Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, a member of Standard Bank Group, has announced the change of its tagline from “Moving Forward” to “It Can Be”.

Unveiling the new slogan, Yinka Sanni, out-going Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, said that these special times require a stronger connection with the organisation’s customers. “As we continue to provide innovative banking solutions to give better customer experience, ‘It Can Be’ reflects the gradual and consistent transition from a previous stage of growth to a new stage of possibilities,” he said.

According to Sanni, the new catchphrase represents Stanbic IBTC’s unwavering support to its customers. He said: “Over the years, we have built a reputation of providing quality and topnotch banking experience. This marks a significant milestone in our journey with our customers, as we reflect on everything the “Moving Forward” tagline stood for, we are assured that what we aspire to become ‘can be.’’

He further reiterated that the ‘It Can Be’ mantra is an assurance that with Stanbic IBTC, everyone can achieve greater things with endless possibilities.

“Our new watchword is about hope. It is an attitude and a way of life. It is a statement of reassurance to help our customers get to where they want to be. ‘It can be’ represents transformation, growth, success and a brighter tomorrow for all our esteemed customers. We know they have dreams for the future and we are here to make them happen,” he said.

For the second time in two months, Ecobank Nigeria has hosted another set of  its trainees from its state of the art academy to a virtual graduation ceremony who were automatically absolved into full time employment.

The Ecobank Nigeria Management Trainees Batch 2 (EMDP 2) comprises 53 graduates who were trained at the Ecobank Nigeria Academy for 21 months. Ecobank Nigeria had in May this year organised a virtual graduation ceremony for 57 graduate trainees, the first of its kind by any bank in the country.

In his comment, the Managing Director, Patrick Akinwuntan reiterated that the bank’s deliberate policy to train and equip its workforce is in line with its transformation drive to make the bank the most preferred financial institution in the country, adding that it is also targeted to better serve its customers in a convenient and accessible manner particularly as the nation rebounds from the COVID19 lockdown.

According to him, Ecobank has also invested in a robust technology-based model which positions the bank to cope with current and future challenges including the provision of convenient digital banking services to customers in a seamless manner across 33 countries on the African continent.

“Our Mobile Banking app is unique as it’s a single App for the entire continent and our USSD *326# is very convenient. We have Ecobank Online for individuals; Ecobank  Omniplus and Ecobank Omnilite for corporate and SME clients respectively. Our Agency banking Ecobank Xpresspoints brings banking to every neighbourhood. You can open an account in minutes on our Mobile platform while our POSs and ATMs are everywhere in the country.”

Speaking further, the Managing Director encouraged the graduands to remain ethical and diligent in the delivery of the vision of the bank to become the most preferred financial services payments brand in Nigeria to support the economic development of households and growth of trade, manufacturing and commerce in Nigeria and Africa.

“Your professional journey in this bank begins today. What you become in future in this bank depends on the goals you have set for yourself. You now represent the Ecobank brand which is why you must be conscious of your actions and activities both at work and anywhere you find yourself. Let me also advise you that since you are privileged to work in this pan African and  a multi- lingual financial institution, endeavour to learn at least another language. You also need to be digitally sound to fit in to the emerging global banking environment.”

Registrar/Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, ‘Seye Awojobi, described Ecobank as a trail blazer in the industry for hosting second digital graduation within two months. He lauded the high premium the bank places on training and building the competencies of its workforce, stressing that Ecobank has great foresight and well positioned for the new normal in the global banking arena.

Awojobi who spoke on ‘making a difference as a professional banker’ advised the graduands to have sound industry knowledge, focus on their vision, display resilience in a high pressure environment and possess entrepreneurial mind-set to excel in the banking profession. He also harped on integrity and excellence

While assuring them of the maximum support of the Institute to help them succeed in their chosen career, he enjoined them to put to good use the top notch training offered them at the Ecobank Academy for the good of the bank, the banking sector and the economy as a whole.

“I congratulate you for choosing banking as your career. To achieve your desired success, you should imbibe the right attitude, manage your time well and focus on what is of value to you, your bank and the industry.” “You should also read wide, surround yourself with like minds, choose mentors to guide you,  be ethical and display integrity n all your dealings and always strive for excellence at all times.”

Welcoming the graduands formally to the bank, Acting Head, Human Resources, Ecobank Nigeria, Kunle Adewuyi said the bank is performance based that offers an enabling and conducive environment for staff to excel to the highest level. He noted that the bank’s reward system remains a motivating factor for high performance and productivity.

He explained that the intensive Management trainee program which ran for 21 months at the Ecobank Nigeria Academy is aimed at equipping the participants ( graduates) who may be coming from non-financial and banking related academic backgrounds with the necessary skill solutions. He disclosed that the trainees were exposed to different departments and functions of the bank.

Group Head, Talent, Learning and organisations Development, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Smon Rey who represented the Group Head, Human Resources, ETI advised the graduands on the need to aspire, strive for excellence to achieve their career goals and contribute meaningfully to the growth of the pan African bank.

He emphasised collaboration and team work to excel, urging them to brace up for the future financial system post COVID-19.

Ecobank Nigeria says its agency banking scheme, also known as Xpress Points, is building entrepreneurs and pushing financial inclusion to the large unbanked and under-banked population in Nigeria.

The lender says its Xpress Points enables eligible Agents to carry out financial transactions on behalf of the bank and earn commission on every transaction processed. The consumer experience is very good as customers can do simple deposits, payments and transfers in their own neighbourhood rather than travel for hours to a bank branch said Nike Kolawole, Head, Agency Banking, Ecobank Nigeria.

According to her, the aim of the Xpress Point is to let every Nigerian household have access to Ecobank services within their neighbourhood to provide easy banking services.

Further, Kolawole, noted that unemployed and retired persons should avail themselves with the opportunity to earn extra income by keying into services offered by the bank as Xpress point agents. According to her, the Ecobank Xpress point which are in various neighbourhoods across the country, are well-positioned to facilitate basic financial transactions, with the process and services simplified to attend to a broad spectrum of the society.

She disclosed that agency banking in general brings about economic and youth empowerment by way of job creation and earning extra income, adding that small savers can easily do their savings at home or near their home. This leads to financial inclusion of the under-banked in the country.

In her words “Ecobank currently has over 43,000 agents across Africa. The agents carry out financial transactions on behalf of Ecobank and earn commission per transaction processed. Xpress Points can also be used as channels for the deployment of national social intervention programmes, especially at this time that we are fighting the impact of lockdowns due to the COVID-19. Services offered by the Xpress point agents includes cash in, cash out, fund transfer, bills payment, airtime recharge, remittance and account opening, among others. these services are available for “sole proprietors, partnerships, co-operative societies, microfinance banks, companies with large distribution network – like petrol stations, FMCGs, telecommunication companies, super agents, aggregators and unregistered businesses such as petty traders, hair salon and others.’’

CRC Credit Bureau has launched its Data Submission Application Programming Interface (API) that enables institutions access and submit data on their credit customers online real time.

This innovation in Nigeria, the first in the industry, is an automated medium that enables institutions, provide CRC with information on credits  immediately they are booked on the system and update existing credit records as soon as repayments have been made by their customers. The API also enables them to access relevant information about their customers through live connections.

Traditionally, lenders submit credit data once or twice a month which leaves some customers who have paid, in between this cycle, either waiting for an update to be done, while others are not able to build a credit history especially if they have taken and repaid the loan before the information is provided to the credit bureau.

An example of these are short-tenured facilities e.g. 24 hours, 7-day facilities etc. The traditional reporting often causes a delay for borrowers who want to access new loans immediately after they pay off outstanding facilities or for those who want to build credible profiles to access loans/postpaid products thereby improving their standard of living.

On the lenders side, they spend additional man hours updating information manually thereby increasing their operational cost and negatively impacting efficiency.

By adopting this technological advancement in data reporting, institutions can eradicate these challenges, as their customers begin to build credible profiles and histories immediately facilities are taken. Instant updates are conducted on loans and postpaid products as repayments happen and are fully made. Therefore, by taking advantage of this API, lenders assist all their customers to continuously build accurate and reliable credit profiles that enable them to enjoy additional opportunities.

This solution completes the operational reporting cycle for lenders to CRC Credit Bureau, as now they can automate both the generation of credit information for decision making and the submission of data on their credit customers. Lenders can reduce their loan processing costs and increase efficiency emanating from the challenges associated with the manual reporting of credit files, ultimately scaling up their business and increasing profitability.

Even though the Federal Government of Nigeria, has eased the lockdown significantly in order to kick-start economic activities, the use of online mediums or Electronic-Channels for digital lending will continue to be the most favorable method of initiating credit requests and CRC’s API is a welcome innovation in the credit bureau sub-sector which will benefit lenders and borrowers alike.

According to the Managing Director/CEO of CRC Credit Bureau Limited, Dr.‘Tunde Popoola‘ “We are always listening to our customers, individuals and institutions alike, and during the restriction of movement one overarching challenge was the need to have an automated means of accessing and submitting data 24/7. As a data company, we should ensure that beyond just providing credit data, our customers are able to access and submit data as efficiently as possible. We know that timely data reporting is essential to the quality of data which ultimately increases access to finance and postpaid products for consumers and businesses. Consequently, our Data Submission API makes this process more efficient and effective for all parties involved’’

Lenders can have access to CRC’s API solutions in 4easy steps: Request for the API Integration Kit, Implement API, Test and Go Live. Further information can be obtained by sending CRC Credit Bureau an email to [email protected] or [email protected].

CRC Credit Bureau provides a nationwide repository on credit profiles of corporate entities as well as consumers, thus improving the ability of credit providers and borrowers to make informed lending and borrowing decisions. The bureau’s database covers the credit industry which includes commercial banks, non-bank institutions, retailers, utility service providers and fintechs.