Thanks to optimizing the business outlets and increasing investment in the construction of self-service channels over the years, the proportion of CCB’s business outlets to its self-service channels has reached 1: 0.95. By the end of June this year, the number of the bank’s ATMs under operation has exceeded 13,000 of which 1,053 were installed this year and self-service banks amounted to 589 with an increase of 100.

The extensive self-service network of CCB creates a convenient environment for the use of its Dragon Card. By the end of June, 2005, CCB has accumulatively issued 157 million pieces of bankcards, up 7.76 million over the beginning of the year. 64% of all the Dragon Card cash withdrawal is conducted at ATMs, an increase of 10 percentage points over the same period of last year. By the end of June, 6.4515 million pieces of inter-city Dragon Card transactions have been completed, increasing by 42.02% over the same period of last year. The cross-system inter-city card transaction business grows rapidly. During the campaign to promote the use of Dragon Card in April and May, the inter-city POS transaction doubled and the inter-city POS transaction volume and amount within the system also witnessed rapid increase, with the transaction number and amount rising by 588% and 321% over the same period of last year respectively.

In recent years self-service banks in China expand rapidly, and the self-service outlets of various Chinese banks are reaching out to the business districts, office districts and residential communities of major cities. Breaking the limit of time and space, the self-service banks enable customers to enjoy round-the-clock financial services. The self-service equipment of CCB has effectively cut the workload of counter staffs, shortened the queue in front of the counter at peak hours and raised the service efficiency. The self-service equipment provides not only convenience but also increasingly expanding personalized functions. Currently CCB’s ATM offers such services as cash deposit and withdrawal, change of password, balance enquiry, transaction detail enquiry, consumption point check, remittance & transfer, debit card repayment, foreign currency card acquiring and account management. The daily ATM cash withdrawal transactions throughout the bank exceed 1 million, equaling the workload of more than 10,000 counter staffs. ATM has become an important service channel of CCB. In its more than 500 self-service banks the automatic cash deposit machines, automatic cash dispenser and self-service terminals provide customers with a comfortable self-service environment. Pushing several buttons, customers can easily withdraw or deposit money by themselves.