• Monday, November 18, 2024
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Stanbic IBTC CEO says financial inclusion beyond ‘pay and receive’

Stanbic IBTC CEO says financial inclusion should go beyond paying, receiving

Demola Sogunle, CEO of Stanbic IBTC Holding plc

Demola Sogunle, CEO, Stanbic IBTC has said Nigeria must go beyond “pay and receive” money to achieve financial inclusion.

Sogunle, who noted this at the launch of Zest, a Fintech subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC said, “Financial inclusion in Nigeria should go beyond pay and receive. We are talking about bringing the totality of financial transactions, financial services, financial solutions, financial products into the hands of average Nigerians.

“We are talking about insurance, whether micro or Nano. We are talking about pension, consumer credit at a very ground level, investment, mutual funds. When we are able to do this at every level, that is when we can accomplish financial inclusion,” he further said at the event in Lagos.

He added that Zest by Stanbic IBTC is meant to orchestrate the above including the area of e-commerce, buy now-pay later, working capital solutions and other value-added services.

Read also: Kayi App unveils fintech platform in push for financial inclusion

However, Zest (formerly Stanbic IBTC Financial Services) started commercial operations in May 2023, functioning primarily as a Payment Service Provider, having received all the relevant regulatory approvals to commence operations. The event themed Universe 1.0 marks the introduction of the brand to the public.

Basil Omiyi, chairman, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, explained that Zest was setup to execute a solution-driven platform orchestration strategy that will serve consumers, businesses, application developers, and other financial services providers.

Stanley Jacob, CEO of Zest added the key design principles, which bothers on the delivery of a multi-railed platform strategy that enables businesses to collect payments in any form that the customer wants to pay, human centered design, growth powered by e-Commerce and operational excellence.

Iheanyi Nwachukwu, is a creative content writer with over 18 years journalism experience writing on banking, finance and capital markets. The multiple awards winning journalist is Assistant Editor, BusinessDay. Iheanyi holds BSc Degree in Economics from Imo State University; Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Management from University of Lagos. Iheanyi has attended several work-related trainings including (i) Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (Pan African University, Lagos); (ii) News Agency Journalism (Indian Institute of Mass Communication {IIMC}, New Delhi, India); and (iii) Capital Markets Development and Regulations (International Law Institute {ILI} of Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA).

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