Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 21 | Page 8

NEWS Clickatell New finance option Transact enables offers good returns UBA to launch WhatsApp service in Nigeria C lickatell, an authorised WhatsApp Business Solution provider, has announced that United Bank for Africa (UBA) will be going live with its Chat Banking solution – Leo on WhatsApp. Monique West, Head of Technology Asses Finance at Merchant West, said that by partnering with Xperien, its customers can now benefit from the use of brand new IT equipment at a subsidised rate below prime. In a first for Nigeria, customers can now conduct their favourite banking activities in a secure and convenient manner, by communicating with their bank in a verified WhatsApp chat. This capability is made possible through Clickatell Transact’s .Control platform integrated with the WhatsApp Business API. It allows banks to roll out commonly used banking activities, like checking balances, money transfer and purchasing digital products and services across popular communication channels like USSD and now WhatsApp. The platform offers flexibility, reliability, fraud and risk management for banks and a convenient on demand banking capability for consumers wherever they are. The ground-breaking banking platform launches in Nigeria with UBA and consumers will be able to conduct their banking activities on WhatsApp and USSD. “Our customers are at the heart of our business and we as a bank are never relenting in matching our words with equal action,” said Kennedy Uzoka, Group Managing Director. “In today’s fast paced world with demands for quick responses, our aim is to make banking seamless and effortless for our millions of existing and potential customers.” 8 INTELLIGENTCIO “In addition to the new equipment finance option, they can now make use of Merchant West’s fresh funding lines to finance Xperien’s continuous IT lifecycle solutions,” she added. Xperien CEO Wale Arewa X perien has partnered with independent financial services company Merchant West to provide continuous IT lifecycle solutions, a fresh line of alternative funding to reduce the cost of IT assets. The partnership offers a full end-to-end IT Asset Lifecycle solution from acquisition to financing, management and disposal. Merchant West will structure a finance deal that reduces total usage cost of any IT asset and now offers finance options that have no impact on existing funding from other financial institutions. “Given the rapid rate at which technology changes and depreciates in real terms, partnering with Xperien allows Merchant West to offer a holistic Asset Lifecycle Product to its clients, from inception right through to the end of the asset’s useful life where clients can further benefit from the end of lifecycle value added services, such as data destruction, reverse IT logistics and disposal.” Xperien CEO Wale Arewa is excited about the prospects of the partnership. “We now offer clients flexibility and peace of mind at the end of an asset lifecycle term through our continuous IT lifecycle solutions,” he said. “They now have an option to return their assets and finance the new equipment via Merchant West.” www.intelligentcio.com