The New Experience Newspapers Online News Indepth, Analysis and More
PHOTO CAPTION
Chairman of ALTON Gbenga Adebayo (left); Academic Director, Lagos Business School, Professor Olayinka David-West; Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan; Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Newspapers, Gbenga Adefaye and Chief Risk Officer, CSCS, Ayokunle Adaralegbe, during Vanguard Conference on Mobile Money Market & Fintech with the theme, “Leveraging Fintech Innovation for Unlocking Growth and Competitiveness in Nigeria’s Mobile Money Market and Payment Ecosystem,” in Lagos.
Ecobank Nigeria says over 100,000 merchants have been onboarded on the EcobankPay platform with transaction value reaching N2billion.
EcobankPay offers customers a multi-channel payment experience that includes Mobile QR Payment at merchant stores (mCash, Masterpass and mVisa), Merchant QR is set up via Facebook Messenger as well as USSD payment for low-income phone users.
It is used by all businesses from small, informal micro merchants to large corporates as well as governments. It enables them to offer easy and convenient payment options to their customers in-store or online.
Its unique offering is such that all bank customers in Nigeria could pay with Masterpass, mVisa, and mCash with any phone by scanning the QR code or using USSD at merchant locations. 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.
Additional offerings include instant settlement of transaction with no transaction fees and it supports domestic and cross border transactions.
Announcing this development in Lagos, Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Carol Oyedeji, said she was impressed with the level of acceptance of EcobankPay service by Nigerians.
She restated that the digital product was introduced into the financial landscape to enhance payment and create ease and convenience of transactions.
“The performance of EcobankPay underscores the choice of Ecobank in bringing digital payment solutions for safe, reliable and convenient transactions to both customers and non- customers of the bank.
“The EcobankPay channel offers a distinct advantage of supporting the three main payment schemes, Masterpass, mVisa and mCash thereby broadening acceptability regardless of which Bank a client makes payment from. The QR Code is much cheaper than having a point of sale (PoS) terminal and credit to the merchant is instant,” she noted.
Speaking, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, said, “We are determined to make Ecobankpay the choice for instant digital payment in Nigeria. The payment solutions were introduced to create payment convenience for goods and services and support growth of businesses, especially SMEs.
“Ecobank is impressed with the significant progress made on EcobankPay transactions, as it is gradually becoming a lifestyle payment for all. The initiative is to deepen financial inclusion in the communities and specifically aid business transactions between merchants and clients by eliminating risk of payment rejection.
“The bank 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),” he noted.
The EcobankPay Zone launched in February 2019 is available at the Alaba International markets, International Trade Fair, Balogun Market, Saka Tinubu Market in Lagos; Relief market Onitsha, Ariaria Market both in South East; Kofa Ruwa and Kantin Kwari Market in Kano; Wuse and Dei-Dei Market Abuja; Phone Village, Port Harcourt, New Benin Market in Edo State and Main Market Warri, among others.