Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 May, 2020 at 8:55 am by Andre Camilleri
Bank of Valletta is pleased to announce that with effect from Monday 1 June 2020 it will be increasing its branch opening hours to a quasi-normal operating schedule.
BOV Branches will now open from Monday to Friday between 8.30 am and 1.30 pm. Cheque encashment and cash withdrawals will be accepted until noon as per normal pre-COVID procedures. All current procedures with regards to cashiering services and safety measures including limiting the number of customers inside the branch at any one time remain in force. The Bank reminds its customers to avoid queuing and use ATMs at any time of the day for their cash requirements. Better still, customers should as much as possible opt to use the safer contactless payments such as BOV Cards, BOV Pay, BOV Mobile and Internet Banking.
“All throughout this pandemic we have been in close contact with the government and local health authorities. Any decisions we have taken, were taken to safeguard both our customers and employees. We adjusted our processes and procedures and opened new channels to ensure wider accessibility for our customers,” declared BOV CEO Rick Hunkin. “We have a large team of people working behind the scenes delivering banking services to customers at their homes, where previously these customers would have been required to visit a branch.”
Mr Hunkin continued, “So while we reduced traffic towards physical branches, we offered alternatives for customers to stay safe and get served. I am happy to say that these channels have worked so well during these past couple of months, that we shall continue using them. In fact, I urge customers who require non-cashiering services to set up appointments with our branches so that they do not stay waiting in the queue and reduce contagion and exposure risks.”
Customers can set up appointments for any non-cashiering services such as home loans, personal loans, investments, bank cards and internet banking applications by sending an email to info@bov.com with the type of service required, mobile number, ID Card number and preferred branch or by calling on +356 2275 3500 Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.
Bank of Valletta is currently operating 28 branches, making it the largest network accessible to customers. While a number of branches will remain temporarily closed due to staffing issues, the Bank is, on a roster basis, opening such branches on Saturdays to limit inconvenience to its customers.
The BOV CEO concluded, “The increase in our opening hours takes us another step towards normality. It is regretful that we are still not in a position to open all our branches as we still need to support our staff who are either in the vulnerable category or have young children to look after and thus have no other alternative but to work from home. We will continue to support and protect our employees as required, while at the same time do all our utmost to continue supporting and serving our customers and all our stakeholders in the best possible way during these unprecedented times.”
