SeABank (Vietnam) attracts happy couples with WAY4

05/09/2012

South-East Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SeABank) of Vietnam issues Visa Couple card on the WAY4 payment processing software to attract happy couples into its client base. As the cardholder of SeABank Visa Couple you can share with your loved one various banking add-ons, as well as discounts at multiple restaurants, studios, hotels, resorts. In Vietnam SeABank is the pioneer who supplies a designated card product for couples.

This is just another link in the SeABank’s chain of card innovations. Five years ago SeABank was the first in Vietnam to carry out the validation under EMV standard for international card payment and issuance. Ms. Pham Thuy Nga, Director of SeABank’s Card Centre, said: “When we were looking for a strategic partner, we wanted a company that could provide international expertise with local support. We needed flexibility, reliability and commitment – OpenWay met all our requirements with its local office in Hanoi. Our decision has been justified as the WAY4 implementation has been very smooth.”

In 2007 OpenWay launched WAY4 processing in SeABank in just four months, starting with MasterCard EMV debit cards issuing, ATM management, authorization, clearing and settlement. The second phase ended in December 2011 and ensured similar services for VISA debit cards. Followed closely after the VISA Couple cards, OpenWay and SeABank team continued working on the Autobank project. As part of the Autobank requirements, OpenWay was highly involved in improving SeABank’s ATM and Self Service Kiosk functionalities. The AutoBank system operates 24 hours, providing full basic banking services for customers to deposit money, withdraw cash, exchange currencies and search for information not only for VISA & MasterCard but also extended the facilities to American Express, JCB and Diners Club card holders. SeABank became Vietnam’s first institution to provide AutoBank services in January 2012.

“With WAY4, we significantly extended our product line”, - confirms Ms. Pham Thuy Nga. As for volumes, the bank currently processes around 400,000 debit, credit and prepaid cards, 200 ATMs and 3000 merchants on WAY4.

Ms. Sheue Chee Beh, OpenWay’s Asia Pacific senior account manager, added: “SeABank is a pioneer in banking services in Vietnam. We have provided the bank with a dedicated team of four engineers throughout this project which has helped in building relationships and eliminating the potential for hold-ups.”