Andrea Majer said the government has been working since 2010 to ensure that people living in rural areas are not deprived by urban dwellers. Here, too, basic services must remain available, without which life is unimaginable today, and thus the countryside can become a true alternative for young and old alike.
He noted that the aim of the joint program between Magyar Posta and Takarékbank announced in June is to ensure access to basic postal and financial services for those who live in small settlements in the long term, and to increase the level of supply.
The Minister emphasized that Takarék Group and Magyar Posta are reliable and stable institutions providing financial, postal and logistical services with a long history. The two companies operate about 3,500 branches nationwide: Magyar Posta 2700 and Takarékbank over 800. They operate largely in settlements where profitable branch office maintenance is less and less guaranteed. He pointed out that there are hundreds of settlements in which Magyar Busta and Takarik Bank runs branches of them, so that cooperation can be beneficial to both parties.
According to Andrea Majer, the launch of the development program may open a new chapter in the collaboration between Magyar Posta and Takarékbank. In addition to increasing the operational efficiency of the branch network, joint developments could also take place, such as co-branded bank cards and other digital products and developments. The minister said that Magyar Posta and Takarékbank will launch a joint operation similar to Csengőd in other settlements in the coming period. The two companies chose more than two dozen small settlements of between 1,000 and 3,300 people to start joint operations. In the first round – expected in November 2020 – the program will be launched in ten settlements across the country.
The minister explained the essence of the cooperation: Postal services will be present in Takarik Bank branches. People who live in the affected settlements can send in checks, letters and parcels the same way they have done so far, only the location changes. However, the delivery is still handled by the postal staff. The employees of the post offices concerned still work for the post office in the same or similar position, but at a different post office. In some cases, he stated, Takarik Bank would take charge of postal workers. It has been argued that the two companies will determine the long-term fate of the program by evaluating the results of the expected semi-annual trial period.
According to József Vida, President and CEO of Takarékbank: Their cooperation with Magyar Posta is also an important component of the service system and the ability to retain the population in the countryside, which takes into account the interests of the people who live here. As he said, people working on accounts will become “key people” in the future. Through the learning process, they acquire unique knowledge as they need to combine the necessary knowledge in the banking sector and the post office.
