Banking Awards to recognize e-zwich active banks

The Ghana Banking Awards will for the first time recognize the most active bank in offering of e-zwich services to clients.

The e-zwich award, the latest addition, is to acknowledge the role banks have been playing in promoting the national biometric card.


It is also expected to encourage banks to promote its use in the coming years.


The Banking Awards, which is in its 13th year, is organised by Corporate Initiative Ghana (CIG), which consists of various corporate organisations, with the aim of engendering healthy competition among banks to enable them offer better services to customers.


Since its introduction, new categories continue to be added to meet the dynamics of the banking sector.


The addition of the most active e-zwich bank, although a non-scoring category, has become crucial following efforts to migrate Ghana into an electronic payment regime away from the heavy dependence on cash for most transaction.

The e-zwich category was jointly decided by CIG and Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement (GhIPSS).


Speaking ahead of the awards, the Head of Business Development at Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) Mary Dei Sarpong said e-zwich usage continues to record growth in transaction and it is therefore important to recognize the banks which are playing lead role in this effort.


Mrs Dei Sarpong intimated that more people would soon receive their remuneration on the e-zwich card, indicating that demand for its services was going to go up in the coming months. She therefore encouraged the banks to position themselves appropriately in order to benefit from the expected increase in e-zwich activities.


The Head of Business Development also reminded banks that the e-zwich has several business opportunities and urged them to exploit them to increase their deposits as well as attract new customers.


Mrs Dei Sarpong was upbeat about the e-zwich awards and expressed the hope that its introduction would have the needed impact on the banking sector.

She commended CIG for the their efforts at promoting quality banking services and pledged GhIPSS’ support to the awards, saying they will continue to work together to support the banking industry and its services to the general public.


It is their hope that the award category will generate excitement among banks in offering e-zwich services and significantly increase its patronage as well as the use of cards in general as a form of payment, Mrs Dei said.


A number of shopping outlets now have the hybrid Point of Sales terminals, which enables e-zwich cardholders as well as holders of local ATM cards, to shop directly using their cards. It is anticipated that the number of activities being rolled out by GhIPSS in conjunction with the banks will gradually move Ghana away from the over-reliance on cash for payments.