CROATIA'S INTER-BANK UNION MARKS SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY

ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - The launching of new products, services and channels for distributions such as the introduction of chip cards and the use of Internet and cellular phones in the banking system are the first direct objectives of the inter-bank union (MBU) which marked its seventh anniversary in the Croatian Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. On this occasion, representatives of 32 bank-members of the MBU, also celebrated the fifth anniversary of the set-up of a multi-bank network of 200 cash-points and 700 EFTPOS terminals installed in shops throughout Croatia. In the last five years Croatian banks issued over 500,000 MBCARD cash cards which the holders could use at most cash machines and EFTPOS terminals aboard. The union's director Sergio Uran presented the business activities in the last year. He said the number of transactions via cash-points had increased so that with 3,500 transactions per cash-point monthly Croatia had reached the European average. During today's event in the Chamber, guests were informed about new services of banking systems in Italy and Slovenia, and a new MBCARD with a microprocessors was promoted. (hina) ms