Getting closer to clients

By decree of the Head of State, the Day of Banking and Financial Workers is celebrated on the first Sunday of January, which this year falls on January 5. The holiday is timed to coincide with the commencement of operations of the Belarusian Office of the State Bank of BSSR in 1922.

We are speaking with Tatiana Kurto, Director of the Centre for Banking Services No. 211, Branch No. 216 of Polotsk, OJSC "ASB" Belarusbank.

- Unfortunately, little information is available today about the pre-war activities of the Lepel Central State Savings Bank – this was the full and correct name of the district branch of the republic's main bank. The bank resumed its operations almost immediately after the district was liberated from the Nazi invaders. In the summer of 1944, the first Soviet institution to commence operations was the military commissariat, which was recruiting new personnel for the Red Army. Subsequently, branches of the savings bank were opened, as the primary task was to restore the economy and to calculate and make payments to the population. The first director of the savings bank branch was Samuil Zelenko, who served until 1963. He was succeeded by Fyodor Yasko, who worked from 1963 to 1985. Stepan Tereshkov managed the branch from 1985 to 1988, and Inna Buynevich from 1988 to 2000. From 2000 to 2009, the Centre for Banking Services No. 211 was headed by Lyudmila Misyura. I have been managing the institution since 2009.

- It is known that the pride of any institution is its veterans...

- One of my mentors in the profession was Zinaida Rutenko, who dedicated over 30 years to working in the banking system and was awarded the high title of "Excellent Savings Bank Employee". This is a prestigious award in our region. In general, we have a large veterans' organisation, comprising 38 members. It is managed by Lyudmila Misyura. We do not forget about our veterans; we always congratulate them on holidays and try to assist them in various situations to the best of our ability.

- Before our interview began, I visited the operational hall of the Banking Services Centre and looked into the offices – women everywhere. This suggests that banking is a female profession. Why is that?

- I honestly admit, I don't know for sure. I recall that back in Soviet times, in higher education institutions for the national economy, the specialities of economists and accountants, which form the basis of banking professionals, were primarily pursued by women; there were few men. And now, out of our entire workforce of 39 people, only three are men. This situation arose after the cash-in-transit service was reorganised into a separate, independent service, where most of the men who were previously cash-in-transit officers moved to work. Furthermore, it should be noted that not every man is capable of demonstrating vigilance, attentiveness, and meticulousness throughout a full working day, checking and reviewing columns of data in accounting books.

Here are a few more figures that vividly illustrate the current state of affairs at the Banking Services Centre No. 211 of the Polotsk Branch of JSC "ASB" Belarusbank". Despite the emergence of a number of commercial banking organisations, people are much more willing to keep their money in deposits with JSC "ASB" Belarusbank", as their safety is guaranteed by the state, as stipulated by law. Moreover, withdrawing cash when necessary presents no problems: there are three ATMs operating in Lepel and two more in the villages of Borovka and Zaslonova, settlements with a population of over three thousand people. Six info-kiosks are also available to clients.

As bank employees note, the residents of Lepel are increasingly mastering high technologies year by year, using internet and mobile banking for payments. This is very convenient, as long as there are funds in the account. By the way, in terms of the number of plastic cards issued, "Belarusbank" is also the leader in the Lepel region – with over 28 thousand.

"Deferred payment cards, "Velvet" clubs for pensioners, "Generous" for those who work, "Carte Blanche" for business – these are, one might say, well-established practices," says Tatyana Kurto. "Small businesses are gradually developing in the district, and their share in GDP is growing year by year. However, entrepreneurs also often face problems, so we help them as much as we can. For example, JSC "ASB" Belarusbank" provides loans at preferential interest rates, the refinancing rate is minus one point for small enterprises engaged in the production of goods or provision of services. You must admit, this is a good option for an entrepreneur who needs to purchase, say, a machine tool, a car, or other equipment."

What is the course of action taken by the employees of the Banking Services Centre No. 211 of Branch No. 216 of Polotsk of JSC "ASB" Belarusbank? To become even closer to their clients – to carry out renovations in the operational hall in such a way as to equip as many open spaces as possible for working with visitors, so that the client and the cashier communicate not through a narrow window, but sitting at a comfortable table.

S. Bazyl