Slovakia: Transaction Numbers Double for Utility Cash Payment Service

Convenience and Speed Underlined as Demand for Unikasa Sees Partners Jump to Twenty-Three.

Bratislava – Two major waterworks companies are the latest names to be added to the Unikasa network as the total number of transactions done in Citi Slovakia’s utility cash payment service in 2008 increased by 220 percent as compared to 2007, as more clients opted for the speed and convenience of the service.

“The number of Unikasa clients is constantly growing since its introduction in June 2006, which is not surprising since it is indeed a quick, easy and comfortable way of payments accessible almost anywhere in Slovakia. While extending the network of partners, we remain focused on innovation and quality improvement. In the beginning of the year, we introduced a convenient way of paying SKK bills with automatic recalculation to EUR to help people with the EUR conversion”, said Marian Capla, head of the Cash Management and e-Banking Department at Citibank Europe plc.

Unikasa allows individuals to pay invoices and cheques for utility services such as electricity, cable television, insurance premiums or phone bills in a convenient and simple manner in 1,800 COOP Jednota stores throughout Slovakia. The payer simply has to show the invoice to the cashier. The cashier then scans the invoice’s bar code, the payment is registered in the system and confirmed through a receipt and the payer pays in cash or with a credit or debit card. Unikasa system is cost effective, convenient, as it is available during the extended hours of the retail locations, and quicker than other payment methods. Unikasa is available to all consumers of COOP Jednota.

Citi’s Unikasa partners are major energy, telecommunication and other service providers including Allianz - Slovenská poistovna, a.s., AVON Cosmetics, spol. s r.o., CitiFinancial, divízia Citibank Europe plc, pobocka zahranicnej banky, COFIDIS a.s., Home Credit Slovakia, a.s., Liptovská vodárenská spolocnost, a.s., Orange Slovensko, a.s., ORIFLAME SLOVAKIA s.r.o., Podtatranská vodárenská prevádzková spolocnost, a.s., Q B E poistovna, a.s., Severoslovenské vodárne a kanalizácie, a. s., Slovak Telekom, a.s., Stredoslovenská energetika, a.s., Stredoslovenská vodárenská prevádzková spolocnost, a.s., T-Mobile Slovensko, a.s., Trencianska vodohospodárska spolocnost, a.s., Turcianska vodárenská spolocnost, a.s., Union poistovna, a. s., UPC BROADBAND SLOVAKIA, s.r.o., Vodárenská spolocnost Ružomberok, a.s., Východoslovenská energetika a.s., Západoslovenská energetika a.s., Západoslovenská vodárenská prevádzková spolocnost, a.s.