‘Banking & Payment tech confab-09 is set’

All is now set for the hosting of this year’s Banking & Payment Technologies West Africa conference, scheduled to hold at Muson Centre beginning from Monday through Wednesday next week.

Chairman of AITEC Africa, the organisers of the event, Mr. Sean Moroney, made this disclosure at a media parley in Lagos.

He also disclosed that Oceanic Bank Plc, has confirmed its sponsorship of the 2009 conference.

‘Oceanic Bank, one of Nigeria’s leading innovative banks in the deployment of information technology in banking services, has confirmed its top-level sponsorship of this year’s Banking & Payment Technologies West Africa Conference,” he said.

In addition, he said that the opening welcome address on the first day of the conference, focusing on “Transforming Access to Finance Through Branchless Banking” would be delivered by the chief executive of Oceanic Bank Plc.

He stressed that the first day, would be hosted by a consortium of agencies promoting the extension of banking services to the unbanked through mobile technology and other innovations.

These organisations include Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA), supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), the MSME Project which is a joint pilot of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the World Bank.

The conference, Moroney said, will highlight technologies used by pioneering organizations in the financial services industry, including microfinance organizations, to reduce costs and reach new customers.

Further, he said, the three-day event would afford Nigeria’s financial services sector to gain knowledge and experience from over 50 local and international experts, including speakers from South Africa, Peru and the Philippines.

“All of which have pioneered innovative mobile banking systems,” he declared.
Pointing out that the Central Bank of Philippines is sending their Branchless Banking Advocate to share their experience of regulating the market during a period of rapid mobile banking development – which Nigeria is now poised to undergo.

Corroborating this, the chief executive of Oceanic Bank Plc, Dr. Cecilia Ibru, who was represented at the occasion by the Head, Retail Banking Group, Mr. Ade Asekun, Mrs. Funso Oyelahunnu, congratulated the hosts of the event on the world-class programme they have lined up.
“Oceanic is proud to be associated with such a leading-edge conference, which has such a valuable role to play in educating the market on the opportunities and risks presented by Nigeria’s roll-out of mobile banking services,” she said.

Her bank, she noted remain the country’s leading innovator applying information technology to optimize the reach and the quality of services across the country.

“Our support for this event demonstrates our commitment to maintaining this leading position in the market – as well as supporting the development of the market by supporting an educational event of this high caliber,” Dr. Ibru asserted.

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