OREANDA-NEWS. September 27, 2011. A launch ceremony was held for the interconnection of 209 outlets of Tibet Branch of Agricultural Bank of China Limited (ABC). Mr. Dorje Tsering, Vice Chairperson of Tibet, and Mr. Yang Kun, Executive Director and Vice President of ABC, attended the ceremony, reported the press-centre of ABC.

The interconnection of the 209 outlets marks ABC’s huge progress in the IT application in Tibet. All urban outlets, county sub-branches and outlets in key townships under ABC Tibet Branch have realized computer-based operation, and their data collection and centralized business processing have been interconnected with other outlets of ABC across the country. The basic financial services have been greatly enhanced for the people in Tibet, particularly the herdsmen.
Mr. Yang Kun stressed that ABC will follow the spirit of the fifth seminar on Tibet of the CPC Central Committee. Aiming to establish an excellent large listed bank, ABC will continue to support the IT application of outlets and information network building for Tibet Branch and make great contributions to the leapfrog socioeconomic development and stability of Tibet.
The geological environment and lagging infrastructure construction of Tibet has long restricted the information network build for the financial service industries.

To narrow the gap between the financial development in rural and urban areas, ABC fully performed its social and political responsibilities as a large state-owned listed bank, and highly valued and strongly supported the IT application at outlets of Tibet Branch. Around the fifth seminar on Tibet of the CPC Central Committee held in January 2009, ABC held a meeting to promote the services for Tibet development. It set the goal of “striving to complete IT application at all urban outlets above the level of county sub-branches of Tibet Branch in 2010 and at all outlets but those in agricultural and pastoral areas in 2012”, and provided a series of policy preferences and assistances for Tibet Branch.

To complete the project concerning the interests of all nationalities in Tibet, the IT Department, Operation Management Department, Data Center and Software Research and Development Center of the ABC Head Office assigned over 60 excellent technicians for three straight years to assist in solving technical problems in Tibet. ABC also held over 1,400 trainings at different levels to support the electronic network build for outlets of Tibet Branch. Under the guidance of the Head Office, Tibet Branch invested more than RMB500 million in network reconstruction, power generation equipment and emergency power supply etc. for branches and outlets under its jurisdiction. Relevant departments and data collection personnel of the Head Office and branches overcame such challenges as bitter cold and anoxia, long transport line and weak power communication security, and pushed forward the work in phases.

At the end of August 2011, 209 outlets of Tibet Branch realized computer-based operation, over-fulfilling the data collection task in advance and building the largest financial service network in Tibet. At present, electronic outlets and ATMs of ABC Tibet Branch are available at both the foot of the Mount Everest and the highest station of Qinghai-Tibet Railway to deliver modern financial services to the general public.

The interconnection of the 209 outlets gives a boost to the diversification of service channels of Tibet Branch, and provides strong network support for the branch to promote Micro-finance to Farmer Households, Comfortable Housing Project loans, Kins Farmers Benefit Card, new rural endowment insurance and modern payment and settlement services in agricultural and pastoral areas. In all, the project indicates a breakthrough in extending the Sannong (agriculture, rural areas and farmers) services of Tibet Branch and boosts the constant improvement of its operational management and the secure and stable operation of its information system.