ECOBANK has upgraded its regional card (Debit/ATM card) services to enable customers’ access their naira accounts via over 8,000 Ecobank and non Ecobank ATMs and POS terminals in Nigeria and Ecobank ATMs in over 30 countries in Africa.
Mr. Jibril Aku, managing director of Ecobank Nigeria who announced this, said the Naira denominated debit card allows Ecobank accountholders access funds in their accounts in Nigeria as well as in the local currency of any of the 30 countries where an Ecobank ATM is present.
Mr. Aku listed the 30 African countries to include Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), and Congo (Democratic Republic). Others are Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Togo Uganda, and Zambia.
In addition, the card can also be used on over 1,860 Nedbank ATMs in South Africa Mr. Aku who was responding to media questions on the versatility of the Ecobank regional card, explained that a customer only needs to open an Ecobank account and apply for an Ecobank regional card in order to access his/her funds from any Ecobank ATM in the 30 countries.
He reiterated that the cards are available to anyone with an Ecobank account, and will offer considerable advantage to Nigerians traveling to any of the 30 African countries where the bank is present. In his words “You will not need to carry any travellers’ cheques or any cash at all, when visiting any of the 30 African countries above, as you will be able to access local currencies from any Ecobank ATM and 1,860 Nedbank ATMs in South Africa.