VideoKall offers participating banks a value-added service which complements its international remittance transfer service. The VideoKall MattressBanking service allows migrant and other workers who would normally save cash under their mattress to save it on a secure SMART card which, if ever lost or stolen, can be replaced --- value intact.

This electronic version of the 'cash kept under the mattress' allows migrant workers to store and retrieve small sums of cash on a secure SMART card without them having to provide their name or address. Think of it as a poor man's bank account where up to $500 can be stored at any time on the SMART card and the hidden secure number is in the card. The cash stored electronically on the SMART card is protected from theft or fraud through a biometric locking facility incorporated into VideoKall video payphones.

A migrant worker can purchase a blank SMART card for US$3 from a VideoKall SMART card vending machine. The worker can then insert the reusable SMART card back into the vending machine (also called a cash loader) and then deposit maybe $10 or $20 into the machine, whenever they have cash available. To secure the card, the worker places the card in an adjacent VideoKall video payphone where the worker's fingerprints and photographs are recorded together with date of birth details --- but not their name or address. If the card is lost or stolen it's impossible for a third party to use the card. The legal owner of the card can get a replacement for a stolen card by visiting the issuing bank; there the teller can access the MattressBanking network to match the biometric details and issue a replacement card.

The migrant worker can use the funds deposited on the SMART card to also make an international remittance transfer on the VideoKall network or the worker can take the card to a bank to retrieve the cash deposited less a small transaction fee. Banks offering the service can decide to offer a little or no interest on the funds at their bank in reserves for these MattressBanking accounts.  The Smart card, together with MattressBanking accounts will also open the doorway for additional services for the user, as well as a transition to becoming traditional bank customers.

The VideoKall video payphone terminal supports video advertising --- enabling participating banks to advertise their services to MattressBanking customers.

MattressBanking is a service provided by VideoKall Inc, USA. www.videokall.com