Oct-Dec 2015: PRISM transactions go up in volume, value

Major share in rise in volume came from interbank fund transfers

KARACHI: As many as 225,598 transactions of Rs64.1 trillion were settled through the Pakistan Real-time Interbank Settlement Mechanism (PRISM) in Oct-Dec 2015, up 5% and 19% in volume and value, respectively, from the preceding quarter.

According to a statement issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday, the major share in the increase in the number of PRISM transactions belonged to the interbank funds transfer facility, which increased 5.29% over the quarter.



The major increase in the value of PRISM transactions came from the securities settlement facility, which rose 18% over the same period.

The volume and value of internet banking transactions showed an increase of 12.29% and 2.17%, respectively, during the second quarter of 2015-16. The volume and value of Point of Sale (POS) transactions increased slightly by 1.92% and 1.54%, respectively, over the preceding quarter, the SBP said.

Similarly, the volume of mobile banking transactions increased by 2.95%, while its value increased by 4.8% over the Oct-Dec quarter. Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transactions showed a decrease of 2.41% in volume and 3.51% in value over the same period.

The volume of Real Time Online Banking transactions rose 10.8% to 32.7 million whereas the value increased by 13.5% to Rs8.2 trillion caused by an increase in real-time cash withdrawals and deposits and the inclusion of microfinance banks (MFBs) data in payment system statistics. Non-financial transactions declined by 4.34%.

The network of ATMs continued to grow, reaching 10,736 at the end of the Oct-Dec quarter. Furthermore, 5,689 POS machines were added to the network, showing growth of 12.82% over the first quarter of 2015-16.

The number of cards issued by banks also increased 16.27%, reaching 33 million by the end of the quarter under review. This increase was mainly caused by the addition of MFB-issued 3.7 million ATM-only cards in payment system statistics during the quarter.

The number of registered users of internet, mobile and call centre banking showed growth of 3.94%, reaching 22 million at the end of the second quarter of 2015-16, the SBP said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd,  2016.

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