United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has upgraded and enhanced its mobile banking application, with exciting new features designed to empower its customers with increased control, convenience, and ease in conducting their transactions.

With the upgrade, customers are now armed with more tools to carry out transactions with ease from the comfort of their phones, without having to visit the branch or leave their comfort zones.

Research has shown that over time, disputed transactions have been one of the major challenges which makes customers flock to the banking hall despite having digital apps, and UBA has introduced the Transaction Dispute Menu feature on the mobile app to address this. It allows customers to report any failed transactions from the Mobile App’s home page. Customers can also carry out other self-service features like Block Card, Block Account, Check transaction status, and more.

Another interesting upgrade is that UBA customers now have Extended Transaction History in their mobile app, where they can easily view and access up to six months of their transaction history. This aids better financial tracking, facilitates informed decisions about their spending habits and budgeting.

UBA’s Group Head Retail and Digital Banking, Shamsideen Fashola, said the upgrade of the mobile banking app, emphasises the bank’s commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that align with the evolving needs of its customers.

“Our goal is to ensure that banking with UBA remains seamless, secure, and intuitive, and these new features represent a significant step in achieving that objective. By placing greater control and flexibility in the hands of our customers, we are empowering them to bank on their own terms, anytime, anywhere.”

In response to user feedback and technological advancements, UBA has also implemented an Enhanced PIN Pad, with size adjustments tailored specifically for smart phones. This improvement ensures a smoother and more user-friendly experience for customers accessing banking services on various device types, enhancing inclusivity and accessibility across board.

Additionally, the upgraded mobile app prioritises security with the introduction of increased security measures, adding an extra layer of protection to their financial transactions. Other new features include extension of Mobile App services for specialised services such as an airline ticket.

UBA’s Head, Digital Banking, Olukayode Olubiyi, expressed the bank’s excitement to introduce these enhancements to its mobile banking app, reflecting its ongoing commitment to delivering best-in-class digital solutions to customers.

 ”By extending the transaction history window, enhancing the PIN pad for smart phone users, bolstering security measures and the additional features, we are empowering our customers to take greater control of their financial journeys. These upgrades underscore our dedication to providing a seamless and secure banking experience that exceeds customer expectations,” he explained.

United Bank for Africa Plc is a leading Pan-African financial institution with strong presence in 4 continents, offering banking services to more than twenty-five (25) million customers, across over 1,000 business offices and customer touch points in 20 African countries. With presence in New York, London, Paris and Dubai, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail, commercial and corporate banking, innovative cross-border payments and remittances, trade finance and ancillary banking services.

9mobile has refreshed its ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ offerings with additional benefits to enable new and potential customers enjoy more value on calls, data, SMS and CUG for their Businesses.

The ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ product offering is a flexible and customisable plan with an array of add-on services. The plan gives customers benefits of extra cost-saving tariff within the bundle, and 100 percent bonus data upon repurchase of select bundles.

With the update, 9mobile customers on this plan will also enjoy free incoming calls while roaming on select networks in the following 10 countries: UK, UAE, South Africa, Kenya, Spain, Egypt, France, Germany, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia when they recharge N5,000 and above in a month.

A further benefit of the plan is the ‘Add-on solutions.’ With this, companies and institutions will enjoy seamless business operations’ continuity and optimization through Close User Group (CUG), Fleet Tracking, Cloud PBX, Cloud Services, and Device Financing. Others are International Call Bundles, Roaming Bundles, and Special International Destinations Calling.

Commenting on the development, Director Enterprise Business, Nneka Owolabi, highlighted the telco’s unwavering commitment to ensure customers and subscribers enjoy premium customer experience, and wholesome value for their subscription on the 9mobile network.

“At 9mobile we have proven time and again that premium customer experience is important for us. It is the essence of our operations. That is why we have reintroduced the ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ for customers and subscribers, particularly businesses to enjoy value for their loyalty to us, and upscale their businesses,” he said.

Owolabi also stated that the ComboPak combines all business needs in one affordable bundle with cheaper voice calls, data subscription, SMS, and CUG, saying, “It’s a ComboPak offering that keeps you, and your business stay ahead of trend.”

“What 9mobile ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ does is to create and sustain an ecosystem where people, in this case, customers and subscribers, and businesses run systematically with a combination of our tools efficiently. This is certain to revolutionise the way Nigerians communicate, stay connected, and transact businesses effectively.”

Subscribers to ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ plan will enjoy unique voice calls, SMS & data. The service allows flexibility to move across packages based on your needs. For N1,000 ComboBasic bundle cost, customers will dial *246*4*33# to enjoy 60k/MB Browsing, 12k/sec in bundle calls, 12k/sec out of bundle calls, N2.60/SMS, and CUG; while for N1,000 ComboValue bundle cost, customers will dial *246*4*30# to enjoy 700MB, 30 National call minutes, 11k/sec out of bundle calls, 10 National SMS, and CUG.

For customers with N2,000 ComboPremier bundle cost, all they need to do is to dial *246*4*33# to enjoy 2.1GB, 60 National call minutes, 11k/sec out of bundle calls, 25 National SMS, and CUG. Customers subscribing to N5,000 ComboBlack bundle cost will enjoy benefits of 7GB, 300 National call minutes, 11k/sec out of bundle calls, 25 National SMS, and CUG.

The unique value added on the ‘MoreBusiness ComboPak’ plan for customers also includes: Bundled Plans – for customers to enjoy flexible and customizable plans with an array of add-on services, and extra cost saving tariff within the bundle.

Unlimited Add-ons – this is Add-on solutions – include CUG, Fleet Tracking, Cloud PBX, Cloud Services, Device Financing, Shared Data, International call bundles, Roaming Bundles, and Special International Destinations Calling, for customers. This is in addition to a free data offer which is a 100 percent bonus data upon repurchase of select bundles.

Convenience has been embedded into the ComboPak plan for Subscribers also to check account balance by dialling *310#, and data balance by dialling *323#, while migration or opting out of the plan is absolutely free.

In a recent revelation from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Airtel Nigeria has emerged as a standout performer in the country’s telecommunications sector, marking significant gains in market share over the past year. According to the NCC data, by the end of March 2024, Airtel Nigeria has grown its market share over the last year into a remarkable 29 percent, solidifying its position as a leading telecom provider in the region.

In stark contrast, other mobile network operators such as MTN and 9mobile have faced considerable setbacks, with MTN witnessing a notable 3.19 percent decline in market share and 9mobile experiencing a 0.5 percent decrease. Even Glo, a prominent player in the market, saw a decline, albeit less pronounced, with a 0.58 percent drop in its share of internet subscribers.

Airtel Nigeria’s success story goes beyond market share gains. The company has also witnessed a substantial surge in its share of internet subscribers, boasting an impressive 165 percent basis points increase. This surge correlates with the launch of Airtel 5G, which the company began rolling out in June 2023 and underscores the telco’s continued push to grow its customer base nationwide.

Airtel Nigeria’s ascendancy in the telecom market comes at a pivotal moment when mobile network operators face challenges of rising operations cost and exchange rates volatility. The company’s recent results solidify its position as a frontrunner in Nigeria’s telecom landscape.