Banking on the edge of technology


In April 2015, pan-Africa financial services group, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc unveiled a  new IT banking platform, Finacle 10x. Finacle 10x, is the  very latest generation of banking application developed by Finacle from Infosys, the world’s leading developer of banking applications.
Phillips Oduoza, GMD/CEO, UBA Plc. 

The bank adopted the new IT platform to address the need of its customers for efficient, secure and a fast banking platform. The idea behind the new IT Platform is to increase the speed of the bank’s e-platforms including; internet banking, mobile banking and also greatly improve the up-time and availability of its e-Channels like the POS machines and ATMs. 

“Customers have experienced significantly improved services with the deployment of our new IT platform.” said Phillips Oduoza, GMD/CEO, UBA Plc.

The new platform delivers a whole new set of offerings including enhanced treasury, wealth management and advanced e-banking solutions. It also comes with advanced security and compliance framework, which will result in significant improvement in productivity and improved response to security and regulatory issues.

The bank’s new internet banking platform U-Direct is also up and running. There is a new and friendlier user interface. The internet banking platform also gives customers more functionalities that enable them to carry out their banking from anywhere from their laptops, phablets, tablets and desktops.

The bank’s mobile banking application is also being upgraded to make it more users friendly and more functions added to enable customers carry their banks in their hands wherever they go. It is also a lot faster and easier to download.

“At UBA we recognize that innovation and cutting edge technology will shape banking operations in the increasingly competitive banking industry. That is why we are at the forefront of innovation and efficiency in the banking industry helping us to offer our customer more convenient service platforms, says Kennedy Uzoka, DMD and CEO UBA Africa.

With a customer base in excess of eight million, UBA has evolved an e-banking approach which is aimed at improving service delivery and delivering positive customer experience.

In line with this resolve, UBA Payment Cards have been employed as a strategic tool to deploy innovative value-driven solutions to its customers.

To boost card pick up rate in a population that is accustomed to decades of cash transactions, UBA has stayed ahead of the competition as far as innovation is concerned, introducing several key initiatives to drive card usage on the continent. Some these initiatives include;

UBA Cards acceptance on PayPal
 UBA was the first bank to announce and enable the acceptance of its payment cards on PayPal the moment the international payment giant opened its gateway to Nigeria.  This innovation immediately enabled UBA customers to move into the global e-Commerce payment space riding on the PayPal platform. 

Instant Card Issuance
Why wait for days to get a debit card, when you can get it in five minutes in UBA offices. In all UBA offices, customers can walk and get their preferred card issued to them in about 5 minutes.

Personalized Debit Card (UBA All About U Card)
This is another innovation in payment cards introduced by UBA.  Cardholders can forever hold on to fond memories with the UBA “All About U Card” which allows customers brand their Debit Cards with a favourite picture.  This transforms the card from just a payment card to a desired personal card.

UBA Prepaid Card
With the focus on financial inclusion, UBA pioneered the use of the Prepaid Card which does not require a bank account. The Bank has actively promoted the use of the prepaid card across Africa because of the versatility and flexibility of usage. UBA Prepaid Card offers multiple possibilities across various segments and is acceptable worldwide

UBA Cards Loyalty Scheme
UBA’s strategic partnerships with local and international Merchants continue to earn its Cardholders discounts on purchases across the world. Offers range from shopping to travel, dinning and general merchandise. The Bank has introduced hundreds of offers to its Cardholders since the launch of the UBA Cardholders Loyalty scheme.

Mobile Banking access without a Bank Account
With the UBA Prepaid Card, access to the U-Mobile  Banking platform is possible without a Bank Account. Another first from UBA , this further underscores the versatility of the UBA Prepaid Card as a medium for deepening financial inclusion. 

Be it a vacation with the family or an item to purchase, there is a UBA Card story behind every memorable experience.

UBA Cards are accepted in over 200 countries and are protected with second to none technology to ensure the security of all cardholders.

UBA consciously adopts e-banking as a strategy to improve efficiency in service delivery and enhanced customer experience to all its customers, spread across its 22 countries of operations globally.

The bank has invested heavily in building a robust and secure e-Banking platform that supports its operations through strategic partnerships with various local and international organizations.


UBA is a highly diversified financial services institution and leading provider of innovative e-banking solutions across Africa and one of the largest financial institutions in Africa, with offices in New York, London and Paris.


 The UBA Group has strong retail penetration across 18 African countries with millions of customers that enjoy a bouquet of products and services tailored to meet their different financial needs backed by cutting edge technology that offers secured and convenient real-time online banking services