Standard Chartered, the largest international Bank in Pakistan, and Unilever Pakistan Limited, one of the largest consumer goods company in Pakistan, signed an agreement for collections implementation, where Virtual Accounts technology is used to collect payments from dealers in remote areas.
Standard Chartered's relationship with its clients is a manifestation of its commitment to Pakistan. The bank is keen on building long term partnerships with its clients, using global-standard banking solutions to help add value to local businesses at the grassroots level.
A significant portion of Unilever Pakistan's dealers make payments via Demand Draft instruments, and time lags or delays in payments can hinder the supply chain and reduce availability of supplies for shops and stores in far-flung areas. Standard Chartered stepped in with unparalleled product capability and unique solution structuring, used a combination of Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and ATM payment modes, channelled through our Virtual Accounts technology, to effectively transfer payments to Unilever within the same day.
Commenting on the system, Majid Aziz, Head of Transaction Banking said, "Standard Chartered, consistent with our brand promise of being here for good for our clients and our markets, offers banking solutions and products that greatly enhance our clients' operational efficiency in line with the dynamics of Pakistan's business environment. We combined state-of-the-art group technology - Virtual Accounts - with simple, widely available online payments mechanisms - RTGS and ATM transfers. This allows funds to be transferred between banks and reach the beneficiary on the same day, with complete payer identification. We believe that this product offering to Unilever Pakistan will go a long way in helping further enhance their business operations and outreach to remote areas through efficient and secure cash management solutions."
Asiya Zaidi, Corporate Finance Director, Unilever Pakistan Ltd, added, "Technology like Virtual Accounts gives us the flexibility not only to improve our cash flows but also to minimise our credit exposure. This is indeed a big leap forward in how businesses can manage their operations more effectively especially in volatile market situations. Unilever is proud of its partnership with Standard Chartered Bank on this breakthrough initiative."-PR