By Collins Nweze

FirstBank First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced that its mobile banking application, FirstMobile has been upgraded with new and improved features to promote safe and convenient Mobile Banking experience for customers.

The Bank’s award-winning and dynamic mobile banking application has been redesigned with improved security and self-service features to ease the navigation capability and proficiency of customers. Its unique cool blue colour background gives it a more appealing interface for customers to enjoy a unified and streamlined banking experience whilst going about their day to day activities.

FirstMobile is now embedded with a card protection service for customers to enable and disable cards on channels, account switch off as well as second-factor authentication and device registration. With the upgraded FirstMobile, customers can remotely initiate the request for a new debit card as well as the replacement of a lost or damaged one, whilst managing activities on their card and account, thus balance enquiry and statement, amongst others.

Read Also: FirstBank promotes virtual account

The biometrics for transactions is another innovative security upgrade on the application to validate transactions. This feature includes fingerprint for transactions, allowing the customer to use his or her fingerprint to consummate all transactions.

Other added features include frequent transaction; dashboard flexibility and personalisation; smoother transaction experience and improved beneficiary management.

With the frequent transaction feature, the user is able to easily access his or her frequently completed transactions – airtime, transfers and bill payments – and reinitiate such with the clicks of a button. This is an additional menu which can easily be accessed from the dashboard. Airtime top-up and data purchase have also been improved, as customers are able to select phone numbers directly from their phone contacts.

The application has been upgraded with a smoother experience on funds transfer, bill payments and airtime transactions as customers can add and delete beneficiary without having to repeatedly enter the recipients’ details over and over again. Users can also take a photo or select from the Avatar (available icons) to personalize their dashboard and beneficiaries for Transfers, Bills Payment & Airtime Transactions by uploading a picture to associate with their beneficiary, especially the more frequent ones.

The dashboard has been designed to reflect the lifestyle and social pattern of the user as it can be customized by adding any profile picture of choice. The dashboard also enables users to monitor their spending patterns over a period. It shows the inflow and outflow of funds on their account.

Collins Nweze

STANBIC IBTC Holdings PLC has urged employees to embrace digitisation and build career resilience through diversity and up-skilling to be outstanding in the workplace.

Its Country Head, Human Capital, Olufunke Amobi, gave the advice  during a Virtual Learning Series themed “Building career resilience”.

Mrs. Amobi said forces of change involving rapid technological advancements, such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, cognitive technologies and crowdsourcing, are the rationale for the evolution of careers and their shift from traditional to contemporary.

She noted that the traditional career path was defined in terms of linear progression up the firm’s hierarchy while seeking to obtain greater extrinsic rewards. The contemporary career trajectory, on the other hand, focuses on experiences and competencies that exist across firms, driven by values that are more flexible and dynamic.

The Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC Country Head of Human Capital urged participants to build contemporary careers as well as a strong network to enable them attain success in their professions.

She advocated the need for workers to invest in technology and exploit various websites for free online courses to develop their digital literacy skills.

Collins Nweze

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-led private sector coalition against COVID-19 (CA-COVID) has gained the support of stakeholders across the economy.

CACOVID has also  taken a step further in its COVID-19 sensitisation and education drive into local communities in Nigeria, by gaining the support and partnership of Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo the Alake and paramount ruler of Egba Land, Ogun State.

The traditional ruler in his palace in Abeokuta expressed his support for the coalition while addressing his palace chiefs. He further educated them on the dangers posed by COVID-19  and demonstrated to them key hygiene practices such as proper handwashing techniques, social distancing practices and use of protective masks.

This sensitisation activity carried out by CACOVID and the Oba is aimed at raising more awareness and education about the global pandemic in the community, therefore helping to curb its spread in Nigeria. Community spread has been identified as one of the major means by which COVID-19 spreads in Nigeria, and driving sensitisation deep into local communities is one of the most effective means of helping to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Speaking during the sensitisation activity, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo stated that “the spread of the coronavirus is real and can affect everyone, old or young, rich or poor. Over the past few months in Nigeria, we have lost a lot of our brothers and sisters to this Virus”.

He further explained that “The rate of community spread is increasing, and the virus is spreading mainly through person to person contact. This is why I am joining forces with CACOVID to ensure that everyone in this community is fully aware of the preventive measures and ways to stay safe.”

The CACOVID is a Private Sector task force in partnership with the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), created with the sole aim and vision of eradicating COVID-19 from Nigeria and Africa at large.

This task force is tasked with pulling resources across industries to provide technical and operational support while providing funding and building advocacy through aggressive awareness drives.

This will be achieved through collaborating with the Government to provide direct support to private and public healthcare’s ability to respond to the crisis by providing funds to set up several testing, isolation and treatment centers in all geo-political zones; aggressively increasing general public’s awareness, education and buy-in to prevent panic and resulting chaos.

Collins Nweze

ECOBANK Nigeria’s agency banking initiative, also known as Xpress Points, is building entrepreneurs and pushing financial inclusion to the  unbanked and under-banked.

The lender says its Xpress Points enable its agents to carry out transactions for the bank and earn commission.

The consumer experience is very good as customers can make simple deposits, payments and transfers in their own neighbourhood rather than travel for hours to a bank branch, Nike Kolawole, Head, Agency Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, said.

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

Kolawole urged unemployed and retired persons  to avail themselves the opportunity to earn extra income by keying into  Xpress Points.

She said the Ecobank Xpress points, 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 said agency banking  brings about economic and youth empowerment through job creation and earning extra income, adding that small savers could do their savings at home or near their home. This leads to financial inclusion of the underbanked.

Collins Nweze

LAPO Microfinance Bank  provided insurance cover  worth N489million  its  clients last year, the company has said.

For 2014-2019, the firm paid N1.88 billion claims.

“We have helped our clients achieve their business goals by giving them affordable credit facilities (micro-credit loans) to help them run profitable businesses and savings account packages to help them manage their financial resources efficiently. Most importantly, we provide insurance policies to protect their investments, businesses and savings from damages, financial loss or any unfortunate situation beyond their control. At LAPO MfB, all our loan products and savings account packages are insured with the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation,” the bank said.

Continuing, the firm said the importance of safeguarding the properties, assets, lives and investments of its clients could not be over-emphasised. Small business owners are most vulnerable to disruptions in cash flow and business operations that can arise due to theft, fire outbreaks or poor health conditions of the owners. Therefore, it is important to create a mechanism to compensate clients when unfortunate events occur.

“We have developed insurance policies that are cost efficient and cover various incidents such as burglary, fire and disability. The bank ensures that insurance claims are paid in time and policy holders receive adequate compensation to cover losses incurred during any unfortunate incident covered in the insurance policy.

“To substantiate this point, we have processed insurance claims to our clients worth N1,881,552,440.59 from 2014-2019.

‘’The proficiency we have attained in rendering micro-financial services; our strong branch network spanning different regions of the country and our loyal customer base have properly positioned us to render insurance services to low and middle income earners.’’