Banking

Ecobank, TRACE Celebrate African Culture as President Macron Visits Nigeria

Published

7 years ago

02/07/2018

By Dipo Olowookere

On Tuesday, July 3, 2018, President of France, Mr Emmanuel Macron, will make an official visit to Lagos, during which he will announce the launch of the Season of African Cultures 2020, a French celebration of Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, as part of a cultural event organised by TRACE and sponsored by Ecobank, Africa’s leading pan-African bank.

TRACE Event, the event department of global broadcast and digital Afro-urban media group TRACE, was chosen to host and organise the high-profile meeting between representatives of Africa’s creative industries and the President of France, thanks to its strong track record of producing large scale entertainment events on the continent.

The media group also has a long-standing role as a cultural bridge between France, Africa and the rest of the world. Entitled ‘A Celebration of African Culture,’ the event will take place at the New Afrika Shrine, the home of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.

Co-founder and Executive Chairman of TRACE, Olivier Laouchez, explained that “TRACE’s mission is to support, nurture, cherish and celebrate Afro-urban music and cultures and to bring them to the world, because we believe that the world can only benefit from a better understanding of the richness and the diversity of these cultures, which have long been undervalued.

“It is for this reason that we have organised this momentous event, to launch the Season of African Cultures 2020 in France. One of the objectives of this season is to change the French perception of the African continent through the promotion of contemporary African creation, and this is what TRACE strives to do every day,” he said.

Over a thousand VIP guests, including representatives from the African creative and arts sectors have been invited to attend the multicultural event, with music provided by an almost exclusively female line-up featuring pan-African queen of Afro-pop Yemi Alade, Franco-Nigerian singer Asa, and Cameroon’s Charlotte Dipanda.

They will be joined by leading performer Femi Kuti, son of Fela Kuti and the New Afrika Shrine’s patron. The evening is set to be a celebration of Africa’s diverse and rich cultural heritage and will honour young creators from the worlds of art, design, fashion, and African cinema, with a Nollywood scene being filmed live on the night by renowned Nigerian film director, Mr Kunle Afolayan.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Charles Kie, said Ecobank was proud to support such a noteworthy event that perfectly synchronises with the bank’s ongoing and strategic intent to support and develop economic growth and financial integration in Africa.

“Ecobank is delighted to be sponsoring this showcasing and celebration of the growing universal impact of African culture,” he said.

“Sustainable economic growth is essential to increase our continent’s global competitiveness thereby improving standards of living and prosperity for all Africans. It is fantastic to see that Africa’s burgeoning creative industries are playing their full part in doing this by entertaining and attracting the global audiences that will in turn help increase both international interest and investment in African nations and businesses to the benefit of all,” he added.

Banking

Banks, Fintech Firms Should Not Operate as Rivals—Ajalie

Published

3 days ago

03/01/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The chief executive of TeamApt Limited, Mr Dennis Ajalie, has called for a robust collaboration in the digital payments ecosystem, saying banks and fintech companies should not see themselves as rivals.

Mr Ajalie said the industry’s regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has delineated what each entity should do and how they should function in creating a successful payment ecosystem that protects consumers and enables businesses, which he admitted to be complementary and not competitive.

Touching on the imperative of borderless transactions and the solutions for implementation concerning the framework, he said, “Borderless transactions have to happen because we’re becoming more interconnected by the day and by the minute.”

“We still have a lot of siloed implementations among key stakeholders and unless we recalibrate our systems, borderless remains beyond our reach and a mirage,” Mr Ajalie stated at the Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) conference in Lagos themed Payment System Vision 2030: Navigating Contemporary Issues in Driving Future Growth.

“There’s the fierce urgency of now that demands that we find solid ways to interconnect, and once we’re able to interconnect within ourselves, reconcile properly, especially on the local front, then we can present a single, unified front that will enable us to push transactions and receive transactions from outside.

“We cannot go forward without fixing these internal challenges,” he added at the event, where he was one of the panellists.

TeamApt, a subsidiary of Moniepoint Incorporated, facilitates payment processing across many industries while enabling reliable payments for banks and their customers while reducing operating costs.

Wrapping up his thoughts, the TeamApt boss reiterated the need for industry-wide collaborations in fighting the menace of fraud.

“If we are able to all share information and collaborate seamlessly, we’ll find out that it becomes disinteresting for these bad faith individuals to use the collective technology commonwealth that we have all built to commit nefarious activities.

“So, it goes back to collaboration among fintechs, the banks, NFIU, infrastructure providers, the telcos, and switches. We’ve all got to come together to say, enough is enough and that this present situation threatens all of us rather than just one of us,” he added.

Banking

Bankit MFB Introduces Web Banking Platform for Convenience, Security

Published

6 days ago

31/12/2024

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

An innovative web banking platform to provide customers with an additional digital channel to manage and carry out uninterrupted daily transactions on their phones, laptops and other devices has been introduced by Bankit Microfinance Bank (MFB).

The emerging small financial institution said it came up with this platform to break barriers and empower individuals and businesses to manage their finances with confidence.

With this, Bankit MFB is redefining convenience and security in banking, ensuring uninterrupted access to financial services, time-saving functionalities, efficiency, real-time account updates, 24/7 availability, and faster transactions.

“In today’s fast-paced digital age, connectivity is everything in banking, and for us, it’s all about improving customer experience with simple banking options and empowering our teeming customers to live their best lives.

“We are revolutionizing the Fintech landscape in Nigeria, and we have developed this solution to empower our customers to bank securely, anytime, anywhere, conveniently.

“We are committed to leveraging technology to enhance the banking experience for all our customers,” the chief executive of Bankit Africa, Mr Yen Choi, stated.

“Bankit’s web banking platform reaffirms one of the bank’s core values – Innovation and sets a new standard for accessibility and security in the banking industry.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to excellence, Bankit Africa will continue to evolve its offerings to meet and exceed the needs of its rising customer base.

“Some key features of this web banking platform include: a simple way to send money, buy airtime, and pay bills with no extra fees or hidden charges,” he added.

Bankit MFB is a licensed financial institution dedicated to providing innovative, customer-centric financial solutions to individuals, businesses, and communities in Nigeria, with a focus on simplicity, convenience, and security.

Banking

GTBank, UBA, Others Announce Early Closure of Branches as 2024 Ends

Published

6 days ago

31/12/2024

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

Banking operations at the branches of most financial institutions in Nigeria will end earlier than expected today, Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

The majority of them have sent messages to their customers to inform them of this development.

Business Post sighted some of these notices sent by the banks to their customers via electronic mails (e-mails).

One of them from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Limited said transactions at its Lagos branches will close for the day and year by 3 pm while in other branches at 2 pm, encouraging customers to use its digital channels for their financial transactions.

“We would like to inform you that all our branches nationwide will close to customers early on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

“During this period, we encourage you to take advantage of our digital channels for banking needs,” the notice read in parts.

On its part, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc said its branches would close for the day at 2 pm across the nation.

“As we prepare for the New Year celebration, our branches will close by 2 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024.

“While our branches take a break, our digital channels, the UBA Mobile Banking, Leo, *919# or internet banking are available 24/7 for all your banking needs.

“Your security is our priority. We will never ask for your BVN, card number, PIN or personal details. Suspect anything fraudulent? Call our Fraud Help Desk,” the message from the lender read.

As for Fidelity Bank Plc, it plans to stop banking services at its branches nationwide today by 2 pm to resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

“Please be informed that our branches will close at 2 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, ahead of the New Year holiday.

“As always, our digital channels; Mobile Banking, USSD Bank (*770#), PoS, ATMs, Cards, and Ivy Chat, will be available 24/7 for all banking transactions.

“Please note that normal operations will resume at 8 am on Thursday, January 2, 2025,” the bank said in its message to customers.