By SYLVIA MWEETWA –

THE  Bank  of  Zambia  (BoZ)  will introduce a national  switch which  will standardise Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to allow account holders withdraw  cash  from any machine regardless of the bank and card type.
The system will enable the withdrawal of cash using non-VISA cards on VISA ATM machines and vice versa.
BoZ regulatory policy non-banking financial supervision senior inspector, Banji Milambo said  the  introduction  of the  national switch  would  in turn reduce on concerns  of long queues in accessing  money  at  most  ATMs in the country.
Speaking during a  two-day stakeholders’ consultative  meeting on Companies Bill, Insolvency Bill and  Personal Property Security Interest  Bill in  Kabwe, Mr  Milambo said the central bank was concerned with continued  complaints over the ATMs and  was committed to finding a lasting solution.
“I want to state that plans are underway to introduce a  national switch which  allow  people to withdraw money  from any  bank even if the ATM cards are  not  VISA and we hope this  will address challenges  faced by  most of  our  banking institutions,” he said.
He said that BoZ wanted to insure that the fees for using different ATMs are minimal saying that the charges should be a hindrance to the usage of the available machines.
Earlier, Central Province  Permanent Secretary Edwidge Mutale called on BoZ to urgently compel commercial banks in Kabwe to set up more ATMs to allow customers access money without difficulties.
Ms Mutale said a number of workers in Kabwe have become unproductive because they spend hours  queuing up on ATMs in a  bid to  withdraw their money.
She said the situation of inadequate ATMs in Kabwe has  been a source of serious  concerns for some time now.
Ms Mutale said some  people who opted  to  access  their money at ATM’s between 01:00 and 03:00 hours have ended up being robbed after getting their money.
“It is saddening that my  office has continued to receive complaints over long  queues  while  in some  cases  the ATMs are not  operational and we feel  that the only way  to resolve this matter  is for  BoZ  to  direct  the banking  institutions to  have more  than three  ATMs each, “she said.