Tuesday, October 14, 2020 / 12:12PM / Ecobank /Header Image Credit: Business Post Nigeria

Ecobank Nigeria  has rewarded itsAgency Banking partners, also known as Xpress Point Agents across the sixgeo-political zones of the country with mouthwatering gifts for theirperformances from January to September 2020. This reward is coming ahead of theEcobank Vanguard Digital financial inclusion summit bringing togetherstakeholders in the digital financial inclusion space in Nigeria. Announcingthe rewards in Lagos, Nike Kolawole, Head, Agency Banking, Ecobank Nigeria saidit was expedient to recognize and reward agents across the country for theirtenacity, also knowing that they are helping to drive the Ecobank's financialinclusion strategy in Nigeria. She noted that the agents are already commendingthe bank for the gesture.

According to Kolawole, a total of 18agents were selected across the geopolitical zones of the country based ontheir transaction counts and value from January - September 2020, adding thatthe winners were rewarded with 40-inch televisions while second and thirdwinners went home with refrigerators and generating sets, respectively. Sheadded that the aim of the Xpress Point is to let every Nigerian and householdhave access to Ecobank services within their neighbourhood to provide easybanking services. 

"We are happy with our Xpress pointagents, knowing they are playing a critical role in helping us reach out to theunbanked and underbanked in the society. They are bringing more people to thebanking space through their services. They carry out financial transactions onour behalf and earn commission on every transaction processed. The consumerexperience is very good as customers can do simple deposit, payment andtransfers in their own neighbourhood rather than travel for hours to a bankbranch. The Xpress Point is also a channel that is also being used for thedeployment of national social intervention programmes of the government," shesaid.

Kolawole listed the services offeredby the Xpress point agents as; cash in, cash out, fund transfer, bills payment,airtime recharge, remittance and account opening, among others. She added thatthe services are available for "sole proprietors, partnerships, co-operativesocieties, microfinance banks, companies with large distribution network - likepetrol stations, FMCGs, telecommunication companies, super agents, aggregatorsand unregistered businesses such as petty traders, hair saloon and others. Mostof the agents that benefited from the reward scheme expressed appreciation tothe bank with a promise to contribute more to the agency banking of the bank".

On the Digital Financial InclusionSummit slated for the 21st of October, Kolawole said she was excited as thetiming is pertinent, as Ecobank across Africa is determined to take banking tothe populace. She noted that the agency banking scheme for instance is helpingto build entrepreneurs and push financial inclusion to the large unbanked andunder-banked population.  "These are all parts of our efforts as a bank tohelp more Africans embrace entrepreneurship as best strategy to tackle povertyand address growing unemployment. As the Pan African Bank, we are certain inour determination to take banking services to every citizen, no matter theirlocation and financial ability". She stated.

Ecobank boasts of a bouquet ofdigital channels comprising solutions aimed at delivering convenient,accessible and reliable financial services. The USSD platform, *326#, makes itpossible to open an Xpress account and Xpress Save account instantly. Thebank's mobile banking app, Ecobank Mobile offers the option of generating avirtual card; this comes in handy as customers are continually turning to webpayments for their shopping. There is the Ecobank virtual card, which offersthe flexibility and convenience of creating a shopping card that is not linkedto a customer's account but is fully capable of carrying out online payments.The virtual card can also be shared with loved ones as a gift card for theirown shopping.

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