- UMB leads the way with mobile solution.
The Bank of Ghana’s drive to have all accounts validated and linked to Ghana Cards continues to enjoy support from commercial banks in Ghana. A significant number of banks have undertaken heavy publicity campaigns to get their customers link their cards.
A few others, including the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) – a leading indigenous Ghanaian bank, have out-doored online platforms that allow customers link their Ghana Cards to their accounts online without having to go to their branch. UMB’s solution, dubbed: ‘EZ- UPDATE’, allows customers to scan their Ghana Cards with their phones and load this information onto a secure portal. Customers are then able to sign into this portal and link their Ghana card to their account. The Bank of Ghana has set the 1st of July, 2022 as the deadline for all bank accounts in Ghana to be linked to Ghana Cards. This is in line with Bank of Ghana and the government’s strategy to make the Ghana Card the primary ID in the country.
Speaking to this reporter, Nii Amankra Tetteh, Executive Director (Business) of the bank noted: “The search for a single source of truth and the consequent integration of databases is a critical ambition for Ghana, bringing financial data into this integration is important and the BoG’s support for it is commendable. We know that a large percentage of customers are cut out of banking benefits because the bank simply cannot KYC the said customers. EZ UPDATE is our own digital innovation to reflect the lifestyles of our customers today. Now our customers can conveniently update their accounts even at 2am on a Sunday. This is the UMB advantage we are proud of, and continue to deliver to Ghana, since 1972”.
With the launch of EZ UPDATE, UMB joins an elite club of banks in Ghana offering the service. Over 80% of banks in Ghana currently require their customers to do the linkage in person, at their branches. UMB and a few other banks have developed digital means that allow customers to achieve the linkage digitally.
Madam Belinda Boamah – Executive Director (Strategy) of the bank, in her remarks on the product, said: “At UMB, we pride ourselves in innovating for customer convenience since 1972. EZ UPDATE was developed internally in the bank with our own Ghanaian resources, and its performance is world-class. It is another step in our digital reimagination journey as we commit to becoming digital-1st for the customer in the next 50 years of our bank. We are working hard to get to the point where our customers can interact with the bank fully online, guaranteeing true convenience and access”.
UMB is a leading indigenous bank reputed for bringing a uniquely Ghanaian perspective to banking since 1972. Headquartered in Accra and licensed by the Bank of Ghana, the bank operates out of 35 branches across Ghana. Its strategic aspiration is to become a digital-1st, SME-focused bank. The bank has pioneered several innovations in this market, including SPEEDAPP, one of the best performing agnostic banking apps in the sub-region. UMB is a strategic member of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) network.
