E-Financial
Wema Bank Rolls Out Array of Initiatives to Deepen Financial Inclusion
Nigeria’s innovative financial institution, Wema Bank, has further raised the bar of commitment to deepening financial inclusion in Nigeria with the rollout of an array of initiatives that raise awareness of financial inclusion amongst Nigerians.
In commemoration of the 2022 Financial Inclusion Week (FIW), the Bank has rolled out a weeklong of activities to empower and increase knowledge of financial inclusion and the benefits among the unbaked and underserved population most especially those in rural communities, as well as the existing customers of the Bank.
Wema Bank’s Head of Retail Segment, Adekunle Alarapon, while announcing the activities scheduled to commemorate this year’s Financial Inclusion Week, stated that the FIW would be celebrated over five days across key locations in Nigeria, while the activities would run from Monday, 17th to Friday, 21st of October 2022 with the theme, ‘Inclusive Growth in Digital Era.’
According to him, the week was kick-started on Monday, October 17 with the launch of Wema Bank’s Financial Inclusion Hub in Owode Egba, a rural community in Ogun State, Nigeria, while on Tuesday, October 18 and Wednesday, October 19, activations and awareness of FIW were held in Awi Community of Ankankpa LGA of Cross River State.
The activities continue on Thursday, October 20, with a virtual webinar on ‘Inclusive Growth in Digital Era aimed to educate the public about financial inclusion. The webinar would have Wema Bank’s Chief Digital Officer, Mr. Segun Adeniyi and the Chief Distribution & Stakeholder Engagement Officer/COOSANEF Nigeria, Mrs. Uche Uzoebo as keynote speakers.
The Executive Director of Propoor Group, Mr. Yunusa Ibrahim; Managing Director of Afara Partners, Mr. Mayowa Owolabi, and Advisor, Women World Banking (WWB), Mrs. Ara Sidi Sodiq would serve as Panelists.
On the final day, Friday, October 21, Wema Bank will launch her latest digital savings product, ‘Micro Savings’ in major market areas in three states – Ogun, Oyo and Cross River respectively.
Speaking about the new digital savings product, Alarapon said, ‘‘The launch of Wema Bank Micro Savings product underscores the Bank’s continued commitment to empowerment of individuals and businesses by leveraging innovation. Micro Savings is a project of the World Woman Banking and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This product is to drive financial inclusion for market women and other traders who do not have culture of banking during work hours.’’
The Financial Inclusion Week (FIW) is an annual forum for exchanging ideas, research, and perspectives from around the world working towards inclusive finance; convened by the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI).
ALAT, Africa’s first fully digital bank owned by Wema is an awards-winning revolutionary digital bank and has significantly impacted the financial services ecosystem positively in many ways including bringing more people onboard into Wema Bank’s range of value-adding banking and financial advisory services.
Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has called for comments from financial services industry stakeholders in the country, policy makers and the general public towards the ongoing revision of the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) Core Principles for Effective Deposit Insurance System.
The proposed revision launched by IADI in May 2025, is a significant step towards enhancing the resilience and relevance of deposit insurance frameworks in the face of an evolving global financial landscape.
Specifically, the revision is aimed at comprehensively addressing structural changes, including digital innovation, the growing role of deposit insurers in resolution, and lessons learned from the banking turmoil in March 2023, which is the most significant systemic stress event since the 2007-09 global financial crisis.
The IADI Core Principles are used by jurisdictions, including Nigeria, as a benchmark for assessing the quality of their deposit insurance systems and for identifying gaps in their deposit insurance practices and measures to address them.
The Core Principles are also used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in the context of the Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP), to assess the effectiveness of jurisdictions’ deposit insurance systems and practices.
The first set of the Core Principles was issued jointly by the IADI and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in June 2009 while the document is subjected to periodic revision order to keep it up-to-date with evolving trends on the global financial system landscape.
As a founding and committed member of IADI, NDIC recognises the importance of the ongoing revision and hereby invites stakeholders and the general public to actively participate in the process by reviewing the document on the lin
Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, has celebrated a major milestone, connecting nearly 1 billion mobile money wallets and 500 million bank accounts across the continent.
According to a statement released by the company, Onafriq has evolved from a mobile money switch to a comprehensive omnichannel payments network, facilitating seamless transactions and financial inclusion.
The company’s network now connects 961 million registered mobile wallets and 464 million registered bank accounts, with over 2,000 cross-border payment corridors supported.
Speaking on the achievement, Dare Okoudjou, Founder and CEO of Onafriq, said, “We remain fully committed to connecting every individual and business in Africa with each other and the world.”
Okoudjou noted that the company has grown in lockstep with the continent’s digital evolution, from mobile money to bank accounts, remittances, and real-time trade.
As Onafriq embarks on its next chapter, the company aims to develop infrastructure with local relevance while maintaining the scale of its pan-African infrastructure.
A prime example is Nigeria, where Onafriq is developing a unique payments stack that combines the strength of its cross-border network with the regulatory and foreign exchange realities of one of Africa’s most dynamic economies.
The company is also exploring blockchain infrastructure and stablecoin integrations to facilitate near-instant, programmable payments, aligning with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“We are increasingly focused on creating infrastructure with local depth,” Okoudjou said.
With extensive experience, wide reach, and a proven execution track record, Onafriq remains dedicated to building a payment infrastructure that unlocks prosperity across borders and within local communities.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) has informed its customers that, in compliance with a new directive from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), charges for USSD banking services will no longer be deducted from bank accounts, effective June 3, 2025.
In a notice sent to customers, the bank explained that the charges would now be deducted directly from users’ mobile airtime balances, in line with the NCC’s newly introduced End-User Billing (EUB) framework.
It said the new model aimed to ensure transparency in USSD transactions and shift billing responsibility to mobile network operators.
According to UBA, each USSD session would now cost ₦6.98 per 120 seconds, saying that customers initiating transactions would receive a prompt to provide consent at the start of each session, and airtime would only be debited if the bank is available to process the request.
The bank advised customers who are not comfortable with the new billing arrangement to opt for other digital banking alternatives such as the UBA mobile app and internet banking platform, which remain fully operational and user-friendly.
UBA reaffirmed its commitment to providing secure and accessible digital services, and encouraged customers to choose the channel that best suits their banking needs.
The policy marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s digital banking ecosystem and is expected to address longstanding disputes over USSD service charges between telecom operators and financial institutions.
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