By Samuel Bankole
Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) on Thursday said it has received the final regulatory approval for its wholly-owned Payment Subsidiary, HabariPay Limited.
The holding company of GTBank said in a regulatory filing with the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) granted the subsidiary firm the final licence to commence operations.
The Holding company said all regulatory approvals have been obtained for the commencement of operations of the company.
The GTCO Group Chief Executive, Segun Agbaje said Payments are central to the development of financial services globally and represent a key growth area for the Group.
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“GTCO Plc has been at the forefront of delivering cutting edge innovative solutions with its banking franchise and would leverage this capacity to transform the evolving payment space.
“With HabariPay, we have successfully created another pathway towards enhancing the service experience for our customers and creating more value for our stakeholders,” Agbaje said.
He also stated that the vision of the Holdco is an Africa where every payment is digital and hopes to achieve this by increasingly leveraging technology to improve access to financial services for individuals and empower businesses across Africa with the right digital tools to thrive.
The holding company said the payment subsidiary will serve to expand GTCO range of services to largely underserved markets in support of the CBN’s financial inclusion drive and contribute to the resilience of the global payment ecosystem.
Habari is the first mobile platform in Nigeria created by a financial institution that focuses on enabling people’s needs and lifestyles rather than providing a limited bouquet of regular banking products.
Habari offers users direct access to the largest catalogue of local and foreign music online, a seamless shopping experience and an exciting way to connect with friends, split bills, transfer and receive funds as well as pay for utilities, subscriptions and other services.
