Telecom and mobile money operator with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, Airtel Africa said it is expanding footprints to all unbanked Nigerians as SmartCash Payment Service Bank Limited (‘SmartCash PSB’) begins operations.
Recall that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had in April granted approval to SmartCash, Airtel subsidiary to operate as a Payment Service Bank (‘PSB’) in Nigeria, and since May 19, operations have begun at some selected retail touchpoints.
The official launch event of SmartCash PSB was held on Thursday at Eko Hotel with several key stakeholders across the different industry sectors in attendance.
In his opening remarks during the launch event, Segun Ogunsanya, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Africa, said SmartCash PSB is the beginning of Airtel’s journey to revolutionize the financial services landscape in the country.
According to Ogunsanya, the primary objective is to give financial services to the unbanked by reaching the millions of Nigerians in all the nooks and crannies who have been financially excluded.
He said Airtel shares the same agenda with the Nigerian Government, the CBN ,and Traditional Financial Institutions to further deepen financial inclusion in the country for the benefit of all citizens and the Nigerian economy.
According to Muyiwa Ebitanmi, Chief Executive Officer, SmartCash: Today is a remarkable day that we have been waiting for, and I am very excited that we have commenced the operations for financial services in Nigeria through SmartCash PSB.
Ebitomi said SmartCash PSB operations include receiving cash deposits, processing payments and remittances; issuing debit and prepaid cards; operating electronic wallets, and other services.
According to Ebitomi, removing the barriers and increasing accessibility to banking services, especially to those who have been left out of banking, remains imperative, a goal that SmartCash PSB intends to achieve.
Users of service are expected to download the app while the USSD code is *939#. Smartcash will serve the purpose of receiving and sending cash, among other financial transactions.
Airtel Africa offers an integrated suite of telecommunications solutions to its subscribers, including mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services both nationally and internationally. The Group aims to continue providing a simple and intuitive customer experience through streamlined customer journeys.
Create a Smartcash PSB
The steps are simple.
Step 1 – Dial *939# on your mobile phone
Step 2 – from the options, you may wish to use NIN or select BVN to create the wallet.
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