Wema Bank Strengthens Alliance With Payments Firm

By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel

Wema Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s most resilient banks, has renewed and expanded its long-term business agreement with Network International Holdings, a provider of technology-enabled payments solutions to merchants and financial institutions in the Middle East.

The renewed agreement is on the relationship that Network International will be helping Wema Bank increase its capacity for card issuing, and also support the bank’s ATM processing capabilities in Africa.

Commenting on the collaboration, the Head, e-Business & Payments, Wema Bank, Mr Damola Bolodeoku, said that the partnership has been a fruitful one for the last 4 years as they have been able to issue over 500,000 Network-processed Mastercard cards.

Mr Bolodeoku said, “Network International has been a partner of Wema Bank for some time for processing, card portfolio management, and acquirer processing, and we have enjoyed the professionalism of the organization as well as its adherence to international standards and specifications.

“Network-processed Mastercard cards are issued and delivered at no cost through Alat (by Wema), Africa’s first digital bank, and that partnership has blossomed over the last 48 months with well over 500,000 cards issued through Network’s support.”

On his part, the Regional President of Network International – Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Hany Fekry confirmed the successful long-term relationship between the two companies while reiterating the common drive which is to increase digital adoption and better customers’ experience.

“Network International already enjoys a long-term, successful relationship with WEMA Bank, having helped the bank deliver many innovative products to their customers over the years.

“The expansion of our agreement is also a testament to the confidence the bank has in our best-in-class solutions and technical expertise.

“We are delighted to strengthen our alliance with WEMA Bank, with the common goal of achieving increased digital adoption and improve customer experience in the African market,” he said.

The long-term partnership between both companies is agreed on their commitment to expand the utilization of digital payments, and promote a cashless economy across Africa and the Middle East, offering end-to-end payment solutions to a growing client base in over 50 countries.