BPI offers more services to corporations

Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands seeks to widen its suite of cash management solutions with the roll-out of a mobile facility designed to serve the banking needs of corporate clients.

The facility called “ExpressLink Mobile”—an enhancement of the electronic banking platform ExpressLink (E-Link) that has been operational for 11 years—allows decision-makers such as chief executive officers, treasurers and chief finance officers to use their mobile devices to inquire on their company’s deposit account balances and approve financial transactions.

“For instance, your boss is caught in traffic and you need his signature to disburse payroll. That could be solved with a laptop but the boss doesn’t always carry a laptop. We can safely assume, however, that everyone carries a mobile device. This allows decision-makers to approve transactions that need immediate action,” BPI vice president for corporate banking marketing Jo Ann Eala said in an interview.

“Given that, imagine the mobility and efficiency that it creates. There’s now no excuse to delay the transaction because the authorization and everything else can move very fast,” Eala said.

The service allows easier approval of financial transactions, not just for payroll, but also for payment of bills, utilities, taxes and other regulatory payments using a secure mobile platform.

Using the mobile device, corporate clients can remit payments to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Social Security System, Pag-Ibig, Bureau of Customs, PhilHealth and other entities with collection agreements or bank accounts with BPI.

The mobile facility can run on Nokia, Apple or any phone running on Android and will soon be available on the iPad, catering to clients who are more comfortable using a larger screen, Eala explained.

Any business client with a deposit account with BPI can use this service, she added.

Among the companies that participated in the pilot-testing of the new facility and are thus the first business customers to hook up to ExpressLink Mobile are Pilipinas Kao Inc., Goodream Printers Corp., Bodega Site IT Solutions Inc., Quick Delivery, Philippine Seven Corp., ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., Upsight Construction Inc., CDC Holdings and Globe Telecoms.