In its continuous attempt to support the growth and sustainability of small and medium scale businesses in Nigeria and Africa, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc will be hosting the UBA Business Series on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
The UBA Business Series, which is held quarterly, is a capacity building initiative where leading business leaders share insights on best business practices on how entrepreneurs can build a sustainable business empire especially in the challenging business environment in Africa.
In this edition, which will be held via Microsoft Teams, UBA will host the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Network, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, who will give tips to business leaders and participants on ways to ensure their businesses survive especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The open event will be held virtually starting at 2pm WAT on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 and interested participants can register via http://bit.ly/UBA-Business-Series-Registration
Ogunsanya will be speaking on the topic: ‘Strategies and competencies for adjusting to a Post COVID-19 Business Environment’, and will aim to equip business owners with the important and essential strategies on how to recover and rebuild their business concerns following losses incurred due to the pandemic which took the world by storm, thus forcing many businesses to re-examine their models and strategies in line with the new normal.
UBA’s Group Head, Consumer and Retail Banking, Jude Anele, said that far beyond banking services, UBA is interested in ensuring that customers and entrepreneurs run businesses that can stand the test of time, adding that the Business Series, which is hosted quarterly, will assist to arm business leaders with all the knowledge and experience required to take their businesses to the next level.
He said, “Even in this period of the pandemic, it is interesting to note that some businesses are still making it big. How? you will ask, these are some of the questions we will address in our seminar on Tuesday. We have a business leader who is experienced in every sense of the word and is willing to share insight with others on ways to grow their business and put it on firm footing as we try to move beyond this pandemic. I will advise everyone to tune in, even if you do not have a business, it is an opportunity to learn something new.”
UBA’s Group Head, Marketing & Customer Experience, Michelle Nwoga, said that the business seminar is open to all business owners and leaders across Nigeria. She explained that it is a capacity building programme which aims to assist participants to gain practical knowledge and insights to help their businesses thrive.
Nwoga explained that the UBA Business Series has previously hosted renowned business leaders like Mr Haresh Keswani, MD/CEO Artee Group (Spar) who pioneered the second wave of retail revolution in Nigeria through the birth of Park n Shop.
Segun Ogunsanya, MD/CEO Airtel Networks Limited, is an Engineer and a Chartered Accountant by profession with over 27 years’ experience garnered across multiple geographies, organizations and diverse sectors such as telecoms, consulting, Banking and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). He joined Airtel Nigeria in 2012 and he has repositioned the company to become profitable and the second largest telecommunications company by revenue and serving over 50 million customers.
The United Bank for Africa is a leading pan-African financial institution offering banking services to more than twenty million customers globally. With footprint in 20 African countries and presence globally in the United Kingdom, the USA and France, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate banking, innovative cross border payments and remittances, trade finance and ancillary banking services.
Demand a new deal in and for Africa
Advocate speedy implementation of AFCFTA
Call for Increased Investment in Digital Connectivity
United Bank for Africa (UBA) celebrated Africa Day 2020, by bringing together global leaders at the 2nd UBA Africa Day Conversations, screened live across the continent. UBA helps set the debate around African economic development through its series of “Africa Conversations”.
This year, the focus was on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Covid-19 pandemic. Leaders emphasised the need for meaningful collaboration between governments and the private sector, as a requirement for the quick recovery of the economy of the African continent post Covid-19.
The panel included the President of Liberia, H.E George Weah; United States Senator Chris Coons; the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah; President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer; and was moderated by the Group Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony O. Elumelu.
Other leading voices contributing were the Founder, Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed; the Secretary-General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), H.E George Chikoti; Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner and Donald Kaberuka, the former President of the African Union.
Elumelu spoke on the need to mobilise quickly and explained the necessity to identify a more fundamental solution to Africa’s challenges. “This is the time for us to deal with the situation, this is not the time for finger pointing, but for collaborative efforts by governments and organisations, to fight the pandemic globally. There is need to flatten the curve, we need global co-operation to stem global depression. Africa requires a large stimulus package, and we need long-term solutions to prevent a cycle of debt.”
Liberian President, George Weah, demonstrated how collaboration has assisted his country to stem the sufferings brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. “In Liberia we have taken measures to ease the financial burden on vulnerable business in the informal sector by providing small loan assistance to SMEs and traders. In addition, we are working with commercial banks to manage the repayment of loans as well as to create stimulus packages for citizens,” President Weah said.
US, Senator Chris Coons made valuable contributions to the discussions, saying “We must develop a vaccine that is free and affordable and freely distributed so that full economic activities can return. This is no time to be looking backwards. We recognise the power of collective collaboration on the continent.”
Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah called for the swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and disclosed that Afrexim has made available $200million to supply fertilisers and grains amongst across Africa. The Afrexim boss asserted “If Africa allows hunger takeover the people, it will see an increase in insecurity, which will take a long time to overcome.”
George Chikoti of ACP, said that the huge task of economic recovery on the continent, rests on both the government and the private sector. “African governments need to accept the support of the Private Sector in alleviating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. We have so far been able to release $25m to all member states”, Chikoti added.
Achim Steiner of the UNDP focused on digital connectivity as an enabler of development. “What we need to look at is to find a way for government as a regulator and also as an investor, to leverage private sector investment into these areas” Steiner said.
Peter Maurer, President, ICRC, said there is the need to look at pandemics as part of a broader health system which needs stabilisation. “We must do more than life-saving. This pandemic has illustrated the weakness of health, water, sanitation and social systems, and we have to heavily invest into the stabilisation of these systems,” he said.
Amir Ben Yahmed said the crisis is going to be a super accelerator of already existing trends. “We have to get away from the commodity driven model which has failed in creating prosperity. “We need to use this crisis to take Africa to the next level. We also need to attain self-reliance. Self-reliance is an important goal,” Yamed said.
The UBA Africa Conversations concluded with the need to act quickly and effectively, highlighting that Africa has lessons to teach the world in containment, but was economically vulnerable.
The United Bank for Africa is a leading pan-African financial institution offering banking services to more than twenty million customers globally. With footprint in 20 African countries and presence globally in the United Kingdom, the USA and France, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate banking, innovative cross border payments and remittances, trade finance and ancillary banking services.
…Global co-operation needed to stem global depression
Global leaders at the second edition of United Bank for Africa (UBA) African Day Conversations, have emphasised the need for meaningful collaborations between governments and the private sector as a panacea for the quick recovery of the economy of the African continent post Covid-19.
The leaders which included the President of Liberia, H.E George Weah; United States Senator Chris Coons; the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah; President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer; President spoke on Monday at the virtual Leadership Panel which was moderated by the Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony Elumelu.
Other leading voices who made up the panel were the Founder, Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed; the Secretary-General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), H.E George Chikoti; Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Achim Steiner and Donald Kaberuka.
While moderating, Elumelu, who is also the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, spoke on the need to mobilise everyone and explained the necessity to discover a more fundamental solution to Africa’s challenges through collaborative efforts.
“This is the time for us to deal with the situation we have and also forge a better situation for everyone, acting again collectively,” he said. “This is not the time for finger pointing but for collaborative effort by governments and organizations to fight the pandemic globally.”
Continuing, Elumelu pointed out that all hands must be on deck if the African continent is to have a quick recovery from the pandemic, adding “There is need to flatten the curve, we need global co-operation to stem global depression. Africa requires a large stimulus package, and we need long-term solutions to prevent a cycle of debt.”
In his submission, the Liberian President, George Weah, established how collaborations worked in his government in an attempt to stem the sufferings brought about the coronavirus pandemic.
“In Liberia we have taken measures to ease the financial burden on vulnerable business in the informal sector by providing small loan assistance to SMEs and traders. In addition, we are working with commercial banks to manage the repayment of loans as well as to create stimulus packages for citizens.”
On his part, US, Senator Chris Coons, said, “It is important to take a moment to look at how African leaders have reacted to the pandemic. In order for us to recover from this pandemic, we must develop a vaccine that is free and affordable and freely distributed so that full economic activities can return. There are ways we can invest in debt relief, invest in infrastructure and human development. This is no time to be looking backwards. We recognise the power of collective collaboration on the continent.
While pointing out that the pandemic poses an opportunity for Africa to be independent and promote its growth and development as a people without external help; Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah, on his part, said COVID 19 has taught Africa that there comes a time when every group of people will fend for themselves.
He called for the swift implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, adding, “The priority of government should be to make sure that the AfCFTA gets implemented without delay. If there was any doubt about the importance of that agreement, this pandemic has told us that this is the way to go.
Continuing, Oramah said: “The pandemic has shown so many weaknesses we have across our continent. We know that hunger is looming if we do not do anything. If we allow hunger to take over from the COVID 19 pandemic, we will begin to see political problems filling in. For Africa the problems go beyond health challenges to other areas such as food supply. Hunger is looming and if action is not taken, Africa will see political problem. Africa has become the epicenter of the economic devastation that this pandemic has unleashed upon us.”
While disclosing that Afrexim has made available $200million to supply fertilizers and grains amongst others across Africa, the Afrexim boss added that “If Africa allows hunger takeover the people, it will see an increase in insecurity, which will take a long time to overcome.”
George Chikoti of ACP, said that the huge task of economic recovery on the continent, rests on both the government and the private sector. “The responsibility of COVID-19 does not rest on the government alone, the private sector needs to play a big role in lifting the burden of the pandemic. African governments need to accept the support of the Private Sector in alleviating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa,” he said.
“We have been able to release $25m to all member states. One of the major challenges is to make sure that in all countries, we have agricultural activity and high productivity. What we should learn from the impact of this pandemic is that the international community can look at how well they can fund all these initiatives that come from our countries, Chikoti added.
Achim Steiner of the UNDP noted that Digital connectivity is very essential as it is a crucial opportunity to connect all schools across the continent, adding that emphasis on Healthcare is also very important. “Digital connectivity is very crucial to connect schools to the internet. We need to address inequality; also, the virus has put a spotlight on Africa’s healthcare system. Africa needs to look at intermediate strategies like micro-insurance to ramp up this sector. Healthcare has the ability to make a large percentage of the occupation fall into extreme poverty.
“What we need to look at is to find a way for government as a regulator and also as an investor, to leverage private sector investment into these areas” Steiner said.
Peter Maurer, President, ICRC, said there is the need to look at pandemics as part of a broader health system which needs stabilisation; A lot of vulnerable populations in Africa have been heavily infected by the pandemic. “We must do more than life-saving. This pandemic has illustrated the weakness of health, water, sanitation and social systems, and we have to heavily invest into the stabilization of these systems.
Throwing more light on this, Maurer said, “Two things need to follow after live saving during the pandemic. First, the pandemic has illustrated the weak situation of health, water and food systems and we need to heavily invest both by the public and private sectors to stabilize the health sector. Secondly, investment has always gone into the more developed parts of Africa and not the fragile parts. We need Private Public Partnerships and investments by multi-corporate institutions to develop these areas’ he noted.
Amir Yahmed said the crisis is going to be a super accelerator of already existing trends. “We have to get away from the commodity driven model which has failed in creating prosperity. Secondly, self-reliance should be one of the major objectives. The pandemic is wake up call for Africa – Creating new streams of revenue and self-reliance by the African continent”
“We need to use this crisis to take Africa to the next level. This crisis is going to be a super accelerator of already existing trends. I think it has to be a wake-up call for us to attain goals we haven’t reached. Create new revenues for the economy. We also need to attain self-reliance. Self reliance is an important goal. Africa manufactures [only] 2% of what it produces. We need to use this crisis to take Africa to the next level. Invest in digital infrastructure, digital education, agriculture is another opportunity we need to grab. We need to get the AFCTA working,” Yamed said.
Donald Kaberuka on his part opined that “What we need (for this crisis) is something unusual, it is not business as usual. It is not marginal action, it is radical action.”
The President of Senegal, H.E. Macky Sall, President of Liberia, H.E George Weah and United States Senator Chris Coons will form part of a high-level leadership panel to be moderated by the Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, to discuss Africa’s economic recovery in the 2020 edition of UBA’s Africa Conversations.
The African Presidents and global leaders will be joined on the panel by other global leaders including the President & Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export–Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), Professor Benedict Okey Oramah; President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer and President and Founder, Africa CEO Forum, Amir Ben Yahmed.
With over 60% of Africans living below the poverty line, the pandemic poses an existential threat to Africa’s economic growth and this session will define the lessons learned and the roadmap to economic growth and sustainability.
Together, the leading voices will speak on Monday, May 25th, 2020, on the theme ‘UBA Africa Day Conversations 2020: Growth, Jobs, and Sustainable Development Amidst a Global Pandemic,’ This will be the second edition of the symposium organised annually by UBA, in celebration of Africa Day.
The open event will be held virtually starting at 3pm WAT and interested participants can register on the UBA website here.
Africa Day is celebrated worldwide on May 25th, to showcase the diversity and beauty of Africa and its people. The United Bank for Africa, with its pan-African footprint spanning 20 African countries, New York, Paris, and London, continues to lead the conversation and focus on the the development, growth, and unity of the continent.
Every human being has his or her own salient attributes and leadership qualities, and these vary from individuals to individuals; especially when they occupy top managerial positions in their respective organizations.
Such could allude to the substantial and impressive leadership qualities which epochal Kennedy Uzoka has brought to bear, since he assumed office as the MD/CEO of United Bank of Africa few years ago. As the helmsman of the first generation bank, Kennedy Uzoka is daily proving pundits wrong that age is not a big factor when it comes to efficient service delivery and well-focused administration, even in the face of persistent opposition from both within his bank and other financial services providers.
Since he came into office by a stroke of fate, the youthful banking guru has continued to remain focused, stoic and steadily delivering the growth to the bank, with several products and services that can make other banks go green with envy.
He is a professional banker par excellence, with an intimidating academic profile of over two decades, within which he has garnered relevant banking experience across key banking functions, including Branch Services, Commercial Banking, Public Sector and Institutional/Corporate Banking.
Aside his banking job, Ken Uzoka is also a power dresser, and also proficient polo player, with a good marital life. His leadership and managerial styles have also extended beyond the borders of Nigeria, and the results coming in are very impressive.
Pan-African Financial Services Institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc will be rewarding its loyal customers who refer friends and family to the bank in its new diaspora campaign.
The campaign is designed to reward customers of the bank who refer their Diaspora friends/relatives to open a UBA account.
Specifically, this campaign will last for three months and the bank will be rewarding any customer who refers other customers with the reward of N5,000 for every successfully opened new and funded account.
For instance, new and existing customers who refer friends and relatives in the Diaspora to open new UBA accounts will be eligible to grab the reward for as many times as the number of people they refer.
According to the campaign managers, the referrer who must have an account with UBA, will have his/her account number inputted in the provided field by the referred. The account number is expected to serve as a reference code for paying the reward, and once the new Diaspora account is funded with a minimum of $100, $100, £100, €100 or N50,000, for a one-month period, the reward sum of N5,000 will be automatically credited into the Referrer’s account.
They further explained that the campaign which kicks-off on May 22, 2018, involves no raffle draws, customers just refer, and redeem their cash prizes after successful funding of the new account.
Pan African Financial institution, United Bank for Africa (UBA) has again disrupted the e-payment space with the introduction of Master Pass ‘Quick Response’ (QR) Bot.
The revolutionary solution enables the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria and across Africa to receive digital payments from their customers through scanning, using their Facebook account. Developed by MasterCard International in partnership with Facebook, Master Pass ‘Quick Response’ (QR), allows payment collection by SMEs through Facebook Messenger and delivers unified and instant self-service across a range of interconnected payment solutions.
Like LEO, the acclaimed artificial intelligence payment solution introduced by the Africa’s global bank, UBA, Master Pass ‘Quick Response’ (QR)is a a chat Bot, currently available via Facebook Messenger as Masterpass QR for Merchants With this development, customers are given the freedom to shop across devices and channels. With Masterpass QR for Merchants, small and informal micro merchants, large corporates and governments now have access to fast, simple and secure digital payments options, a global digital system that allows people pay for services using mobile phones.
In addition, individuals can now make purchases via merchant apps, in-store or online by simply clicking the Masterpass button and authenticating to complete a transaction. All a user simply needs to do is Scan the QR Code generated by the merchants to pay. Making transactions for both the merchant and customer fast and seamless.
Speaking on the development, Group Executive, Digital & Consumer Banking, Anant Rao, said: “Our customers are at the heart of our business, that’s why we keep going the extra mile to satisfy them. As we very well know Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contribute significantly to the economy but remain heavily dependent on cash to run their business; however, consumers are demanding safer and more convenient ways to pay. The innovative new platform enables micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria receive digital payments from millions of customers by simply scanning”
He noted that access to mobile technology presents an opportunity to meet this demand, and the new UBA Masterpass QR Merchant App is set to change the payment landscape to the benefit of micro merchants across the country.
Rao further explained that, Banking is going conversational and UBA in partnership with Facebook is at the forefront of driving this innovation globally. “It is 100% self-service and generation of the QR is immediate. Acceptance of payments can begin immediately the QR is generated, it is making banking simple”
The announcement follows the Pan African commitment made by UBA to introduce safer and more convenient ways to pay for goods and services in Nigeria and across the continent. “As a group, we are committed to driving financial inclusion and empowering businesses across Africa. Our partnership with Mastercard enables us to deploy safe digital solutions for customers, and the UBA Masterpass QR Merchant App is just such a solution,” said Rao.
Rao confirmed that UBA will be working with other Mastercard partners that are experts in their respective fields thereby further supporting the local industry.
“By using Masterpass, our customers can know with confidence that they are paying with trusted technology, whether they are a small business buying equipment at an office supply store or a family of four dining at their favourite neighbourhood restaurant. Earlier this year, UBA launched a chat banking personality named LEO that enables its customers to make use of their Facebook chat function to carry out key banking transactions.
LEO allows customers to open new accounts, receive instant transaction notifications, check their balances on the go, transfer funds and airtime top up. You can also confirm cheques, pay bills, apply for loans, freeze accounts, ask for mini statements, among other things and even check the weather.
UBA, Africa’s global bank, is one of the largest commercial banks in Nigeria incorporated which operates in 19 African countries whilst providing a wide range of products and services. UBA is a leading bank in infrastructure financing particularly in the Power, Telecoms and Transport sectors. UBA leads in social infrastructure such as hospital and education facilities to various countries in Africa. In Nigeria, the bank operates in each of the country’s 36 states, helping to deepen financial inclusion through its brick and mortar network as well as through its cutting edge digital platforms. Globally, UBA has over 1,000 branches and customer touch points, serving over 14 million customers.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, and China Development Bank (CDB), the world’s largest development finance institution, yesterday announced the signing of a $100 million seven-year loan agreement to finance the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa.
The$100 million loan will enhance UBA’s capacity to provide access to finance to small and medium enterprises across the 19 African countries where UBA currently operates.
“We are excited to partner with China Development Bank (CDB), the Development Financial Institution of the Chinese Government, on this historic transaction, as we strongly believe that the facility will serve as a catalyst to the sustainable development of commerce and industry in Africa through provision of critical financial interventions to SMEs across our presence countries,” says Group MD/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka.
Uzoka noted that this line of credit is timely, as it should complement the recovery of economic activities. It will also further encourage African entrepreneurship particularly as the funds will be applied to SMEs, which are important for inclusive growth on the continent.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Chairman of UBA Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu said the fund will boost small and medium scale enterprises across Africa, noting that CDB’s interest in supporting SMEs aligns with UBA’s vision in growing business across Africa.
While some banks are still sticking their head in the sand, United Bank for Africa, amongst many, have realized that social media is fundamentally changing the way people communicate. Therefore, when contemplating their future, banks would be ill-advised to overlook social media. It is with this realization that the Pan-African financial institution, has moved to change the face of e-banking with the introduction of Leo, the UBA Chat Banker that enables customers to make use of their social media accounts to carry out key banking transactions.
On Thursday, January 11th, 2018, the bank brought together its customers and financial journalists at The Backyard Bar & Grill on Musa Yar’Adua Street, Victoria Island, Lagos for the launch of its latest app, everyone present at the event knew it had to be something revolutionary.
L-R: CEO, UBA Francophone Africa, UBA Plc, Emeke Iweriebor; Group Head, Online Banking, UBA Plc, Austin Abolusoro; GMD/CEO, UBA Plc, Kennedy Uzoka; and Executive Director and Group Chief Operations Officer, UBA Plc, Chukwuma Nweke, during the launch and introduction of Leo, a Chat Banking Personality on Social Media Platforms by UBA in Lagos on Thursday
For a bank that has scored many firsts in the industry and is ranked among the top three banks in effective use of social media in Nigeria in a social media report by Alder Consulting; a bank that has invested heavily in building a robust and secure e-banking platform that supports its e-banking operations globally through strategic partnerships with various local and international organizations, you could only expect the bar to keep going higher.
Beyond being active on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Google Plus, and also running a corporate blog, Africa’s global bank is continuously innovating and developing strategies aimed at making banking seamless and effortless for millions of its existing and potential customers, while also ensuring the utmost safety of their transactions.
It was, therefore, not surprising that UBA would score yet another first with the introduction of Leo, an innovation that is capable of revolutionizing the way banking is done in Africa. Leo, a UBA Chat Banking personality that enables the bank’s customers to make use of their social media accounts to carry out key banking transactions, comes as a solution developed with people’s lifestyles in mind.
With Leo, customers are able to open new accounts, receive instant transaction notifications, check their balances on the go, carry out money transfers and airtime top-up, pay for Uber, as well as perform other transactions like payment of bills, data top-up, mini-statements, loan applications, cheque confirmation, account freezing, among others right on their mobile phones.
Designed to work with the platforms people are already familiar with, Leo has already taken off on Facebook Messenger. In the nearest future, the app is expected to show up on other social media platforms and all it takes to enjoy the services is simply to have a Facebook account. At the official launch of Leo in Lagos, Kennedy Uzoka, Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc, explained that Leo, being an intelligent personality, will give customers instant feedback as they transact their business on the platform, describing it as “a solution that is from the customer’s standpoint which is easy to use by anyone regardless of your career”.
“The formulation of this product is consistent with the bank’s customer-first philosophy, where we are doing things not the way we like but exactly what the customers want, where they want it, and in the exact platform they want,” Uzoka said.
“And so, we have been working with technology giants from around the world because for UBA with so many customers, we have to deal with those who have the global capacity. Therefore, we at UBA have collaborated with Facebook to come up with this. In future, Leo will show up with other platforms. All you need to do is to have an account with Facebook,” he said.
Highlighting some of the advantages of using the app, Uzoka said the chat language is elementary, and Leo can even help one remember what he or she needs to do at every particular point in time. On the security of the platform, he said that Chat Banking with Leo does not elevate the risk already available. “You do not need to learn to use it because it has always been part of your life. It is the solution from customers’ point of view. Its greatest asset is its simplicity. Leo is an artificial intelligence. He will address all banking concerns. He should help pay for everything but you need to have an account with UBA to transact with Leo,” Uzoka said.
“This is the first time that a financial institution in Africa has come up with this manner of solutions to simplify the way customers transact, something that has become necessary in today’s fast-paced world with demands for quick-time transactions and response,” he said. He expressed a belief that with the huge number of customers the bank has as well as its growing customer base in all the 19 countries of operation, customers would be served using modern and forward-looking technology.
Austine Abolusoro, group head, Online Banking, UBA Plc, who took UBA customers and journalists present through a step-by-step demonstration on how to make use of Facebook chat function to enjoy seamless banking services through chat sessions, explained that Leo is not just a chat machine but an artificial intelligence service as well a personality meant to address any type of banking concern.
“Leo is ready and waiting to help with most transactions and to deliver any form of banking services. Leo is operating a lifestyle banking platform on Facebook Messenger to assist with your transactions while chatting with your friends and business partners,” Abolusoro said. “The security with this platform is that for every transaction, an OTP (One Time Password) is generated to the phone number that is registered on the account,” he said.
He explained further that to open an account and enjoy the chat banking advantage, the prospective customer just needs to log on to the Facebook Messenger and opened up the chat with Leo, who then takes over the conversation by telling the customer what steps to take. On security measures, he said the prospective customer needs to provide a Bank Verification Number (BVN) and phone number that is linked to the BVN.
But there is a ceiling on the volume of transaction that can be done by customers, the bank said. Customers with low-key Know Your Customer (KYC) will transact to a limit of N50,000 daily, already existing customers can do N200,000 and N100,000 in the first seven days even as the accounts can be upgraded to do higher transaction volumes.
“We are increasing customers’ happiness level with this product. We have brought banking to the chartroom,” Uzoka said. No doubt, as e-banking continues to reshape the way bank customers carry out their financial transactions by providing 24-hour services and saving customers the stress of joining long queues in banking halls, UBA Plc is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to not just keep up with technology but to always stay ahead of the game.
With eyes on the future, and conversant with the new trend in customer behaviour, the bank is constantly innovating, taking strategic steps to integrate more people into the digital financial services net, drive down the cost of service, and build consumer confidence in digital platforms.
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