Nii Amankra Tetteh, Executive Director of Business of the Universal Merchant Bank (UMB), says the search for a single source of truth and the consequent integration of databases is a critical ambition for Ghana.
He said bringing financial data into this integration was important and the Bank of Ghana’s support for it was commendable.
The Central Bank has set July 1, 2022, as the deadline for all bank accounts in Ghana to be linked to the Ghana Card.
This is in line with the Bank’s and the Government's strategy to make the GhanaCard the primary ID in the country.
The Bank’s drive to have all accounts validated and linked to Ghana Card continues to enjoy support from commercial banks in Ghana.
A significant number of banks have undertaken heavy publicity campaigns to get their customers to link their cards.
He said UMB’s solution dubbed: “EZ- UPDATE” allowed customers to scan their GhanaCards with their phones and load this information onto a secure portal.
Nii Tetteh said customers would then be able to sign into this portal and link their Ghana cards to their accounts.
A few others, including the UMB, have out-doored online platforms that allow customers to link their Ghana Cards to their accounts online, without having to go into their branch.
He said a large percentage of customers were cut out of banking benefits because the bank simply cannot KYC the said customers.
The Executive Director said EZ UPDATE was the Bank’s own digital innovation to reflect the lifestyles of their customers.
“Now our customers can conveniently update their accounts, even at 2 am on a Sunday. This is the UMB advantage we are proud of and continue to deliver to Ghana, since 1972,” he added.
He said with the launch of EZ UPDATE, UMB joined an elite club of Banks in Ghana offering the service.
Over 80 per cent of Banks in Ghana, currently require their customers to do the linkage in person, at their branches.
Nii Tetteh said UMB, and a few other banks have developed digital means that allow customers to achieve the linkage digitally.
Madam Belinda Boamah, Executive Director (Strategy) of the Bank, said, “At UMB we pride ourselves in innovating for customer convenience, since 1972.”
EZ UPDATE was developed internally in the Bank, but its performance is world-class.
She said it was another step in their digital reimagination journey as they commit to becoming digital, first for the customer, in the next 50 years of the Bank.
“We are working hard to get to the point where our customers can interact with the Bank fully online, guaranteeing true convenience and access,” she added.