the presentation said that the government is interested in expanding cooperation with the banks in the implementation of state-sustained programs.
“Today we saw the products the bank is offering to its clients. I can say that they are innovative, starting from remote social services and finishing all other forms of payment for any products, including the PrivatMarket platform for holding public tenders. This implies convenient opportunities for Ukrainian citizens. I am sure that the provision of these services would give new opportunities for development of PrivatBank. I am pleased that after the nationalization PrivatBank remains a leader,” the prime minister said.
