By Peter OBIORA InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Retail banking firm BNP Paribas Group and World’s leading telecoms operator Orange on Monday said they have partnered to open new retail banking services in Africa with Orange Money.
Orange in statement made available to InvestAdvocate said retail banking customers in Africa will henceforth have direct access between their BNP Paribas account and their Orange Money account through their mobile phones.
Both organisations said this new service is available starting today in Côte d’Ivoire and will be extended to other countries in which BNP Paribas and Orange Money(1) are present, particularly Senegal.
According to Orange and BNP Paribas, the service allows customers of the BNP Paribas group in Côte d’Ivoire to carry out real-time banking operations without going to their banks, simply by using their Orange Money account.
‘’Customers can transfer money to their Orange Money account directly from their BNP Paribas bank account, or vice versa, simply, quickly and securely,’’ the both firms said.
According to them, this flexibility in transferring money between bank accounts and mobile accounts will make it easier to use the services already offered by Orange Money, such as payment for goods and services (water, electricity and television bills, etc.) and purchases of airtime credit.
‘’The large network of licensed Orange Money distributors will supplement the network of BNP Paribas bank branches, offering a maximum number of cash withdrawal points to all customers, particularly in more remote areas,’’ the statement said.
Thierry Millet, director of the payments and contactless programme at Orange said Orange Money and BNP Paribas are joining forces to deploy Orange Money services to banking customers in their common sales territories in Africa.
Millet affirmed that BNP Paribas customers will thus benefit from Orange Money functionalities such as money transfers, bill payments, merchant payments and purchases of airtime credit. ‘’The synergies of our businesses will make it easier for customers to manage their money, wherever they are in the country and at any time of the day,” he said.
On his part, François Benaroya, retail director in the international retail banking branch of BNP Paribas said the agreement gives Orange Money customers access to new banking services (savings account, international bank card, etc.) and gives BNP Paribas customers access to an extensive withdrawal/deposit network and the possibility of paying bills or buying telephone credit from their mobile phones.
Orange said through the new partnership, Orange Money and BNP Paribas pledge to increase the percentage of the population holding bank accounts by offering a fast, secure and reliable service for managing all daily banking operations.
The world’s telecoms firm said subscription to the Orange Money service is free of charge.
