As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a global challenge and push world governments into declaring a lockdown, Wema Bank is donating relief materials to affected states in Nigeria.
The donation, which includes bags of rice, cartons of vegetable oil and cartons of noodles, is aimed at complementing the effort of the government to cushion the effects of the lockdown.

Alongside being a corporate social responsibility of the bank, the relief materials will also serve as a palliative measure to help lessen the plight of vulnerable members of society during the pandemic.

“As a bank, we understand that there is no better time than now to support the government in fighting this pandemic”, MD/CEO Wema Bank, Mr Ademola Adebise said.
He stressed that Wema Bank is “taking responsibility to support the governments of the affected states in the belief that this is a collective fight”
“We also encourage Nigerians to do their respective bids to win the war against COVID-19,” he added.

According to Head, Brand and Marketing Communications, Wema Bank, Mrs Funmilayo Falola, “This is a trying time for human kind, but also a test of our resolve to unite, whether as individuals or organisations, in this common fight.”
Commending the response of health workers across the country, Mrs Falola explained that, “while the rest of us keep to the stay-at-home rule and practice social distancing, health workers are making the sacrifice of treating patients and helping to disinfect markets and other structures nationwide.

“They are the frontline soldiers in a war that threatens all of us and we praise and appreciate their devotion to duty.”
Since the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria, Wema Bank has consistently championed a robust drive the flatten the curve with repeated communications urging their customers, staff, stakeholders and other members of the public to take precautionary measures using its social media channels.

Recently, the bank initiated a #sharwithafriend challenge with the hope to raise more awareness on observing the necessary guidelines. The campaign which involved using the first letter of the bank’s name to list out key precautionary measures against the COVID-19 virus was done in partnership with Stanbic IBTC Bank, Sterling Bank, Keystone Bank among others in a show of unity and oneness among the banks.

Mrs Falola also added that as part of its stay-at-home message, the bank has “optimised our alternative banking channels to allow for seamless transactions during this trying time.”
“Customers can purchase unlimited airtime and data on our ALAT banking app. They can pay bills, subscribe their Cable TV and transfer funds.
“*945# is our speedy and safe USSD for quick and easy transactions – airtime, data, and utility bills as well as Cable-TV subscriptions.
“Our self-service banking service is also available all round the clock to check account statements, change transaction PIN and resolve minor issues. Our customers can dial 0700-CALLALAT (0700-2255 2528), 07000-PURPLE (0700-078 7753), or 08039003700 from the mobile phone registered to your account. Follow the prompts and select the appropriate menu for speedy support.”

The custodian of Africa’s first fully digital bank – ALAT, and one of Nigeria’s leading commercial banks, Wema Bank, celebrates the season of love with its customers in an array of ways including providing Special Gift Cards for celebrants to gift their loved ones.

The bank started the season of love by reminding its customers about the importance of self-love and the need to love their partners the way they want to be loved. With a week-long campaign on its social media platforms, Wema Bank called out its growing following to dig deep and identify the things that make them tickle which will help them to define how they want to be loved.

Aside the bank’s initiative to celebrate its customers across channels, the bank decided to make gift cards available because, according to Wema Bank’s communications lead, Olufunmilayo Falola, many people worry about the perfect gift to get their loved ones and often end up buying what they like as opposed what their loved ones like or want.

The Wema Bank Special Gift Card is to alleviate both stress and uncertainty that may come with picking a gift, and ensure that people get their desired gifts from their loved ones on Valentine’s Day and every other day. With a Wema Bank Gift Card, customers can be sure to offer their loved ones gifts that excite them any day, anytime.

Wema Bank is also encouraging its customers to spend more time with their loved ones or significant other and have fun with one another, out of the home. The bank is sponsoring some of its customers on dates to celebrate their love this season. With transactions worth fifty thousand naira or more in the month of February, active customers will be selected through a raffle draw on February 24, 2020.

Known for its trailblazing solutions in fintech and providing financial services that support the lifestyle of its customers, ALAT, Africa’s first fully digital bank is supporting salary earners with instant loans.

ALAT salary-based loan is a low-interest loan available to the bank’s existing as well as new salary earning customers who may or may not have their salary account domiciled with Wema Bank.

Riding on its reputation of offering seamless financial services, ALAT customers will be able to access the salary-based loan without any form of paperwork, from the comfort of their ALAT app or the ALAT web page without any collateral.

Salary earners will be able to receive a minimum of #50,000 and up to #4,000,000 within hours and will have between 3 to 24 months to pay back with only 2% interest rate per month on a reducing balance basis.

According to the bank’s Brand and Marketing Communications Manager, Mrs Funmilayo Falola, the salary-based loan is an initiative of the bank to avail salary earners emergency funds to meet needs that otherwise cannot wait for the next payday or that require additional funding.

Mrs Falola stated that the profiled salary-earners that can profit from the loan range from Oil and Gas and Financial industry workers, Fintechs, Insurance and FMCG staff. She further confirmed that the process of getting the salary-based loan is entirely online – on the ALAT app or web page – and begins with downloading the app from android or IOS apps store for new customers and a simple login with a click on the ‘Loan’ icon for ALAT registered customers on the ALAT app or web page.

To ensure that customers have a hitch-free registration process, ALAT app has been updated to include a video run-through of the process of registration at the sign-up page. Customers can also get a simple explainer of each step of the registration process by clicking on the ‘i’ icon on each page on the app.

Also, for customers to have financial confidence and freedom, ALAT has introduced a zero balance. This means that customers can withdraw their money to the last kobo and there will be no charges should any customer maintain a zero balance on their account.

Wema Bank, Nigeria’s leading innovative bank, is deepening pan-African trade services for its customers through its bilateral partnership agreement with Bank of Africa Group (BOA).

The partnership agreement, which was announced on October 14, 2019, by Mr Ademola Adebise, MD/CEO of Wema Bank Plc and Mr Amine Bouabid, CEO of BOA, is aimed at enhancing the relationship between both banks and delivering sustainable and value-adding support for business growth and profitability across the continent.

Through the partnership, both banks will gain an opportunity to promote bilateral trade services which will include Import and Export services, Bonds and Guarantees, and Structured Finance collaborations.

In keeping with the tenets of the partnership agreement, activities around corresponding banking, trade facilitation and remittances will kickstart between Wema Bank and BOA Ghana.

This opportunity will also envisage the full implementation of Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), with a focus on the manufacturing, power and agriculture sectors, as well as Nigerian business community in Ghana, Wema Bank customers in Nigeria can now trade and make remittances seamlessly with BOA customers in Ghana.

According to Mr Adeola Ajai, Head Global Trade and Correspondent Banking, Wema Plc, “the partnership with BOA will help facilitate business activities across the African continent, offer better and more competitive pricing to support customers and execute transactions faster” to customers looking to take their businesses beyond borders.”

Mr Ajai also added that the subsequent phase of the partnership will be to sign a sub-agreement with 16 other BOA affiliated locations across Anglophone and Francophone African countries, 6 of which are in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Togo and Senegal), 7 in East Africa and the Indian Ocean region (Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Significantly, this opportunity opens a window for African businesses to trade with their Chinese partners through the BOA/BMCE branch office in Shanghai, mainland China. BMCE, Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur of Morocco is the leading shareholder in BOA.

As stipulated in the partnership agreement, Mr Ajai adds that Wema Bank will not only back its clients with businesses that have cross border transactions in Africa, the Bank will play an advisory role for import and export trade services.

Wema Bank remains committed to the provision of innovative value propositions that offer better pricing, simplicity and reduced turnaround time to help its customers and potential customers take their businesses beyond borders.

Wema Bank’s ALAT, Africa’s first fully digital bank went all out to excite travelers flying out of Lagos with the ALAT airport mural. The ALAT mural sprang out of an understanding of how traveling evokes different emotions in different people – excitement, paranoia, fear, anxiety, to list a few, and the need for them to hold on to the memories that matter to them.

The ALAT brand has positioned itself and been known to be the brand that no only offers Nigerians convenient banking services but that also supports their lifestyle. In the word’s the bank’s Chief Communications Officer, Funmilayo Falola, for ALAT and Wema Bank, marketing is more than just the direct sale of a product or service, it is about creating an experience for the customer. She stated that infusing conversations and storytelling into advertising and marketing communications is one of the strategies the bank is applying to engage existing customers and gain new ones.

The ALAT airport mural is one of the many ways the bank expresses its deep-seated interest in the stories and overall lifestyle of its expanding customer base. The mural is dedicated to the many and widely varying Lagos experiences across both the Mainland and the Island.

The new boarding gate look at MM2 gives boarders a walk-through of iconic places in Lagos for travelers, who are often filled with a mirage of emotions at the point of leaving a place for another. At the ALAT mural, they can identify places they are familiar with in Lagos, maybe have a flash of unforgettable memories they’ve had in those places or remember what those places mean to them and have a pretty background to take one or two selfies before they board to fly out of Lagos.

The ALAT airport mural is also very strategic for people who are new to Lagos. Its showcases the many places in Lagos in a perfect blend of images and text. This is also a way for Wema Bank to help departing visitors visualize many places that they may not have had the opportunity to visit during their stay.

The colourful tones, the iconic places captured and the symbols of the new Lagos culture on the mural come together to give both traveling Lagosians and departing visitors a feel of Lagos as they make their way out of the city. This ties into the values of the ALAT brand of providing convenient banking services that are in sync with the lifestyle of their customers.

So the next time, you find yourself at MM2, look out for your favourite spot in Lagos and remember to take a selfie and share on your social media platforms.