Annual report
OTHER COLLABORATION AGREEMENTS
Gazte Txartela Programme
The Order of 21st February 2007 regulated which institutions were legally permitted to issue Gazte Txartela cards during the 2007-2010 period, and five financial institutions (including the Basque Savings Banks) were authorised to do so. By the end of 2010, approximately 63,000 Gazte Txartelas cards had been issued.
The issuing institutions were responsible for receiving card fees paid by the young cardholders, providing technical card support and issuing the Gazte Txartelas cards, in addition to providing accident insurance for cardholders.
The temporary consortium (UTE) of the Basque Savings Banks was awarded the tender floated at the end of 2010 to select a collaborating institution. For a period of 4 years commencing on 1st March 2011, the three Basque Savings Banks (Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa, Gipuzkoa Donostia Kutxa and Caja Vital Kutxa) will therefore be the only institutions entitled to issue the Gazte Txartela card.
Basque Housing Service – Etxebide
Etxebide, the Basque Social Housing Allocation Service, is one of the institutions comprising the Basque Public Housing Service Network in conjunction with Bizilagun, public housing corporations, council housing services, and the Basque Government's Department of Housing, Transport and Public Works.
By the end of 2010, 76,000 applications had been received. The Basque Savings Banks have collaborated with Etxebide since the start by offering advice to interested parties and by processing applications.
Bono Cultura Programme
During the 2010 financial year, the Basque Administration decided to support culture by subsidising a wide range of cultural products through the sale of "Bono Cultura" vouchers. In total, 59,000 vouchers were made available to the public in the ACBC. The Basque Administration floated a tender to select a collaborating institution and this was won by the temporary consortium presented by the three Saving Banks (BBK, Kutxa y Caja Vital Kutxa), which made their network of multiservice cashpoints and/or other specific means available for the programme.
Each voucher costs 40€, with the purchaser paying 25€ and the remainder subsidised by the Basque Administration.
All the vouchers were sold in the three historic territories (57.9% Bizkaia, 23.8% Gipuzkoa and 18.35% Araba).
Metaposta
In addition to its functions as an Internet-based letterbox and strongbox, Metaposta represents a system to ensure that correspondence reaches its intended recipients and is a unique system for accessing the mail and documents issued by more than 300 companies and public organizations. Unlike email, its advantage is that only messages from previously established organizations are received.
Since the end of 2008, the three Basque Savings Banks (BBK, Kutxa, Caja Vital Kutxa), leaders of online financial services in the Basque Country, have collaborated on the Metaposta project to give fresh impetus to the information society. Among other services, they will supply the online registration for Metaposta users through their online banking system, and will send the documentation and notifications to the user's electronic letterbox.
At the end of 2010, the first incorporation tests were conducted between the Basque Savings Banks computer systems and the Metaposta System.
