The National Bank of Anguilla has taken its banking service to Sandy Ground with the official opening of an ATM there on Wednesday, October 26. It is located at the front of Sydans Guest House owned by Anne Edwards.

L-R: Marisa Gumbs, Velda Vanterpool, Rev. J Richardson, Anne Edwards and Mr. Val Banks

Marisa Gumbs, NBA’s Market Research and Business Development Officer, who chaired the ceremony, said the bank had embarked on an ATM expansion project in effort to continue to service its growing clientele in an efficient and speedy manner and to provide another delivery channel for conducting routine banking transactions.
She added that it was the bank’s aim to have a presence in every community in Anguilla through this medium.

Chief Executive Officer, E. Valentine Banks, said that improvements in information and communications technology allowed banks to better control and reduce costs which for years had been climbing with the expansions in branch systems in terms of buildings, staff and utilities.

“Banks have also been searching for ways to control the increasing cost of meeting the needs of their customers, and those of the regulators, and have recognised the significant role technology can play in addressing cost issues,” Banks said. “NBA has recognised that in a small community of 12,000 persons like Anguilla, a branch network can be extremely difficult to manage, operate and the cost can be prohibitive.”

Mr. Banks continued: “In launching this ATM, NBA will be meeting some of the banking needs of all those persons who live in and visit Sandy Ground…The response from the community has been one of keen support…The ATM we are officially launching has all the features of the one located in the bank except that at this time we are yet to turn on the deposit-taking feature. Customers therefore can make withdrawals, transfer funds between accounts, do foreign currency exchange withdrawal transactions from EC accounts in US dollars and visa versa and also check their account balances.

View of Sandy Ground village where NBA’s ATM is located

“NBA is extremely happy to be continuing its a role as a leader in the provision of financial services in Anguilla. We take that role very seriously and within the next few weeks we will be reopening the ATM at the Long Road (Sandy Hill) and launching those now being installed at West End and Wallblake Airport.”

Mr. Banks appealed to persons in Sandy Ground to assist in protecting the facility and to report any untoward acts to the police. He was grateful to Anne Edwards at Sydans for accommodating the ATM at her premises.

Ms Anne Edwards welcomed the facility on her premises where she said it would be safe for the bank’s operations and for transactions by customers. “We need more business and more people in Sandy Ground circulating in the area,” she stated. “I hope and trust that with the official launching of this ATM that the world would know it is here and to come down and see if they could do more business here on this site.”

Earlier, the invocation was delivered by Methodist Minister Reverend James Richardson.
The Vote of Thanks was given by NBA’s ATM Resource Officer, Velda Vanterpool.

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