E-Financial
EcobankPay, Xpresspoint Agents Leveraging Technology to Expand Financial Inclusion – Akinwuntan
Patrick Akinwuntan, managing director, Ecobank Nigeria, has disclosed that the Bank is leveraging technology to push the frontiers of financial inclusion of the unbanked and under-banked in the country.
The Managing Director said this in his keynote presentation at the Vanguard Economic Forum series on mobile money market and Fintech, with the theme, ‘Leveraging Fintech Innovation for Unlocking Growth and Competitiveness in Nigeria’s Mobile & Payment Ecosystem’ held in Lagos.
He pointed out that Nigeria which has improved financial inclusion from 47% to 63% in the last decade, remains a dynamic market with a lot of opportunities for digital financial expansion.
He stated that Ecobank has built an ecosystem that leverages digital technology to bring affordable, easy and convenient financial services to the people and businesses.
According to him, Ecobank is currently pushing EcobankPay, Xpress Agency Points and other digital platforms as key solutions to address the rapid shift to mobile payment and the adoption of digital channels across the country.
He described EcobankPay as “a lifestyle scan and pay digital payment and collection service which accepts payments from other platforms – mVisa, Masterpass and mCash. Payment can be made with any phone by scanning the QR code or using USSD at merchant locations.
“It’s a unique offering, is its interoperability, that is, all bank customers in Nigeria can pay through their accounts in other banks. It is free to set up, as the shop owner only needs his/her QR code and phone for notifications to start receiving quick and easy payments.
Merchant QR can also be set up via Facebook Messenger as well as USSD payment for low-income phone users”
He noted that EcobankPay “is currently available at over 90,000 merchant locations across the country. This is in addition to over 6,000 Xpress point agent locations in the country. Also, we have over 8 million mobile banking subscribers across the Ecobank Group. Our Ecobank Mobile App is unique, as it is one universal app available in 33 countries where we operate in Africa.
“Furthermore, Ecobank has so far set up EcobankPay Zones in over 50 locations in different parts of the country. These are digital hubs enabling businesses within a location adopt Ecobank’s wide range of digital products for ease of payments for goods and services. The payment options at the zones include EcobankPay, Xpress points, Automated Teller Machines (ATMS) and Point of Sale (PoS)”.
Mr. Akinwuntan said also that the banks’ strategy includes collaboration with Fintechs to surmount the financial inclusion and adoption of financial services challenge. Quoting the Efina fintech 2018 report, he noted that “there is an increased partnership with Fintechs as Nigeria is currently home to over 250 Fintechs and approximately 60% of them supporting payments and lending capabilities.
“The cumulative Fintech funding by banks in Nigeria has surpassed $250m in the past five years, he pointed out.
“Ecobank hosts an annual Africa Fintech challenge and we are providing support infrastructure for Fintechs that excel at the challenge.
“At Ecobank our vision and mission focus on providing Africans affordable and easy to access financial products and services. We believe innovation and technology could help remove barriers to 24/7 access to financial services through the use of self-service applications.“
He also noted that increasing mobile phone penetration has been a key enabler whilst the positive regulatory regime of the Central Bank is driving financial inclusion and seamless payment services initiatives in the country.
While commending Vanguard newspaper for organizing the event and choice of the theme and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s various initiatives targeted at promoting and creating an enabling environment for mobile banking to thrive in the country, he made case for collaboration of all stakeholders to achieve the desired result.
Musa Jimoh, Deputy Director, Payment System Department, CBN, in his goodwill message at the forum said: “Cost of service is one of the reasons why people refuse to use some banking services including mobile money.
“So we came out with guidelines to bank charges to make sure that we regulate the charges and we have also come out with some other initiatives under the cashless scheme to see how we can bring people to the digital channel and reduce the high cost of operations in the bank.
“There are several initiatives that CBN is pushing to ensure the mobile money operators grow and help us deepen financial inclusion.”
Earlier in her presentation, Professor Olayinka David-West, Academic Director, Lagos Business School, LBS, explained that financial inclusion is the access to unleash affordable financial services to the huge population of the unbanked and the under-banked in the society.
She stated: “Affordable financial service is important because not everybody can afford to pay for account maintenance of N500 a month.
“To address financial inclusion, innovation is important because it will help us address the easy access to financial services. It has nothing to do with literacy; it is about how do we design it knowing the capabilities of the people we are trying to serve.”
Ecobank is a leading pan-African bank with an unrivalled platform in Africa. Its vision is to build a world-class Pan African bank contributing to the socio-economic development of Africa, while also providing customers convenient accessible and reliable
A surge in cryptocurrency fraud has prompted the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to strengthen its monitoring measures.
The regulator has partnered with blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis to improve its ability to detect and disrupt illicit activity.
This move follows growing concerns about the security of Nigeria’s expanding digital asset market.
At a joint webinar themed “Combating Scams with Blockchain Intelligence,” Dr. Emomotimi Agama, director-general, SEC, stressed the need for coordinated action.
He said transparency in crypto transactions should be the foundation of enforcement in the sector.
Agama warned that without collaboration, fraudulent activity could grow more dangerous in the future.
The SEC plans to use blockchain’s permanent transaction records to trace and monitor illicit movements of funds. This will include identifying wallet clusters, tracking fund transfers, and analysing transaction histories on networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Agama said these measures would help the commission detect scams earlier and respond faster.
The Chainalysis 2025 Crypto Crime Report provided data that reinforced the urgency of the SEC’s initiative.
According to the report, illicit crypto addresses received $178 billion worldwide over the last five years.
The highest volume was recorded in 2022, with $54.3 billion, followed by $46.1 billion in 2023 and $40.9 billion in 2024.
Agama said these figures showed the scale of the problem and the need for advanced analytics in enforcement work.
He also noted that Nigeria must improve its technical capacity to match the sophistication of modern financial crimes.
The partnership with Chainalysis is expected to help bridge this capability gap.
The SEC is working under the framework provided by the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2025, which took effect in April.
Agama described the law as a key step toward establishing clear rules for the digital asset market.
It also enables cooperation between Nigerian regulators and international partners without discouraging innovation.
He called for active collaboration between regulators, technology providers, and industry players to address fraud before it escalates. “
With all the various tools at our disposal, we must brace up for the challenges ahead,” Agama said.
He added that the collective goal should be to stop criminal activity at its source.
The SEC’s collaboration with Chainalysis is positioned as a strategic move to safeguard investors and improve market integrity.
It reflects an effort to place Nigeria among regional leaders in regulated digital finance.
By integrating blockchain analytics into its operations, the commission aims to create a safer environment for crypto transactions in the country.
World Bank has said that it has given approval of $300 million to fund a new project aimed at bolstering access to services and economic opportunities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their host communities in northern Nigeria.
In a release, the World Bank said the Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project (SOLID) was approved on August 7.
It stated that the project will adopt an integrated development strategy to help displaced persons and host communities transition from humanitarian aid to self-reliance and resilience.
It also said the ongoing conflict and insecurity in the region have displaced more than 3.5 million people, straining infrastructure and deepening competition for scarce resources in affected communities.
The bank said SOLID will build on previous government and partner interventions, including the multi-sectoral crisis recovery project (MCRP), which focused on emergency recovery.
“Key areas of focus include building climate-resilient infrastructure, promoting social cohesion, supporting livelihoods, and strengthening institutions to better respond to the pressures of forced displacement.
“We are glad to support this initiative which has a tremendous potential to help Nigeria in addressing development challenges associated with protracted displacement in a sustainable way,” Mathew Verghis, World Bank country director for Nigeria, said.
“The Project’s integrated approach which is aligned with the National IDP Policy and the FGN’s long-term development vision will ensure that IDPs and host communities can transition from dependency on humanitarian assistance to self-reliance and resilience which will open up better economic opportunities,” it added.
The World Bank, which noted that the cproject is expected to benefit up to 7.4 million people, of whom up to 1.3 million individuals are identified as IDPs, added that the project will be implemented through a coordinated, community-driven approach involving all tiers of government, with strong partnerships from international stakeholders.
United Bank for Africa (UBA), Plc, Africa’s Global Bank, has launched its revamped Group website to enhance users’ digital experience.
The newly revamped website boasts of a faster, smarter, and more dynamic digital platform, designed to deliver live news updates, real-time Nigerian stock prices, and a world-class user experience among other world-class features.
The upgrade marks a significant leap in the bank’s digital transformation journey, setting new standards for speed, accessibility, and innovation in the African banking industry.
Alero Ladipo, group head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, UBA, who spoke excitedly about the revamped website, explained that the redesign focuses on simplifying user-journey, improving responsiveness across all devices, and incorporating a language-agnostic interface that caters to the bank’s diverse global audience.
She explained that with its sleek, intuitive layout and enhanced navigation, the site empowers customers, investors, and stakeholders to access critical information instantly – whether it is the latest market movements, breaking financial news, or UBA’s wide range of products and services.
Ms Ladipo said, “We are thrilled to unveil our new website, which represents a significant milestone in our digital transformation journey. Our goal is to provide a world-class digital experience that meets the evolving needs of our customers and stakeholders.”
Continuing, she added, “A major highlight of the upgrade is its speed, powered by an upgraded server infrastructure with enhanced load balancing to ensure minimal downtime and lightning-fast performance. By combining speed, accessibility, and live market intelligence, our new platform strengthens our position as an industry leader.”
She pointed out that the site also integrates automated news updates powered by International agency, Bloomberg and real-time stock prices tracking, ensuring visitors remain informed at all times.
Throwing more light on the new features, Amanda Oguamanam, head, Digital and Online Marketing, UBA, said; “We have transformed our website to be faster, cleaner, and more engaging, removing clutter by over 60%, upgrading servers for speed and reliability, streamlining navigation, and tailoring content to inspire global partners while making it easier for customers to find what they need.”
Other standout features, she added, include improved accessibility for users with disabilities, dark/light mode toggle, advanced search functions, and a simplified content structure, which are all designed to deliver an inclusive, modern experience for a global audience.
The revamped website is live and accessible at www.ubagroup.com.
United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group wide and serving over 45 million customers globally.
Operating in twenty African countries and the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.
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