Two years ago, Barclays Ghana introduced a new service, which, since then has totally redefined how personal banking can be conducted for the convenience of the discerning customer.

Prestige banking is an exclusive club aimed at completely satisfying personal customers, who are busy and need to complete their transactions in a hurry and want to do so in comfort.

Over the past two years, Barclays Bank Ghana, has signed up some 7,000 Prestige banking members. "The biggest challenge has been to manage the extraordinary success and to maintain the high service standards. But we have been equal to the challenge as our service actually keeps getting better", said Mr Kobina Quansah, Managing Director of Barclays Bank.

Customers, who join Barclays Prestige are catered for in exclusive premises and add an extra dimension to retail banking in the country. Prestige banking has been set up all over Africa, where Barclays operates and customers have automatic rights to use the service of any of the over 40 centres spread across Africa in seven countries. Each customer has a special identification card which doubles as an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card accessing the bank's whole ATM network.

Customers have exclusive access to open foreign exchange accounts. They are also given access to offshore Barclays accounts, through the bank's operation Prestige members can also enjoy the use of Barclays US Dollar Deferred Debit Card, yet another first for Barclays as it is the only credit card issued in Ghana but accepted all around the world. Prestige customers are automatically eligible to be issued cards, as long as they maintain foreign currency accounts, funded with foreign exchange secured from outside the country.

This unique card is operated as a charge card, which allows between US$1,000 and US$10,000 credit depending on the holder's wishes with the customer's account being debited only at the end of each month.

Paul Nice, Head of Retail Performance (South) at Barclays Head Office explains that Prestige members are allowed to make free standing orders relating to their accounts and can request for and be provided with free interim bank statements.

The latest addition to Prestige Banking's high value added services is the unique telephone banking service recently introduced to the public by the bank.

Customers can check their balances, confirm payments into and out of accounts and can transfer funds between accounts in their own name. Also, a customer can request for cheque books, interim statements and other information relating to the account.

Currently, Barclays Ghana operates Prestige banking centres at its head office on High Street, at Osu, the Spintex Road and the Millennium Heights building, all in Accra. There is another centre at Barclay's Asokwa branch in Kumasi.

To meet the rapidly growing demand for Prestige Banking, Barclays is preparing to open additional centres in Accra and Kumasi.