Polaris Bank’s VULTe Pulls Ahead, Wins Double as Nigeria’s Best Digital Bank
…wins MSME Bank of the Year Award too
Polaris Bank shone brightest over the weekend as its bespoke home-grown digital bank, VULTe capped its string of wins with two more prestigious awards as the Best Digital Bank at both BusinessDAY’s Banks And Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards and The Nigerian Fintech Awards 2022 respectively.
VULTe, is a digital bank solution designed to enable customers consummate every banking transaction, from account opening, through requesting for certain categories of loans, to generating bank statements. It also connects the customer to discover lifestyle trends and social events. It is an all-in-one solution that is created to offer the most convenience for customers and built to understand the needs of the customer and provide solutions to everyday challenges of accessing financial service solutions.
In the last 12 months, VULTe which hitherto caters more to individual customers, now has enhanced capabilities to render seamless self-services to SMEs, High Net worth, and retail customers. The over 40million MSME operators in Nigeria could now access collateral-free loans for personal and business purposes; where eligible entrepreneurs and SME operators could apply and get up to N20million in a space of 5 minutes without visiting the Bank in person.
Symbolically, VULTe has made another significant history in the Nigerian banking and financial services sector by emerging the winner of the prestigious BAFI Awards back-to-back having won the same award last year. BusinessDAY is Nigeria and Africa’s leading and most respected business media group and organisers of numerous respected awards in the financial sector, as well as in other key sectors of the economy.
The Nigerian Fintech Awards on other hand is Nigeria’s biggest and most recognised Fintech award. The awards presentation ceremonies took place on Friday and Saturday in Lagos.
In the citation of Polaris Bank’s VULTe read by the organisers of The Fintech Awards 2022 shortly before the presentation of the award of Best Digital Bank, VULTe was preferred ahead of others in its competitive set on certain key parameters.
These include convenience, intuitiveness, trust and efficacious management system.
“For a digital bank that provides convenient account opening in minutes, intuitive loan application, scheduled payments, personal digital card management, trustworthy security, and personal finance management, VULTe by Polaris Bank is hereby declared the winner of the Best Digital Bank category,” the organisers announced.
Similarly, while presenting the Best Digital Bank award to the Bank, BAFI Awards organisers disclosed that the awards selection/review committee voted Polaris Bank’s VULTe the winner having outperformed its industry peers, like ALAT and OneBank across eight metrics for consideration.
The metrics include strength of strategy for attracting and gaining digital customers, accelerated user engagement, success in getting clients to use digital offerings, growth of digital customers, and platform security.
Other metrics are the breadth of product offerings for retail and corporate clients, evidence of tangible benefits gained from digital initiatives and web/mobile site design, intuitiveness and functionality.
At the same BAFI Awards Polaris Bank was declared ‘MSME Bank of the Year’ ahead of FCMB and Fidelity Bank in what the organisers described as the Bank’s expansive impact on MSME operators across Nigeria.
Polaris Bank in May this year launched a N1billion fund for MSMEs in partnership with Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in what the Bank explained was aimed at providing the much-needed funding to create wealth and empower entrepreneurs and players within the MSME space in Nigeria, starting with Lagos.
Prior to the launch of the N1billion MSME Fund, Polaris Bank had committed, and indeed, provided multibillion financing to MSME operators across sectors, health inclusive among other incentives, like moratorium on facilities granted to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses.
Polaris Bank is a digitally enabled Bank focused on providing superior financial solutions and products to its customers across sectors with industry-specific and individual needs.
Glo Joins The PSB Fray As MoneyMaster PSB Launches With G-Kala
Telecom industry transformational leader, Globacom, has announced the commencement of its payment service bank business with the official launch of MoneyMaster PSB on October 6, 2022. The PSB commenced commercial operations on May 30, 2022.
A statement released by the company noted that: “Our over-arching business objective remains to empower Nigerians by providing them with unlimited opportunities. MoneyMaster extends that objective as it targets the unbanked and under-banked with G-Kala its flagship product in order to deepen financial inclusion in Nigeria.”
MoneyMaster PSB was granted a payment service bank license by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on August 27, 2020. Payment service banks can, by virtue of their licenses, facilitate payment and remittance services within Nigeria, accept deposits from individuals and small businesses, issue debit and prepaid cards, operate electronic wallets, inbound remittances, and carry out other services in line with CBN regulations. They however differ from commercial banks in the fact that they cannot grant loans.
MoneyMaster will be leveraging Globacom’s pan-Nigerian spread and pervasive agents’ footprint in the rural and urban areas as it begins its massive roll-out.
To open an account, all the customer needs to do is dial *995# then follow the prompts from a Glo line or from any other telecommunications network as MoneyMaster PSB is network agnostic.
Just as Globacom revolutionized the telecom industry with cutting-edge technology and unique products when it started operations in 2003, MoneyMaster PSB is poised to redefine the payment service banks’ landscape while driving financial inclusion in Nigeria.
“One key feature of MoneyMaster’s G-kala product is that the customer’s phone number will be used as his or her account number,” the statement continued.
“We are grateful to the CBN for the opportunity to deepen financial inclusion in Nigeria using our cutting-edge technology and vast network.”
With 133.5m bank accounts in Nigeria as of December 2021 according to figures released by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and with only 54 million BVNs registered as of April 10, 2022, there is a huge gap of about 79m Nigerians and potential for PSBs like MoneyMaster to help bring many unbanked and under-banked into the financial services ecosystem.
FIRSTBANK PARTNERS VERVE INTERNATIONAL, MAKES CUSTOMERS MILLIONAIRES IN THE FIRSTBANK VERVE CARD PROMO
In partnership with FirstBank – Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider – Verve International, Africa’s leading payment technology and card business, has launched its third National Consumer promo designed to reward users of FirstBank verve card with exciting gifts and cash prizes to appreciate their patronage and use of the card to carry-out their electronic banking transactions.
The ongoing 2-month promo will end on 30 October 2022 as 20 customers (10 customers per month) with the highest transaction count during the promo will be made millionaires, winning the sum of N1 million each. Also, N20,000 will be won by 25 customers monthly.
On the other hand, 2620 FirstBank verve cardholders that double their transactions every week, stand a chance to enjoy 10% cashback capped at N2,000 per customer.
Speaking on the promo Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business & Retail Products, FirstBank said “we appreciate our partnership with Verve Card through the years; a partnership of empowerment and opportunities which include growing the economy, supporting new businesses and preventing unemployment. FirstBank verve card holders are encouraged to keep using their cards as it is a card offering that promotes safe, convenient and rewarding digital banking experience with 20 customers standing a chance to be millionaires at the end of the promo.”
Verve card is a secure debit card that allows cardholders to conveniently meet their daily financial needs such as payment for goods and services, airtime recharge, bill payments, funds transfer, etc. Verve card is accepted across all ATMs, POS, Web and Mobile Platforms in Nigeria.
The promo is also opened to new verve cardholders as non-verve cardholders are encouraged to visit the nearest FirstBank branch today to pick up a Verve card and start getting rewarded!
Only recently, FirstBank – in partnership with Verve – rewarded over 2601 FirstBank verve cardholders with various prizes; including N20,000 cash prize, N10,000 cash prize, N10,000 worth of airtime; power generating sets, refrigerator, cooking gas, smart TV and the grand prize of a brand-new car to a lucky winner.
Microsoft’s Senior Program Manager, Yemi Orimolade To Speak at EnterpriseCEO Media Masterclass
Communications Expert and Microsoft’s Senior Business Program Manager, Africa Development Center, Yemi Orimolade and Member Forbes Coaches Council and Founder, LIMB-simple academy, Ezekiel Solesi are the latest facilitators that will be speaking at the EnterpriseCEO Media Masterclass, a media improvement program.
‘Yemi, with over fourteen years of experience has delivered strategies to advance corporate reputation, and effective government and stakeholder relations. He is passionate about unlocking emerging markets immense potential, through advocating for the relevance of young people in Africa to acquire digital literacy with the effective deployment of technology for social & economic impact.
Solesi, a strategy consultant, member Forbes Coaches Council through his LIMB-simple academy has worked with over 3,000 businesses and helped 34 of them exceed 1 billion naira in revenue.
LIMBsimple is an acronym for Life, Investing, Money and Business made simple. It focuses on providing simplified technical, inspirational and motivational knowledge in helping to break down complex issues in life, investing, money and business in order to make them simple enough for the everyday person.
The media masterclass themed “Platform – Content – Monet – IZATION” is designed to set the pace for media practitioners in the digital era on how to monetize their qualitative and in-demand media contents for the success of their platforms.
A-list successful journalists and top-notch media entrepreneurs in the industry are billed to facilitate sessions at the one-day media masterclass program, including Managing Director, Quest Times, Victor Ogunyinka; Founder, Mosron Communications, Tolulope Olorundero, Founder, LIMB Simple, Ezekiel Solesi and founder and CEO First Founders, Lanre Messan.
The joint media improvement program fee is #10,000 for participants as certification of participation will be awarded and lunch will be served in the course of the program.
Notably, the EnterpriseCEO Media Masterclass is slated for this Thursday, September 8th, 2022 at 9:00 AM at NECA House, Plot A2 Balogun Street, CBD, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
Redefining Supply Chain in Nigeria’s retail market space
There is hardly a neighbourhood in the country where a retailer is not found and a vacuum automatically gets created in the absence of a formal retail store on any street.
The retail business is growing with the redefinition of how supply meets demand. Most recently, retailers need not worry on how to restock their stores with groceries as technology is being deployed by fast rising business to business (B2B) firms.
This evolution is bringing more fulfilment to retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and these tech firms that play the middleman role with their services readily accessible online and offline.
A micro business owner, Aliyu Bala Idala in Kano is happy that Alerzo, a B2B e-commerce firm goes the extra mile by offering free delivery of goods he orders.
He shared:”I do buying and selling in Kachachi market, a local government in Kano. I sell provisions and food items at wholesale prices. I have been running this business for the past 10 years. We give glory to God that I have been doing business with Alerzo for the past two years and I am happy doing business with them.
“In the past, we usually wouldn’t get goods delivered to us. We would go round the markets buying from one shop to the other. But now we don’t go through the stress of going to the markets; we order what we want and they deliver to us at our shop. This is a big achievement for Alerzo.”
Not only that he and other traders get his goods delivered at the right time for free by Alerzo, he added that Alerzo empowered them with PoS machines, “We enjoy making use of the PoS. It helps in our daily dealings with customers.
The job fair, scheduled to hold on the 3rd of August, 2022 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja is intended to attract, qualified candidates for job opportunities in IP technologies, Information Technologies, Channel management, Programming, Data Engineering, Account Management, Delivery Management, Procurement, Channel Sales and others.
This will afford candidates the opportunity to listen and connect to prospective employers. Recruiters would be looking out for Huawei certified applicants, experienced applicants, Interns and graduate trainees. The company says this is also open to NYSC members needing a place of primary assignment.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and most populated country with great potentials for development, especially in ICT. The ICT sector is crucial to it’s national growth, a strong tool for sustainable development, increasing productivity and Economic expansion.
The job fair is intended to attract, qualified candidates for job opportunities, in IP technologies, Information Technologies, Channel management, Programming, Data Engineering, Account Management, Delivery Management, Procurement, Channel Sales and others.
Companies in attendance will include Huawei, its partners, customers and contractors. This is one of the profound components of Huawei skills development strategy and the youths are urged to seize the opportunity by ensuring that they market themselves and showcase their potentials.
The Job Fair is an important part of the Huawei talent ecosystem development strategy which aims at developing talents, promoting a favorable business environment and strengthening partnership within the industry.
A key aspect of ICT development in Nigeria is the cultivation of ICT talents in all industries. Looking to bridge the gap between Industry requirements and the Academia, Huawei continually leverages on the technologies, knowledge, experience, and successful practices it has gained over years of operations in the ICT industry to cultivate more high-quality ICT talent. Huawei does this through building sustainable partnership between the Industries, Government and the Academia.
As part of this, Nigeria’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy recently partnered with Huawei towards developing ICT Talents by signing an MOU with the Ministry of Communications and digital economy to train 3,000 students in ICT thereby expanding the digital economy. This is done through different initiatives, one of which is the Huawei ICT Academy which has partnered with over 100 educational institutions in Nigeria, including Ahmadu Bello University, University of Port Harcourt, University of Ibadan, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic and other renowned institutions.
Micro businesses overcoming the challenges of doing business in rural areas
Contrary to the erroneous belief in some quarters that doing business in rural areas is immune from the common challenges that businesses generally face, reality is that micro business owners in underserved areas also have peculiar challenges they go through.
Some of these challenges include difficulty in accessing goods on time. Dearth of infrastructure such as good road network, long distance to the market and lack of adequate transportation system to move purchased goods are among the factors that constitute access barriers to goods and commodities.
As a result, many micro business owners spend longer time or wait for days and weeks to receive inventory or restock, while oftentimes they experience supply shortages. The delay or disruption in supply also affects the end-users/consumers, who are unable to purchase things they need as at when due.
Painfully, micro retailers lose sales, and ultimately money whenever they have stocks-out due to inefficient supply cycles.
However, the increasing impact of digital technology that is rapidly transforming every segment of our socio-economic ecosystem is also changing the narrative positively for businesses including retail trade.
The digitalisation of the economy, which is enabling e-commerce platforms in the B2C segment and lately the B2B segment, has had and continues to have great impact on the manufacturing, distribution and retail value chains.
With B2B e-commerce, tech-driven digital solutions including warehousing and logistics infrastructure and fulfilment solutions are making micro businesses more efficient and better organised in their day-to-day operations, especially those in the underserved remote or rural areas.
So, unlike the past years when micro business owners in underserved areas faced supply hurdles, most of them today can testify of better and faster access to goods and commodities due to B2B e-commerce revolution.
This positive development is not without the efforts of B2B e-commerce platforms like Alerzo whose strong presence in rural areas and commitment to the underserved micro businesses is boosting access to extensive catalogue of products and logistics.
Through SMS, WhatsApp, phone calls or log-in onto its site where applicable, customers now easily place orders and get the goods delivered swiftly without being charged for delivery.
Alerzo’s CEO, Adewale Opaleye stated, “Our strong presence in the South-West, and continued expansion to the North-West and Central consolidate our desire to grow in a sustainable manner and continue to serve those that are underserved.
“On our Alerzoshop retail app, we have a vast assortment available to our customers to choose from, and we offer free delivery in all the over 13 cities we’re currently operational. We change the landscape for them (retailers) through on time delivery.’’
Opaleye added that, ‘‘For the past two years, we have delivered to informal retailers at no cost. With our delivery services, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking. These benefits have resulted in 85% of our retailers reducing their two to four times a week restock trips to zero.”
As digital technology makes deeper impressions on more people, it is also anticipated that the rural communities would also open up. Hence, there is a bigger role e-commerce platforms will play in reaching the underserved in light of government’s focus on leveraging micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and digital economy as critical enablers of national economic growth.
As the engine of national economic growth, the MSMEs segment is reported to contribute 50 per cent to the Nigeria’s GDP and make up 80 per cent of the country’s total employment, while the informal retail segment is worth $100 billion. E-commerce platforms, in particular the B2B segment would ultimately be needed to bridge the potential supply-demand gap that could arise.
It is worthy to note that e-commerce platforms operators in Nigeria are in no little way contributing to the promotion of MSMEs. Alerzo, a leading e-commerce platform in Nigeria is ahead of the pack in making strides towards empowering retail business owners with its various innovations including loan provisions.
This is following the data from the National Bureau of Statistics as well as the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), that Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) account for about 96 percent of registered Nigerian businesses that employs about 75% of the national labour force, and contributes about 48% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it is clear that the Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) form the bedrock of the economy.
With its cashless payment and lending platform – Alerzopay, Alerzo provides retailers, regardless of their economic situations, with working capital to keep their stores running and to drive financial inclusion to the excluded informal retailers.
With the advanced POS terminals that run on Alerzopay platform, retailers can act as agents: processing customer deposits and withdrawals to purchase goods or use as spending cash and process value added services such as utility bill payments, etc.
The integration of Alerzopay and the use of the POS machines in their customers’ businesses improves their overall profit margins, as retailers receive commissions for each transaction carried out on the platform.
Heritage Bank leveraging technology to promote financial inclusion for inclusive growth
In today’s world, making financial services accessible is fast becoming a key area of concern to policymakers for the well-known reason that it has far reaching economic implications. To this end, financial inclusion has assumed a greater level of importance due to its perceived relevance as catalyst for economic growth since it is critical for attaining inclusive growth in an economy.
In 2012, Nigeria took major steps in its journey by launching the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS). The main goal of the NFIS is to ensure that 80per cent of Nigerian adults are financially included by 2020. Before this, the formal use of financial services by the adult population stood at 36.3per cent in 2010. To achieve the 2020 goal, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced strategies to spike innovation in the financial services sector in Nigeria and by 2017, one amongst the achievements was that the CBN had given over 20 licenses to mobile money operators, which has currently grown to 21.
According to 2018 data from Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA), 38.1million of Nigeria’s 106million (18years and above) adults or 36 percent of Nigerians remain completely financially excluded.
In a recent survey by Augusto & Co on Consumer Digital Banking, only 34per cent of the respondents said they had experienced the service of digital banks. Only 17per cent of respondents above the age of 55 are aware of their services, while for people aged 41-54, the awareness rate stood at 31per cent. This spells the need to deepen the financial inclusion drive if Nigeria is to attain the NFIS target and accelerated economic growth.
The apex bank may have missed the 2020 target of 80 percent for financial inclusion, but it stands a better chance of meeting the target of 95per cent by 2024, as industry players have argued that to achieve the NFIS target for inclusive economic growth, the financial sector must strongly leverage technology (mobile and digital channels) to promote financial inclusion and enhance access to financial services for the unbanked and underserved segments of the population.
One of the financial institutions that has continued to leverage on technology to revitalize the industry via deploying its huge resources and vast networks to deepen financial inclusion in the country for inclusive economic growth is Heritage Bank Plc, Nigeria’s most innovative banking service provider.
The MD/CEO of Heritage Bank, Ifie Sekibo, affirmed that banks cannot push financial inclusion unless they also push secured technology inclusion.
According to him, Heritage Bank has continued to entrench financial inclusion across board via creating access to accounts and other financial products, savings, mobile money systems and payment systems that provide opportunities for financially excluded Nigerians and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Introducing HB API Sandbox & Banking as a service via One Pipe
The Bank launched an API Sandbox to accelerate the ideas of technology entrepreneurs to build innovative and commercially viable products that were birthed through HB LAB. This platform provides a suite of financial and non-financial APIs targeted to meet the needs of FinTech, Tech SMEs, and Communities. Our APIs grants Tech Companies, third-party developers, and non-Fintech companies access to multiple payments and financial services required by their customers.
Following the launch of HB’s API Sandbox, the Bank partnered with API aggregator Companies to extend the Bank’s API services to a wider audience, layering their value-added services to deliver our BaaS platform. Banking as a Service (BaaS/Open Banking) is an end-to-end business process that allows FinTech and other third-party service providers to offer core financial services to their customers by integrating with the Bank via our readily available APIs. This is a billed service that also provides relevant data insight required to pursue aggressive retail accounts acquisition by leveraging the aggregator robust retail prospect pipeline.
Redefining digital banking space with ‘Octiplus’
Sekibo promised that his bank would continue to drive financial inclusion through a robust, innovative, and advanced digital banking solution, ‘Octiplus’ which it recently launched.
Octiplus is a bank-agnostic, all-in-one digital banking application, which grants users access to a bouquet of financial, lifestyle and social networking features with the added convenience of converging card-based payments within one application irrespective of the issuing Nigerian bank. Ifie Sekibo stated that, “with Octiplus, we are redefining the concept of digital banking for the discerning mobile user, as the app is equipped with several exciting features that reiterate the bank’s commitment to expand its digital architecture and modernize its interactions with the banking public, irrespective of your preferred financial institution.”
Octiplus promises an intelligent Omni-channel experience which augments the usual transactional features including bills payment, funds transfer and airtime recharge with its unique ability to facilitate person to person/group interactions which encourages small businesses and a thriving side hustle for young professionals. The App is now available for download on the Google and iOS App Stores.
Catching them young with HB BUD Account
HB Bud account is a savings account for children and the younger demographic aimed at introducing financial literacy and inclusion. The account can be opened in trust for a child by the parent/guardian who will be the primary account holder with the responsibility of running this account until their child attains adulthood and can solely operate their own accounts or possibly move to other age-appropriate products. This product was initially launched in 2014 as a unique proposition to cater mostly to the educational needs of children and young adults who are preparing and saving up for further education and, as well, deepen brand visibility and increase the bank’s market share. However, some operational exigencies and regulatory framework have necessitated the modification and adjustment of this product to serve the customers optimally. Children and teens from 0 to 18yrs are the target market.
The features are unique as outlined: Access to cash backed loan by parent/guardian/sponsor for school fees/education loan. You can access up to 70per cent of your balance held with the Bank as cash backed loan. The customer must have run the BUD account for a minimum of 6 months to access the cash backed loan. Ease of saving through standing order instructions. Access to exclusive events. Free participation in the BUD MINI career mentoring and coaching sessions once a year. Opportunity to act as a Heritage Bank Executive Committee member for one day.
Catering for the unbanked via HB Starter Product
This is the banks flagship CBN KYC Tier 1 savings account to cater for the unbanked. It is a level 1 entry into savings account category in Nigeria, in which an individual can open without having the mandatory requirements/documents to open a standard or regular account in Nigeria. This is one way of ensuring that all citizens of Nigeria are financially included since the account can be opened with or without a smart phone at the bank or online. In essence, this type of savings account doesn’t require any utility bills, or even an ID to open.
Most people who fall under this category usually do not see the need to open an account because they find it easier to save whatever money they have in their houses. This category of people wants to avoid bulky manual account opening process and have a better time management. This product is very precise and requires minimum account opening documentation, also it can be done at the comfort of one’s home. Customers can in addition be assisted by the Bank’s relationship managers and sales teams. Also, customers can get on the bank’s website to initiate a new account opening process from start and receive the account number at the end of the process.
Product targeted at individuals across all market segments
This is known as HB Individual Current Account Product, which is a checking account for all individuals across market segments above the age of 18years. This account has been made seamless with unique features for individuals’ access to loan products, minimum balance of N0.00, No COT on all transaction, account opening balance N5, 000 and access to clearing check book.
Customization of payment gateway on HB CheckOut and Virtual Accounts
Heritage CheckOut is a fully integrated payment processing platform with infrastructure for digital payments across Africa. Olusola Longe-Okenimkpe, Divisional Head, E-Business & Collections disclosed that the platform provides an underlying technology platform that allows businesses to receive and issue payments from anywhere in the world, with robust inbuilt fraud management, compliance, and security applications.
She also defined Virtual Accounts as series of off-balance accounts whose total balance mirrors the balance in pool account. According to Olusola, pool account is linked to all the virtual accounts and the balance in the pool account mirrors the total balance in the virtual accounts.
Opportunities for financially excluded with HB Business Account
The Heritage Bank Business Account is a cost-effective current account that provides flexible, affordable, and transparent pricing grid based on debit monthly turnover covenant. The product is targeted at all Micro and Small Enterprises of SME and Retail segments.
Ensuring seamless transaction using HB transfer code
The transfer code *745# of Heritage bank guarantees seamless usages and reduces the stress of going to the branch of Heritage bank to make payment. Just like other banks, you can use Heritage bank mobile banking code which is *745# to check your account balance, transfer money to Heritage bank or other banks, pay for utility bills and cable TV subscription, pay for church’s services everywhere you are using your mobile phone.
Capturing educational sector via Alumni Banking service, Acada Portal Solution
To further capture individuals in educational sector into the financial inclusion space, Heritage Bank unveiled the Alumni Banking Service and Acada Portal Solution which are internet-based solutions that seamlessly integrate school’s portal and Alumni platforms that benefit the different stakeholders and complement efforts in attaining the best global practices in school management. Alumni Banking service is an educational provision by Heritage Bank that seeks to utilize and track, engage, endow, and invest a model to help secondary and tertiary educational institutions create modern alumni systems that contribute to their financial stability just like great alumni do in the best global schools.
Inclusion of creative industry, e-sport gaming on HB YNSPYRE Account
YNSPYRE Account is a product targeted specifically at the creative economy populated by not only youths in video and film, and music. It goes much more than that as it involves people in technology, the creative industry and gaming as part of the creative industry.
Addressing the press about the initiative in gaming as a creative endeavour, Dike Dimiri, Heritage Bank Regional Executive, Lagos, and South-West explained that the involvement of the bank is to identify income-earning opportunities for some people in the economy.
According to him, “HB has designed a product that identifies and finds a mechanism that guides Nigerians in gaming or e-sports. The bank is set to revolutionize e-sports by bringing it to an acceptable level attained by football, lawn tennis and other crowd pulling games.”
Heritage Bank is fast changing the narratives of the banking landscape through the adoption of more secured technology (product and channels) for seamless services that guarantee the larger part of the population is involved in economic activities as well as being financially included.
For this to be effective, Sekibo affirmed that the population must access financial services and products which ensure that households and businesses irrespective of income levels have access to and can effectively use the appropriate financial facilities they need to improve their lives and further their savings and investments.
Africa Fintech Summit Recognizes Ecobank with “Excellence in Fintech-Banking Relationships” Award
Africa Fintech Summit has awarded Ecobank Group with “Excellence in Fintech-Banking Relationships” award in recognition of the bank’s activities to support and facilitate fintech growth on the African continent. The award was given at its last meeting in Washington DC, United States of America. Africa Fintech Summit is a global knowledge-sharing platform that connects innovators, regulators and entrepreneurs, facilitating conversations and partnerships that help them explore financial technology solutions to improve African individuals, economies and societies. The summit holds twice a year in Washington D.C. and a selected African country and sees stakeholders from around the world assemble to chart a progressive course for fintech in Africa by mobilizing investments, hashing out enabling policies, and sharing growth strategies.
The Summit which was the seventh edition of the bi-annual event, also recognized TeamApt for Excellence in Digital Banking, PiggyVest- Excellence in Savings and InvestTech, Flutterwave-Excellence in Fintech Infrastructure, while Excellence in Blockchain Technology went to Appzone Group. Others are Excellence in Fintech investment – Future Africa, Excellence in Cryptocurrency – Paxful, Excellence in Ecosystem Research – Briter Bridges, Excellence in Cross-border Solutions – PAPSS, Excellence in Payments – Paystack, Excellence in InsurTech – Turaco, Excellence in Fintech and Lending – Payhippo, Excellence in Embedded Fintech – Cellulant and Excellence in TradeTech – AFEX.
Dr. Tomisin Fashina, Group Executive, Operations & Technology, Ecobank, who received the award on behalf of the bank, said the award is well deserved as it was attributable to the Pan African Bank’s unparalleled influence in Africa and its unwavering support and numerous initiatives aimed at fostering relationship with fintechs to jointly win in the marketing place, stressing that the bank have put structures and initiatives in place to collaborate and cooperate with fintechs to facilitate the bank’s vision of financial integration of Africa.
According to him, “As a bank, one of our strategic objectives is to bank 100 million Africans, across Africa. We won’t go out there with account opening documents to do this. We believe we can achieve that by collaborating and cooperating across board, and the fintechs come into that space. We came out with ‘Ecobank as a service’, this is at the heart of why wepublished our sandbox to encourage fintechs, big techs and any player that want to do business in Africa to ride on our platforms and help facilitate our vision of a financially integrated Africa. We see ourselves as a key player in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and we believe we are the ultimate bank to facilitate trade across Africa.”
Ecobank has many initiatives to support growth of fintechs on the continent. The Ecobank Fintech Challenge launched in 2017 identifies and partners with fintechs that are ready to scale, providing them with mentoring, networking, support, and opportunities to access Ecobank’s 33 African markets, as well as opportunities to integrate with existing Ecobank digital offerings. This has recorded significant results and success stories since its inception.
Ecobank’s Pan-African Banking Sandbox allows partners and Fintechs across 33 African countries gain access to its application programming interface to develop innovative financial solutions. As an avenue for collaboration between Ecobank and fintechs to develop the fintech ecosystem in Africa, Ecobank’s sandbox is an era-defining game changer for Africa’s financial sector.
Africa Fintech Summit, since 2018, has held six times, and has supported: Over $20 million in capital raise efforts for African startups; The launch of strategic partnerships and new businesses; Policy guideline creation; The growth of local tech and startup ecosystems; Knowledge sharing for African banking/fintech operators and regulators.
