| Microfinance and micro-credit programs in the developing
world have demonstrated that access to capital can lead to income generation
and positive economic growth within communities. Remote banking can broaden
the array of financial services delivered to underdeveloped and underserved
communities. The development community, together with banks or microfinance
institutions, can now harness the power of ICTs to deliver these services
to remote areas using Point of Sale (POS) or ATM terminals.
Connectivity, hardware, and software
I-LINX has partnered with CityNet to provide a complete remote banking
solution. CityNet provides the software tools and hardware interfaces
necessary to enhance point-of-sale devices, ATMs or other equipment for
use in remote banking. I-LINX provides the best connectivity tools and
service to enable these devices to communicate with banking information
systems.
Through this partnership model I-LINX offers a complete solution for
creating, developing and servicing banks utilizing distributed networks.
The CityNet software, developed using client-server architecture, is
specially adapted to handle financial transactions. The server operates
at a processing center and maintains an interface to the front office
of the bank (or a processing company) while the client is installed at
the connection point of terminal devices.
Data packets are transmitted via the RBGAN terminal, over the INMARSAT
satellite system, via the Internet, and finally to the CityNet hosting
system, which is linked to the banking system. Costs per transaction are
low due to the compact size of the packets. Encryption software ensures
that every transaction is secure.
This system has been successfully used in deploying stand-alone ATM machines
in remote areas in addition to being installed in specialized vans providing
mobile service to communities in a given geographic area.
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