Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd. (GCB) has gained recognition at the 2012 Global Finance World
Best Bank awards for its introduction of free ATMs and debit cards and the broadening of
banking services to Ghanaians.
GCB is known to be the first in Ghana to introduce MasterCard debit cards and the offering of
ATM services locally free of charge. GCB has increased its ATMs across the country to over 220
and this is to be beefed up to 273, with the installation of an additional 53 early next year.
The introduction of various channels of service to customers even in remote parts of Ghana by
the Bank is what earned GCB the global award for being the Best Bank in Ghana. Apart from its
158 branches and ATMs across the country, the Bank's ATMs ensure global access through its
acquiring of MasterCard and VISA. Locally customers have been introduced to SMS and Internet
banking and these have facilitated convenience in Banking with GCB.
Its strong distribution network makes it the preferred bank for payments by all income
segments.
To drive home the use of its ATMs among customers, GCB carried out a six-month promotion
selling e-based products to its customers and revamped its ICT platform which has enhanced its
ATMs availability to world class standards.
Currently the Bank is rolling out Point of Sale devices at various locations across the country
to further simplify access to funds and facilitate payments, with the ultimate objective being
convenience.
A proud Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Simon Dornoo said "we told our stakeholders we will
diversify our business into consumer banking and we are committed to deepening financial
inclusion and this is what we are delivering".
GCB's introduction of these electronic-banking services has made a huge impact on the Bank's
performance and third quarter results indicate a major turn-around for the Bank. Q3 figures
released showed that the Bank's deposits grew by 20% to GHC2.165m while total assets also
surged by 26% to GHC2.873m.
This is the third time GCB has been recognized and given an award by the prestigious Global
Finance which also assesses Banks by their international rating.