Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 1 / corr Trend G.Veliyev /
Universal Post Union (UPU) Director General Edouard Dayan got familiar with work done within the project on development of financial services at the Azerbaijani state post service Azerpoct.
During the meeting in Baku today Azerbaijani Minister of Communication and IT Ali Abbasov told Dayan about work done within the project.
According to Abbasov, rendering banking and financial services in developed countries led to development and strengthening of post system. Therefore, international organizations, including the World Bank and UPU, developed definite pilot projects for postal system, one of which is a project on development of financial services, implemented in Azerbaijan.
So far, 70 percent of post branches of Azerpoct have been reconstructed. The key objective was to build information computer center, covering the entire postal system of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, a new operation system has been developed and specialists will be trained to rendering bank services are to people though post branches.
The post operators are allowed in Azerbaijan to render all banking operations (excluding issuing credit), on the basis of a license issues by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan.
Abbasov said infrastructure of Azerpoct has the largest network of branches throughout the country and this is its priority.
According to the minister, it is planned to offer micro-crediting beginning from 2011. None of the banks can rival with post operation in this field due to broad network of braches, which in its turn affects the economic activity in the region.