NBa

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HEAD OFFICE KARACHI
, NST RU CTt O N C t RcU LAR No: 39/2020 March 24,2020.

SPM (Rev sed) CHAPTER-I

Thls has a reference to lnstruction Circular No.3412020 dated March L9,2O2O on the subject "
MEASURES TO LrMtT THE SPREAD OF CORONA VIRUS 9COVID-19) BY PROMOTING THE USE OF
DIGITAL PAYMENT SERVICES".

We quote hereunder State Bank of Pakistan, Finance Department circular No. 01 of 2O2O dated
March 23,2O2O on the subject for meticulous compliance;
oUoTE
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a pandemic in
view of its rapid spread across many regions and countries. Pakistan is also one of the affected
countries in which confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been detected. The administrative
machinery both at the Federal and the Provincia! level is taking necessary steps to contain the
spread of the virus and to protect the citizens from its adverse health effects.
Banks being part of the service industry have to entertain customers from different strata of
population across their branch network. Moreover, the bank-staff frequently deals in
transactions involving banknotes, coins and negotiable instruments, including cheques, pay
orders, banker/s cheques and similar other instruments. All the instruments which serve as
medium of exchange change hands frequently amongst the members of general populace.
Subject to atmospheric pressure and humidity, the surfaces of banknotes, cheques, and coins,
like many materials, could serve as a habitat for the virus, as apprehended by some agencies
and researchers. Notwithstanding the absence of conclusive evidence so far as to enhanced risk
from the use of banking instruments, as well as differing opinions thereon, the SBP feels that
some prudent measures must be taken by the banking industry in orderto ensure safe, secure
and socially responsible banking practices. The banks shall therefore, take following measures
to ensure safe and secure processing of paper based instruments and issuance of fit, clean and
disinfected banknotes to their clients:
a) All banks should encourage their customers to use digital means for payment and
settlement of their transactions; for the purpose the banks must engage their clients
through SMS updates, banKs websites and advertisements in traditional as well as
social media.
b) The bank may inform their customers, preferably through digital means, that the basic
hygiene practices like washing of hands, and using of hand sanitizers/ disinfectants,
should be adopted soon after touching banknotes, coins and other paper based
instruments.
c) The ehvironment of every bank's branch should present the image of a socially
responsible banking service. Specifically, the staff engaged in processing banknotes,
coins and other banking instruments must be provided with necessary protective gears
and provisions such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizers/ disinfectants.
d) The banks maintaining the accounts of hospitals and clinics shall make necessary
arrangement with them whereby cash collected from such clients shall be disinfected,
sealed and secured separately and shall be quarantined until further order. The amount
of quarantined cash shall be reported by the banks on consolidated basis electronically
at quarantine.cash@s.bp,org.pk through their head offices to the Chief Manager, SBP-
Banking Services Corporation, Karachi on the format given as Annexure-A hereto. The
SBP shall, on receipt of the statement give credit to banks on the same day and in-lieu
thereof; the quarantined cash shall thus be kept by banks with them on behalf of SBP till
further orders. The consolidated amount of the credit so received must be reconcilable
and verifiable by entries in the accounts of the individual hospitals and clinics.

- e) The cash collections from all other sources should also be handled with due-care and
should preferably be disinfected in addition to authenticating, sorting and packing as
required under the Currency Management Strategy (CMS).
fl Cash in-transit (ClT) companies provide cash transportation services to the banks and
therefore, in order to keep the cash supply chain operational, the bank shall require all-
their cash service providgrs, including CIT companies, to ensure availability of their
services during this critical period. Banks shall also require their cash service providers

llPage Jx
 to follow good hygiene and safety practices while transporting and handling the
cash'
of their
The guards of CII iompanles must be using gloves and masks during the
course
staff
duties, besides encouraging such companies to make available to their security
provisions like hand sanitizers/ disinfectants so that safe and secured transportation of
cash may be ensured.
g) The banks shatt take reasonabte steps to ensure that cash being issued from the
banking ecosystem is fit for use by the general public. Accordingly, from 6th April 2020
till further orders they shall issue either fresh cash or the re-issuable cash quarantined
for fourteen (14) days or more. The SBP BSC offices have sufficient stock of such cash; if
needed the banks can obtain the same from SBP BSC well before the 6th April 2020.
They can also use the fresh banknotes already issued to them under Eid quota. The
banks may surrender their surplus re-issuable balances to the nearest SBP Banking
Services Corporation fietd office/ National Bank of Pakistan Chest provided it is
authenticated, sorted and packed as per SBP instructions.
h) The ATMs shall also be replenished with fresh banknotes or with the ATM-fit re-issuable
notes taken from SBP Banking Services Corporation from 5th April 2020.
i) While the SBP shall continue to supply Authorized Dealers (ADs) with foreign currency
notes against credit in the SBP nostro accounts under Para 11, Chapter 11 ofthe Foreign
Exchange (F.E) Manual, the SBP counter services to accept foreign currency notes from
the ADs, under Para 10 of the above-referred Chapter of the F.E Manual, shall remain
suspended. However, the ADs shall continue to facilitate their customers/ account
holders with respect to foreign currency services as usual.

Please acknowledge receipt.

UNOUOTE

lncomplianceof SBP tnstructions, following measures are advised for NBP Branches for
meticulous compliance:

t. Till further orders All NBP branches (Conventional, lslamic and Corporate) will observe
counter timings from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm (without any break however lunch and
prayer break to be managed by the Branch officials) from Monday to Friday;

2. A campaign on Social Media, Websites and through SMS has been lodged by Strategic
Marketing Division, Strategy and Business Analytics Group for the past few days in
compliance of 58P instructions, Branches should have sufficient availability'of attached
forms for visiting
customers and should immediately process requests received from customers as per
procedure for activation of mobile applicationfree SMS facility;
3. Branch officials must be equipped with mask, gloves, hand sanitizers and disinfectants
and branch should be disinfected on regutar intervals. Cash counters/Counters dealing
with cheques,payment orders, demand drafts & clearing instruments must have
sanitizers for pubtic and staff, usage of which must be ensured before and after
receipt/paym ent of cash/instru ments/bonds from/to customers;
4. Branches maintaining accounts of hospitals and clinics must ensure that strong
room/cash counters are disinfected with regular intervals and cash receipts must be
ptaced in boxes separatetv quarantined after packing till further orders and reporting of
same on prescribed Annexure-A shoutd be sent to rabia.hasan@nbp.com.pk and
raza.rehman@nbp.com.pk. Regiona! Executive Operations are responsible for
implementation of these instruction and in any case received cash should neither be
disbursed nor sent back to Cash Feeding Branches . Reporting on prescribed Annexure-A
must be done daily as this cash will be sent to SBP directly from these branches as and
when advised by SBP;
5. Cash received at other branches from customers are also to be disinfected when
received;
. 6. Branches must ensurethat no cash received from customers are issued for payment
purpose/sent back to Cash Feeding Branches and cash receipts must be taken
separately/quarantined for L4 days. NBP Chest Branches are maintaining sufficient cash
for this purpose however in case qf further cash requirements chest branches may
2lPage
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 IN STRU CTt ON CIRCU LAR N O :39/ 2020

submit requests to SBP BSC Offices as per requirements after approval from RMT under
intimation to ROPG;
Eid quota'
7. Branches can also use the fresh banknotes already issued by SBP BSC under
Chest Branches will accept only re-issuable balances from other banks if these balances
are machine authenticated, sorted and packed as per SBP instructions, in case
of any
deviation concerned RE-Operation will be held responsible;
g. Branches will ensure 2417 ATM services; ATMs must be replenished with fresh
cash or
ATM fit note. Branches maintaining SBP Principle account V should approach SBP BSC
Offices for issuance of fresh notes for ATM replenishment immediately;
9. Branches will also accept Foreign Currency to facilitate customer/account holders
however received foreign currency at branches must be taken separately/quarantined
for 14 days;
10. For any further clarification, Mr. Raza ur Rehman, Wing Head Chest Operations may
contacted.

Meticulous compliance is desired'

/t
(Raza ur Rehman) (H mmad r)
Wing Head-Retail Operations Group Divisional Hea ons Group

Copy to:-

1. PSO fo President, President's Secretariat, NBP, Head Office, Karachi.

2. All SEVPilGroup Chiefs/Group Heads/Divisional HeadsrWing Heads at Head Offiee.
3. All Network Monitoring Heads/Regional Heads (Conventional and lslamic) Regional
Executives CrediUCAD.
4. All Regional Audit Chiefs/Direcfors SfarT Col/eges.
5. All Chief Branch Manager{All Branch Managers/All Operation Managers (Corporate/
Domestic/l sl am ic Bra nches).

3lPage
 INSTRUCTION CIRCULAR NO: 39/2020

REGISIEB YOUB OBILE NUMBERAND LADDHESS

FORASIIVAIIU,I EE SiltlSALffiIS

Name:

Account #:

Email:

signature-

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 Annexure-A

The Chief Manager,

SBP Banking Services Corporation,
l.l, Chundrigar Road,
Karachi - 74000

Date:
Dear Sir,

in pursuance of SBP Circular No. FD 01,/2O2O, dated 23 March 2020, we wish to advise the deposit of
following amounts in the SBP cash holding with us, in respect of (dd/mm/yyyy):

Sr.il Openins Balance Deposits Closine Balance

Number of pieces
A Rs. 10 l

B Rs. 20
c Rs. 50
D Rs, 100 I

E Rs. 500
F Rs. 1000
i

G Rs. 5000
Value in PKR *
* Volue of each column may be computed by 10A + 208 + 50C + 100D + 500E + 7000F + 5000G

It is requested that value of the amount repoded under the column of 'Deposits' may be credited to our
account maintained with you. We certify that amount equivalent to the value reported under the column
'Closing Balance' has been removed from our books and is the property of SBP under custody in our vaults,
subject to SBP instructions.

Yours faithfully,

Authorized Signatory 1 Authorized Signatory 2

Note: Authorized Signotories must be duly registered with SBP Bonking Services Corporotion, Karochi

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