Nationlink (interbank network)

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Nationlink is an interbank network and EFTPOS network in the Philippines. Unlike the main existing interbank networks, which are BancNet, ENS, Expressnet and MegaLink, Nationlink is not expected to compete with those networks. Instead, it seeks to complement those networks by extending the reach of ATMs in the countryside, as the main networks are largely concentrated in urban areas. Its closest competitor is the Encash Network Service. A USAID funded Ateneo de Manila University research suggests that the network is beneficial for the foreign money remittance in the country [1] .

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Nationlink's members consist mostly of savings banks, credit unions, rural banks, cooperatives and non-governmental organizations, and is largely concentrated in rural areas, where the reach of ATMs are more limited than in the cities. The network focuses heavily on the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) market, since many OFWs and their dependents hail from the provinces. It also intends provide services previously unavailable in more remote areas of the Philippines, such as real-time remittance transfers and electronic bank account access.

The network is also the first Philippine interbank network to depend largely on wireless communications, relying on a new product called Shops Work Unplugged (SWUP), a product offered by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT). Nationlink ATMs have built-in wireless modems which communicate with the PLDT landline telephone network wirelessly. Through SWUP, the network can install ATMs almost anywhere.

The network debuted in Davao City on May 18, 2006, and is supported by PLDT, Microsoft, Intel and Diebold, as well as other companies. It presently has twenty ATMs, with plans to launch an additional 150. By 2007, the network have access BancNet, Expressnet and MegaLink [2] .


Member Institutions:

See also

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References

  1. "Study confirms the importance of network". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  2. "USAID study backs Nationlink network". The Manila Times. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
Philippine interbank networks
BancNet | ENS | Nationlink
Defunct: Expressnet | MegaLink |