According to the company, the campaign reinforces its leadership position and the ease of making transactions which starts with the push of a button.

In a statement, the firm said, “As the pioneer financial technology company in Nigeria, Unified Payments remains at the forefront of enabling businesses and individuals to leverage its shared technology infrastructure, emphasising enterprise alliances. The “It Starts Here” campaign embodies the company’s vision of fostering innovation and progress, inspiring stakeholders, including customers, shareholders, and employees, to embrace opportunities driven by cutting-edge technology.

“The campaign is built on the philosophy that every significant achievement begins with a small yet pivotal action – be it a decision, a spark, or a moment of readiness.

For Unified Payments, this transformative moment is the seamless connection it provides for businesses, fintechs, and consumers, empowering them to achieve more.”

Speaking on the campaign launch, group managing director/CEO, Unified Payments, Dr. Agada Apochi, said, “At Unified Payments, we are proud to unlock possibilities through pioneering payment solutions. Whether it is the first phase of building a business or scaling to new heights, we offer the infrastructure, processing power, secure transactions, and speedy resolutions that businesses need to succeed. Our focus is on innovation and trust, ensuring that every transaction propels our customers closer to their goals.”

He added, “Every milestone, whether in business or life, starts with a single step, and Unified Payments is the partner powering that step with efficiency and reliability.”

“The Payment Industry Legend Award” is a testament to Dr. Apochi’s exceptional achievements and leadership in transforming the payment landscape.

CeBIH, known for its commitment to recognizing excellence, selected Dr. Apochi for his unparalleled contributions that have significantly shaped and advanced the financial technology landscape in Nigeria.

Under Apochi’s visionary guidance, Unified Payments has achieved remarkable milestones, including  pioneering the issuance and acceptance of EMV Chip+PIN cards in Nigeria, which led to a reduction of card fraud in Nigeria by over 95%, enabled Nigerian banks to issue first-ever payment cards to Naira account holders for use globally.

Introduced the first-ever acceptance of foreign cards at ATMs, a joint acquiring company for Nigerian banks.

The company was also the first, EMV third party processor in Nigeria, first processor in Sub-Saharan Africa to process payment or withdrawal with just phone number.

First Nigerian principal member of a global payment scheme. Unified Payments also pioneered multi-bank mobile application and USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) and the use of telephone numbers as digital account numbers.

Just to mention a few among several feats achieved by Apochi over the years.

His strategic vision and commitment to excellence have not only propelled Unified Payments to new heights but have also positively impacted the broader financial technology industry in Nigeria.

Unified Payments, under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Apochi, has played a pivotal role in shaping the financial technology sector in Nigeria.

The company’s initiatives, such as the launch of the Payattitude multi-bank App, Payattitude USSD Code *569#, Pay-with-phone-number, Payarena, and Hope PSBank, a digital bank with focus on financial inclusion have not only set benchmarks for excellence but have also contributed significantly to the growth and development of electronic transactions and payments in the country.

Dr. Agada Apochi, receiving the award had this to say;

“I am deeply honored to receive the ‘”Payment Industry Legend Award” from CeBIH. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Unified Payments team. Be assured that we remain committed to driving innovation and excellence in the financial technology space.”

Celestina Appeal, Chairman, Committee of E-Banking Industry Heads (CeBIH) added,

“CeBIH is proud to honor Dr. Agada Apochi for his exemplary contribution to the payment industry. His visionary leadership has set a standard of excellence that inspires the entire e-business community in Nigeria and Africa.

Unified Payment Services Limited is Nigeria’s premier financial technology service provider, with a group of companies in Financial Technology, Payment Scheme (Payattitude) Banking (Hope PSBank), Digital Commerce, Value Added Service, Payment Solutions (Payarena) and Software Solutions (TM30).