Banking
Ecobank to Gift Customers N61.2m in New Super Rewards Campaign
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
More than N60 million in cash rewards will be won by loyal customers of Ecobank Nigeria in the new edition of the Super Rewards campaign running from September 2025 to January 2026.
The promo was put together by the Nigerian subsidiary of the leading pan-African banking institution, Ecobank Group, to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
A statement from Ecobank said during the five-month period, a total of 914 customers would be rewarded with various cash prizes, amounting to N61.2 million, in addition to enjoying a range of benefits that comes with banking with Ecobank.
It was explained that 420 customers operating individual accounts would cash in N16.8 million from the monthly draws and 8 customers from the same category would receive N8 million as grand prizes in January.
Also, 420 customers with business accounts will get N16.8 million from the monthly draws, with 4 getting the grand prize of N16 million to support their businesses, while 50 customers operating student accounts will be rewarded during the monthly draws, each receiving N40,000 (totalling ₦2 million), with 4 youth customers taking the grand reward, receiving education grant of N400,000 each (totalling N1.6 million).
“This year’s campaign is a special celebration of Ecobank Group’s 40 years of operations across Africa and show appreciation to our customers by rewarding their loyalty even as we deliver first-class banking services to them.
“The campaign is open to new and existing individuals, businesses (including SMEs and schools), and youth (students) customers nationwide, including those who reactivate dormant accounts and meet specified deposit and transaction requirements. Monthly draws will be held, ending with a grand finale draw in January, 2026,” the Head of Products and Analytics, Consumer and Commercial Banking at Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Victor Yalokwu, announced in Lagos.
He emphasised the simplicity of the qualification process to encourage broad participation, noting that new individual customers must open an account with a minimum of N10,000 and maintain it for 30 days to qualify for monthly draws. For the grand prize, customers must maintain a minimum deposit of N40,000 for 3 consecutive months.
Business customers need to open accounts with at least N40,000 and maintain the balance similarly, with grand prize qualifications requiring deposit growth of at least N400,000.
All participants must transact through Ecobank’s digital channels—including the Ecobank Mobile app, USSD (*326#), Ecobank Business app, OMNIPLUS, internet banking, or debit card. Monthly draw eligibility requires a minimum of four transactions, while grand prize qualification requires twelve transactions. Each deposit increment of N10,000 (individual) or N40,000 (business) increases chances to earn rewards.
Prospective customers can open accounts via the Ecobank Mobile app, while customers with dormant accounts can reactivate by visiting www.ecobank.com/ng/personal-banking.
“We encourage everyone to join and experience the benefits of banking with Ecobank, while getting rewarded for their loyalty,” Mr Yalokwu concluded.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A collaboration to enable fast money transfers into Nigeria has been entered into between Flutterwave and Xoom, PayPal’s international digital money transfer service.
The partnership allows Xoom transfers to be converted by Flutterwave and settled locally in Naira, enabling quick transfers directly into recipients’ bank accounts at Access Bank, UBA, Zenith Bank, First Bank, GTBank, and additional participating banks across Nigeria.
The deal also enables Xoom’s global network with Flutterwave’s local payout infrastructure, allowing users globally to send funds directly into Nigerian bank accounts with improved speed and efficiency.
Nigeria is the leading remittance recipient in Sub-Saharan Africa, receiving over $20 billion in personal remittances in 2024. Despite this volume, receiving international payments has historically remained complex due to FX constraints and settlement delays. This collaboration helps address those challenges in a market of more than 232 million people, where the ICT sector is projected to contribute 21 per cent of GDP by 2027.
By combining Xoom’s expansive reach with Flutterwave’s local compliance and banking partnerships, the two companies are providing a more accessible financial corridor for the continent.
Xoom, a PayPal service, is a fast and secure international digital money transfer service that enables consumers to send money, pay bills, and reload phones for friends and family in approximately 160 markets globally.
As part of PayPal’s global payments ecosystem, Xoom leverages advanced fraud protection, compliance capabilities, and a trusted global network to help millions of customers move money quickly and securely across borders.
“We’re excited to have been chosen by Xoom for their Nigeria expansion. Millions of Nigerians rely on money from abroad to support everyday needs, whether it’s families receiving help from loved ones, freelancers getting paid for their work, or individuals earning income from the global economy. This helps make it easy and more reliable for people in Nigeria to receive funds and stay connected to opportunities beyond borders,” the chief executive of Flutterwave, Mr Olugbenga GB Agboola, stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An initiative known as Nigeria Lightning Rounds, designed to expand funding opportunities for Nigerian startups and small businesses by connecting founders with local and international investors, has been launched by ProvidusUnity Bank, in partnership with US-based global venture firm and accelerator, gener8tor.
Scheduled to be held on July 15, 2026, Nigeria Lightning Rounds will feature carefully selected startups engaging with targeted investors who have expressed interest in supporting Nigerian innovation.
Participating founders will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses through focused 15-minute virtual sessions facilitated by gener8tor and ProvidusUnity Bank’s networks.
The program will focus on high-growth sectors including fintech, healthtech, manufacturing, sustainability, and AI, but welcomes SMEs from all industries, with intending participants urged to apply via https://www.gener8tor.com/lightning-rounds/nigeria.
“We recognise that access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Through our partnership with gener8tor, we are creating a platform that connects promising Nigerian founders with investors who can provide the support required to scale their businesses,” the Head of Business Development at ProvidusUnity Bank, Mr Ernest Elue, stated.
“The partnership reinforces ProvidusUnity Bank’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting innovation, enabling access to opportunities, and creating pathways for businesses with high-growth potential,” he added.
Also commenting, the Director of Lightning Rounds at gener8tor, Ms Elizabeth Larios, said, “gener8tor is thrilled to partner with ProvidusUnity Bank to extend the Lightning Rounds model into Nigeria.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to building equitable ecosystems and driving capital to the most promising and underrepresented entrepreneurs.”
Lightning Rounds are a signature initiative of gener8tor’s investment platform, which has facilitated thousands of investor-startup meetings globally. The format is optimised to eliminate friction, reduce bias in early-stage fundraising, and help founders secure capital from investors aligned with their mission and stage. gener8tor’s previous Lightning Rounds for Nigerian Founders in 2025 featured 18 participating Investors and led to 50 investment meetings facilitated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The verification of the depositors of the 46 microfinance banks, whose operating licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over a week ago, has commenced.
The exercise, aimed at refunding those whose funds were trapped in the small lenders, is being conducted by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
In a statement on Thursday, the agency said its staff members have been positioned at the offices of the affected banks across the country to attend to depositors.
It was disclosed that depositors of the defunct banks, who had their Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) linked to their accounts in the failed banks, will be paid through their alternative accounts in existing banks.
However, depositors whose BVNs were not linked to their accounts in the failed banks have been encouraged to visit the affected banks’ offices with proof of account ownership, a passport photograph, verifiable means of identification (Driver’s Licence, Permanent Voter’s Card, International Passport or National ID Card) and BVN.
NDIC also stated that depositors can alternatively file their claims online through its website: www.ndic.gov.ng, to complete the Pre-Verification Claims Form by clicking on the Search Bar, and typing Pre-Verification Claims Form; opening the Form and filling in their details. They can also do so by clicking the link: https://ndic.gov.ng/ndic-pre-verification-claims-form/ or by visiting any of the NDIC offices closest to them to file their claims.
For further enquiries, the corporation can be reached on any of the following lines: 09037273810, 09038197064, 08104220807, 09064657140.
