UBA is Ready for Biometric Registration-Adedeji

Mr. Adeyinka Adedeji, divisional head, e-Banking, United Bank for Africa (UBA) said that the Pan-Africa Bank is ready for the swift commencement of the CBN’s proposed biometric registration of bank customers nationwide. 
Adedeji who spoke to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek a Summit on Functional Social Networking for Nigerian Journalists sponsored by UBA in Lagos, disclosed that UBA is one of the banks chosen for the pilot exercise of the registration.

He said, although UBA’s transaction channels are biometric compliance, however, it has to work at the pace of the industry based on the directives from the apex bank.

The divisional head, e-Banking (UBA) said, “UBA is one of the banks chosen to pilot the biometric registration.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has to standardize it before any bank can start. You can’t just start your own, because the process has to be uniform. CBN has to pilot from two branches of each bank.

“All our infrastructures like the Automatic Tellers Machines (ATMs) are biometric adaptable, however we have to flow with the industry”.

Highlighting the benefits of the process, he said that, studies overtime has shown that individuals find it difficult to remember their personal identification numbers (PINs), thus, with the finger prints as the means of identity, transactions authentications become easier.

Through that there will be enhanced security in financial transactions in the country.

In the case of customers with multiple bank accounts, they can synchronize them together. “Your balances of credit worthiness from one bank can reflect in the other account,” Adedeji added.

He also said that UBA is working assiduously to ensure that its ATM channels are closer to the customers. “We have over 700 branches; but in the land space of Nigeria, we see it as small. So, we are constructing ATM galleries to ensure 24/7 banking.

“We are now on the web. Our internet banking is a superb. Even when you move to the mobile it makes us get closer to the customers. In fact, that the closest you can get to them.

“We are the first to develop banking mobile app in Nigeria called the U-Mobile. We are also playing in the mobile money space.

“Today, if we give you a card, you may wish to have mobile banking applications there, we offer that too. In fact, mobile banking is our major bet in the industry. We are not offering the service in Nigeria alone,” he said.

The divisional head also said that the e-banking work simultaneously across the 19 countries where UBA does businesses.