NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Banco de la Nación del Perú went live with Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the banking software company. In the first phase of the implementation, Temenos Banking Cloud supported the opening of two million new digital accounts called Cuentas DNI. With Temenos’ scalable open platform the bank plans to expand to 24 million accounts.

These accounts were created with the identification number (DNI) of each citizen, as part of the Yanapay Individual Economic Support program to provide government relief funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every Peruvian citizen, age 18 and older, with a DNI is automatically allocated a Cuentas DNI, fostering financial inclusion. Of the two million people who received a Cuentas DNI, more than 1.8 million previously did not have a bank account.

Banco de la Nación del Perú has approximately 570 branches, 60% of which are located in remote areas of the country. One of the bank’s key objectives is to promote financial inclusion through sustainable and modern business practices. Only 52% of adults in Peru have a bank account, according to data from the National Household Survey (ENAHO) and collected by the SBS. In response to the pandemic, the Peruvian government has launched special programs to distribute funds to the most vulnerable populations, using  Cuentas DNI, has facilitated the payment of one of these bonds to millions of unbanked Peruvians.

Photo courtesy of Bioversity International.