One of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce company, Interswitch, held an immersion session and interactive parley on the 17th of March 2022, at Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos. The intent of the session was to introduce and update members of the media on its evolving array of solutions and services, whilst also deepening relationships with them.
During the course of the session, the leading payments company highlighted the role its various platforms such as Verve, Quickteller, Quickteller Paypoint, Interswitch Payment Gateway and API Marketplace among others, play across ecosystems, including, but not limited to financial services, health, payment, lending, transportation, e-commerce and so on. The payments provider was able to give clearer perspectives on the platforms’ individual functionalities and future projections, while also inviting questions from the guests.
In her opening remarks, Cherry Eromosele, the Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Interswitch, described Interswitch as a pivotal and strategic enabler of the African fintech ecosystem, recognizing its crucial responsibility in sustaining businesses through its payments infrastructure leveraged by players across sectors of the economy.
She added, “In support of our mission to inspire Africa to greatness, Interswitch Group has continued to push the boundaries of innovation to deliver payment solutions that enable commerce across Africa.
“In keeping with this goal, we have naturally taken the role of an enabler in the Nigerian fintech ecosystem, a duty we have accepted with a deep sense of responsibility, fully realizing that several of our platforms form the framework on which many players in the ecosystem have built their offerings.
“While we remain focused on this goal, we cannot underestimate the key role you (the media) play as our partners, actively supporting and helping to frame our narratives in the minds of our customers and the public.”
During the immersion session, Olawale Akanbi, Group Head, Growth Marketing, Merchants and Ecosystems at Interswitch, noted that Interswitch’s core goal is to improve the narrative of the infrastructural demerits of living in Africa, using solutions developed in Africa to address several local challenges.
Buttressing his point, Akeem Lawal, MD, Payment Processing & Switching (Interswitch Purepay), said that the company is on a mission to train more Africans to create innovative solutions to tackle the various issues plaguing Africa.
He mentioned that one of the ways Interswitch is making this possible is by using the ‘catch them young’ approach through its Switch-a-Future initiative that birthed the Interswitch SPAK National Science Competition aimed at driving interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among young Africans, who are poised to bring about change to the continent.
Other top executives in Interswitch Group, including Vincent Ogbunude, Managing Director, Payment Tokens (Verve); Muyiwa Asagba, Managing Director, Digital Commerce & Merchant Acquiring (Interswitch Paymate); Titilola Shogaolu, Managing Director, Interswitch Financial Inclusion Services (Inclusion), restated the company’s resolve to stimulate prosperity not only in Nigeria but across the African continent.
Interswitch also mentioned that for over two years, the organization has been building its very own blockchain technology to further boost their services. However, Akeem Lawal, did not give details as to how the firm is integrating blockchain technology into its process.
Interswitch maintains its commitment to pushing the boundaries of payment across the continent, making the payment process on the continent safe, fast, and convenient.
