(Seychelles News Agency) - Absa Bank Seychelles has launched the first touch-free ATM service in Seychelles where customers will be able to use their smartphones to withdraw money.

The service was launched on Thursday and a top official said that this will go a long way towards reducing human contact with ATM machines, a safer option for clients amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This service will also be a more secure option as it will not need the use of ATM card and therefore such act as card skimming or cloning will not occur," said Murugan Pillay, the head of Digital and Products at Absa Seychelles.

To use this service, clients need to have the Absa Seychelles banking app on their smartphones, which can be downloaded for free via the Play Store for Android users and the App Store for Apple users.

"To use the service, an internet connection is required as users will have to log in on the app on their phone and select the scan QR code once they are at the Absa ATM of their choice. They will then be prompted to scan the QR code that appears on the ATM screen," said Absa head of marketing and corporate relations, Amanda Bernstein.

Once the QR code has been scanned users will be given the option to select the account they want to withdraw money from on the app on their phone and withdraw the amount they need.

The cash will be dispensed via the ATM as per a normal transaction and the receipt will appear on the client's phone. There will be no physical receipt given for these transactions.

Absa Seychelles said that the benefits of this service include faster cash withdrawals and reduced card loss or retention by the ATM, as the card will not have to be used at all.

"We at Absa are always looking for ways to give more convenience to our clients and with the Absa banking app, we have already added numerous services to make our clients' lives better, which is what we are aiming for as a bank," Pillay added.

At the moment clients will have a withdrawal limit of SCR5,000 per day as the service is targeting mainly quick transactions.

"We will look to increase the limit in time, should we see a need for it. In the meantime, our clients still have a lot to look forward to as our team is always working on ways to make the life of our clients easier and safer," said Pillay.