It makes available to the Dominicans 4 plans through mobile telephony via tPago, Orange m-peso and bank subagents nationwide.

Santo Domingo. – Seguros Universal, a subsidiary of Grupo Universal, presented the new sales channels to facilitate access to micro insurance and favor the financial and social inclusion of people who are in the so-called “base of the pyramid”.

Thanks to the alliance of the market leader insurer with GCS Systems and Altice, people will be able to purchase micro insurance products to cover their forecasting needs through mobile telephone via tPago, Orange M-peso and banking sub-agents nationwide.

Wilfredo Baquero G., General Manager of Seguros Universal, said that the main motivator of this alliance is the high sense of shared corporate social responsibility and the concern to continue opening protection options for all people. “We are democratizing the access of insurance by placing four micro insurance within reach of the mobile phone to cover funeral expenses, personal accidents and catastrophic illnesses in a simple and fast way, at a cost of 35, 58 and 70 pesos per month, respectively.”

 The microinsurance products Celeste Plus, Ultimate Plus, Safer and Personal Accident Expenses will be available immediately at tPago; while in October Orange M-peso will be included and in November the banking sub-agents will be included.

“The impulse of this project is based on the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, in objective number one: End of Poverty; its objective number eight: Decent Work and Economic Growth; and objective number 17: Alliances to achieve the objectives, which is why together with GCS Systems and Altice we will continue working so that more people have the possibility of a better quality of life, “said Baquero.

ABOUT MICROINSURANCE PRODUCTS

• Celeste Plus. A microinsurance for funeral expenses, which includes up to 50 thousand pesos in basic services to take a loved one to his/her final resting place, such as: municipal cemetery, coffin, wake in chapel or house, flower arrangement, among others. Cost: 35 pesos per month, includes taxes.
• Ultimos Gastos Plus. Complete plan of funeral expenses, with unlimited services in municipal or private cemetery, coffin up to 50 thousand pesos, bus for family transport, tent, tax payment, among others. Cost: 58 pesos per month, including taxes.
• Mas Segura. It offers coverage of up to half a million pesos for diagnoses of women’s own cancer, whose amount can be used for hospitalization, laboratories, procedures and ambulatory medications. This micro insurance can be acquired free of medical analysis, at a cost of 70 pesos per month.
• Personal Accidents. A micro insurance that provides protection against an accident that causes physical damage to the person. Includes coverage of up to 100 thousand pesos in case of death, loss of member, total or partial disability as a result of an accident, as well as reimbursement of medical expenses of up to 20 thousand pesos.

Banco Popular Dominicano and the company GCS Systems (tPago) signed an agreement to develop various initiatives that will promote the financial inclusion of thousands of Dominicans, who currently do not have access to traditional banking services.

In this way, both companies have begun to collaborate in the deployment and implementation of certain financial operations through non-banking commercial establishments. Among other transactions, these businesses may accept on behalf of the financial institution payment of loans, payment of credit cards, deposits and withdrawals of accounts.

In this collaboration framework, Popular and GCSSystems carry out a pilot plan in different grocery stores, pharmacies and other businesses in the capital. They offer customers the so-called virtual wallet, a prepaid account in Banco Popular, associated with a mobile phone with tPago, in which customers charge with cash in one of the banking sub-agents and can perform, in a simple manner, transactions such as minute reloads, transfers, bill payments, among others.

This financial inclusion agreement is feasible thanks to the Regulation of the Banking Sub-agent, a new regulatory framework approved by the Monetary Board last March, whose ultimate goal is to facilitate access to basic financial services to segments of the unbanked population and to carry said services to places of the national geography until now not covered by the traditional financial entities. The signatories of the agreement, Messrs. Juan Lehoux A., Executive Vice President of Personal Businesses and Branches of Banco Popular, and Brian Paniagua, CEO of GCSSystems, were very optimistic about the future of the figure of the banking sub-agent, since for many families will be an opportunity to reduce the entry barrier to the regulated financial system. It is estimated that 60% of the population of the Dominican Republic is not banked.

The banking sub-agent in Latin America The figure of the banking sub-agent, although recent in the Dominican Republic, has long been present in other Latin American nations such as Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia or Guatemala. The pioneer country was Brazil, where bank subagents emerged in 1973 and now exceed 150,000 commercial establishments. In all these countries, these businesses benefit from a greater flow of customers, who, in turn, access financial products in familiar places and with extended hours. Its proliferation has reduced the use of physical money, replaced by electronic transactions, which affects the safety of users. At its last meeting in Mexico, the nations that make up the G-20 ratified that financial inclusion, like that achieved through the network of bank subagents, is “a necessary condition for poverty reduction”. For this reason, the Popular develops these initiatives aligned with its Corporate Social Responsibility programs to improve the quality of life of the communities.

De este modo, ambas empre​sas han comenzado a colaborar en el despliegue e implementación de determinadas operaciones financieras a través de establecimientos comerciales no bancarios. Entre otras transacciones, estos comercios podrán aceptar en nombre de la entidad financiera pago de préstamos, pago de tarjetas de crédito, depósitos y retiros de cuentas.

En este marco de colaboración, el Popular y GCSSystems llevan a cabo un plan piloto en distintos colmados, farmacias y otros comercios de la capital. En ellos se ofrece a los clientes la denominada billetera virtual, una cuenta prepagadaen el Banco Popular, asociada a un teléfono móvil con tPago, en la cual los clientes cargan con dinero en efectivo en uno de los subagentes bancarios y pueden realizar,de manera sencilla, transacciones como recargas de minutos, transferencias, pagos de facturas, entre otras.

Este convenio de inclusión financiera es factible gracias al Reglamento del Subagente Bancario, un nuevo marco regulatorio aprobado por la Junta Monetaria el pasado mes de marzo, cuyo fin último es facilitar el acceso a servicios financieros básicos a segmentos de población no bancarizados y llevar dichos servicios a lugares de la geografía nacional hasta ahora no cubiertos por las entidades financieras tradicionales. ​Los firmantes del acuerdo, los señores Juan Lehoux A., vicepresidente ejecutivo de Negocios Personales y Sucursales del Banco Popular, y Brian Paniagua, CEO de GCSSystems, se mostraron muy optimistas ante el futuro de la figura del subagente bancario, ya que​ para multitud de familias supondrá una oportunidad de reducir la barrera de entrada al sistema financiero reglado. Se estima que el 60% de la población de República Dominicana no está bancarizada.

​El subagente bancario en Latinoamérica La figura del subagente bancario, aunque reciente en República Dominicana, goza de larga data en otras naciones de América Latina como Perú, México, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia o Guatemala. El país pionero fue Brasil, donde los subagentes bancarios surgieron en 1973 y a día de hoy superan los 150,000 establecimientos comerciales. En todos estos países, estos comercios se benefician de un mayor flujo de clientes, quienes, a su vez, acceden a productos financieros en lugares familiares y con horarios extendidos. Su proliferación ha reducido el uso de dinero físico, sustituido por transacciones electrónicas, lo cual repercute en la seguridad de los usuarios. En su última reunión en México, las naciones que conforman el G-20 ratificaron que la inclusión financiera, como la que se logra con la red de subagentes bancarios, es “una condición necesaria para la reducción de la pobreza”. Por ello, el Popular desarrolla estas iniciativas alineadas a sus programas de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial para mejorar la calidad de vida de las comunidades.

The insurance company Pepín signed an agreement with the company GCS Systems for the use of the tPago product. Through this tPago tool, clients of Seguros Pepín will be able to pay their individual policies. The agreement was signed by Messrs. Hector Corominas Pepín, President of Seguros Pepín and Brian Paniagua, CEO of GCS Systems.

Mr. Hector Corominas Pepin, expressed his satisfaction at being able to offer a payment tool to customers; Fast, modern and reliable. “We are entering a new era in which the technology available to our mobile phones allows us the flexibility to make payments at any time and day, safely and in real time.” “This is one of the most innovative services that exist in the Dominican market,” he said.

For his part, Mr. Brian Paniagua, expressed his satisfaction of being able to continue offering tPago users access to new services through this platform for the benefit of both clients.

On the other hand, the CEO of GCS-Systems indicated that through this initiative tPago reaffirms the commitment of the entity with the users, never to stop the process of integrating new companies to the platform for the benefit of the clients.

Currently, tPago has more than 300,000 people affiliated with the product and more than 6 million transactions, a result that shows the excellent reception that tPago has received in the market.

The Banco de Ahorro y Credito Union and GCS International with their product tPago signed an agreement with the objective of banking the hundreds of thousands of Dominican remittance recipients. This alliance seeks to educate clients for their effective incorporation into the financial system.

In this way, GCS International and Banco Union revolutionize the sending of remittances in the country, since customers will be able to link their remittances to an account and join tPago to carry out all the transactions offered by the mobile solution. In turn, Banco Unión has developed financial products and services that encourage savings, investment and credit among remittance recipients.

For the meeting, held at the new Banco Union branch located at the first level of Diamond Mall, the main executives of both companies, Brian Paniagua, CEO of GCS International, Maria Armenteros de González del Rey, Executive Vice President of Banco Unión, and Ernesto Elías Armenteros, VP of the Board of Directors of Banco Unión; who reported that customers can now join the service at any of the bank’s branches. They also mentioned that the new branch of Diamond Mall was designed as a service platform, where customers can purchase new products and receive financial advice in a special room.

Last year, Banco Unión signed an agreement with the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). “In our country, about 60% of remittance recipients are not banked, so they do not have access to credit, insurance and other financial services. They receive the money in cash, so many spend it immediately and do not save. This project is aimed at incorporating this group of people into the financial sector, which is getting bigger in our country, “said Mr. Armenteros.

Brian Paniagua, CEO of GCS International – said that “Through this initiative the pioneer company reaffirms the commitment to create solutions that revolutionize the lives of Dominicans and the mobile payment industry.”

The ADEMI Savings and Credit Bank signed an agreement with the company GCS Systems and its product tPago, through which it will provide more than 300 thousand customers of that financial institution with the management of payments and purchases through mobile phones.

The agreement was signed by Guillermo Rondón, CEO of Banco ADEMI, and Brian Paniagua, CEO of GSC Systems, who valued the importance of the strategic alliance between both entities.

Through this agreement, ADEMI customers will be able to use tPago, linking their savings accounts, loans and credit cards to perform balance inquiries, transfers, bill payments, minute reloads, purchase in commerce and transaction consultation.

This new channel that ADEMI Bank makes available to its Clients, means a considerable saving in the time that these invest to move to make payments on their credit cards, loans and services.

tPago is a mobile payment platform of the Dominican market, which has created products and services for its users, with the aim of facilitating the realization of transactions without having to travel to different points or places.

Mr. Paniagua indicated that through this initiative, tPago reaffirms the commitment of the entity with the users, to never stop the process of integrating new companies to the platform, for the benefit of the clients.

Guillermo Rondón defined Banco ADEMI as a financial institution specialized in serving micro, small and medium enterprises, which has designed products adapted to this public, and which seeks to identify the appropriate channels to serve this niche.