Not so long ago we all had to deposit Ksh. 10,000 (some even higher) in order to open a bank account. As for a business account, i could only just imagine how many requirements one had to fulfill in order to acquire the account to do business. We all know that if you are an entrepreneur and don’t have a business account, then you are most likely going to be considered a briefcase company by your clients and chances are high that they won’t trade with you, well some of them!
When I opened my business account in 2009, I had some requirements that I needed a bank to provide my business internet banking & mobile banking facilities. At that time, most of the banks didn’t have such facilities and if they did, it was very costly to maintain such an account. I remember opening a business account for my sole-proprietor business with a reputable bank. I had to pay Ksh. 1,200 per month to just maintain the account. Actually at that particular moment I could be considered to be working for the bank cause most of the revenue at that particular moment was just going to maintain the account. I went through a lot of frustration through the few years I’ve been doing business. But that changed when i finally found a bank that caters for my needs.
My search for a bank account came to an end last week when I opened Co-op Haba na Haba account which has both internet banking & mobile banking. It was easy to register and with the help of Co-op’s staff Risper of Parliament Road. I was able to open an account within 20 minutes 
All i needed was just Ksh. 500, passport picture, photo copy of ID or Passport
It took 7 working days for the account to be processed and ATM issued. After I had collected my ATM card and PIN, I went on to immediately register for mobile banking and internet banking free of charge, well not entirely. There are some small charge of Ksh. 30 when doing making payments transaction with your account. After my account was activated for online transaction, I went on to register my bank account with PayPal in which it took me 4 minutes to set it up and start using it. I was amazed how quick I was able to start using my Haba na Haba account with paypal.
Benefits
- Coopnet has a high integrated security measures put in place, as i was activating my account the steps in which i had to take in order to access my internet banking made me feel that my money was secured.
- With coopnet, one is able to check balance, view transaction, make payment to utility bill for KPLC and Nairobi Water.
- No need to queue in banks when you can almost perform all transactions online. You can also do electronically money transfer from Coop to other bank accounts.
- You can make repayments of your loan using the online platform and also see how much you have remaining to clear your loan.
- One doesn’t have to go to the bank’s branch to request a financial statement. You can download it from your online bank account, which shows you up-to-the-minute updated figures.
- You will save so much money and time.
- Thousands of customers can be dealt with at once.
- Customers can access their account information at anytime regardless of their location. They can reschedule their future payments from their bank account while sitting thousands of miles away.
- You can bank or receive money to your account within seconds.
The benefits are endless…
Kenyan Banks has made some stride in the Internet Banking sector. I have listed some of the banks that are currently using e-banking or internet banking in Kenya; Equity Bank, Co-op Bank, Paramount Bank, Standard Chartered, Family Bank, KCB (seems to not have internet banking facility based on the website), Barclays corporate & Barclays Integrator, National Bank, CfC Stanbic Bank
M-Banking
Most banks in Kenya already have mobile banking which has become a must have technology. Some of the popular M-Banking platforms in Kenya are Family Bank’s Pesa Pap and Equity Bank’s M-Kesho. I have not had an opportunity to use either Pesa Pap or M-Kesho but I have had the opportunity to use Co-op M-banking in which I would like share with you the benefits that has made my life much easier and less stress;
- I can access my bank account using your mobile for by just dialing *667# from my Safaricom line.
- I can remove my money from the Bank account to my M-Pesa account at anytime of the day, especially during weekends when i don’t feel like leaving the house
- I can make payments towards my utility bills. I realized that the payments tend to reflect on the next working day.
- I can view my balance in my account
- I can make purchases of Safaricom Airtime
How Secure Is Internet Banking?
When i mention “internet banking” to most of my friends and clients, the response usually start like this; “how safe is it?”. That’s a legit question that goes through many people’s mind.
With Coopnet, there is a high security feature that has been put in order to avoid hackers and fraudsters from penetrating. When i was setting up my internet banking, there were several processes i had to undertake before accessing my account online. Coopnet has a security card which contains a number of codes which they system requests you to input in order to verify that you are the account holder.
Never access any online banking that does not have the SSL (Security Socket Layer, see picture on the right) seal on the domain name even if it is a reputable bank. SSL helps encypt your details so to avoid interception from hackers. Please notice that SSL or https only appear on certain pages where high sensitive information is being processed, in this case the Internet Banking or e-Banking
What Next for Internet & Mobile Banking?
The next frontier in the internet banking will be adding capabilities like being able to apply for a loan without visiting the local bank branch. Banks should also partner with NSE and other stock brokers so that it will make it so much easier to buying stocks using internet banking.
Some of the banks have already made it possible for customers to make payments towards utility bills, school fees. It would be interesting to see if the banks would collaborate and create PayPal system concept for East Africa Community.
Mobile Application will be the next area of competition to lure new customers in the rural areas. At this rate of innovation going around, we are most likely going to benefit from internet banking at the comfort of our handset
Can you imagine a world where you can be able to open new bank accounts and close old bank accounts without filling any paperwork or even leaving your home. How many trees will we save if we all get Internet Banking?
Fenesi.com in partnership with africapoint.com in SaveMountKenya Initiative
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