After a prolonged disruption that affected electronic payment channels, Bank Metropolitano of Cuba announced this Sunday the full restoration of its services. The entity itself made the announcement on the social media platform X, following several hours of technical issues that caused significant inconveniences for users who were unable to perform transactions.
The outage affected ATMs, payment gateways such as Transfermóvil and EnZona, telephone banking (Telebanca), remote banking (Metropolitano en Línea), point-of-sale terminals (POS), and magnetic card operations in bank offices, according to a statement published on the officialist site Cubadebate.
According to Martí Noticias, at the beginning of 2024, technical issues in the Cuban banking system, including Bank Metropolitano, led Western Union to suspend its remittance operations to the island from the United States for more than three months.
In February, the island's regime also conducted a six-hour shutdown of electronic payment systems linked to various magnetic cards, ATMs, and virtual transfer apps, aiming to expand the service and standardize its functionality.
Key Issues Surrounding Bank Metropolitano's Service Interruption
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the recent service disruption and restoration by Bank Metropolitano.
What services were affected during the disruption?
The affected services included ATMs, payment gateways like Transfermóvil and EnZona, telephone banking, remote banking, point-of-sale terminals, and magnetic card operations in bank offices.
Why did Western Union suspend its remittance services to Cuba?
Western Union suspended its remittance services due to technical issues in the Cuban banking system, including problems at Bank Metropolitano.
What was the reason for the six-hour shutdown in February?
The six-hour shutdown was conducted to expand the electronic payment service and standardize its functionality.