According to the Interbank Service Company (EMIS), cited by Angop, this measure – which does not influence multicaixa card users – includes all banking institutions that issue payment cards and install ATMs in Angola.
Previously, a fee was already charged when withdrawing money from other banks' ATMs, the value of which was fixed at 350 kwanzas. However, from this year onwards, the value was updated to 700 kwanzas, corresponding to an increase of around 100 percent, writes Angop.
This interbank commission – which refers to a fee agreed between commercial banking institutions for mutual services served between them, with no direct impact on the customer – concerns the amount that one banking institution pays to another when a customer uses an ATM from another bank.
Thus, Joaquim Caniço, executive administrator of EMIS, explained that this commission "never had an impact on users' pockets".
According to the executive administrator of EMIS, this interbank rate is part of a range of incentives for banking institutions to better manage the logistics of loading money into their ATMs.
Speaking to Angop, the person in charge considered that the advantages will be greater for banks that maintain the largest number of ATMs and make more money available to citizens.
Although this is a commission that "does not apply to the payment card user", it ends up contributing to there being more ATMs with cash in the country, he indicated.
