United Bank for Africa has enabled Google Pay for eligible Visa and Mastercard cardholders as the wallet launches in Nigeria.
Google Pay allows eligible users to make contactless payments at supported terminals using compatible devices. UBA customers can now add their Visa and Mastercard cards to the service and pay for in-store purchases with their phones instead of physical cards. The service can be used for both local and international transactions wherever Google Pay is accepted.
Expanding digital payment options
Google Pay adds to UBA’s existing digital services, which include payment cards, a mobile banking app, an internet banking platform, and LEO, its AI-powered virtual banking assistant, and the bank plans further additions to its digital offering. UBA operates in 20 African countries, as well as the UK, the US, France, and the UAE, with around 25,000 employees and more than 45 million customers.
Orry Seem, Directorate Head, Cards at UBA, stated that customers lead busy lives and the way they pay should make those lives easier. According to Seem, the phone is often the first thing customers reach for, so it makes sense for it to serve as their wallet as well. She added that offering Google Pay reflects the bank’s aim of enabling customers to transact locally and internationally wherever the service is accepted.
Growth in digital payments in Nigeria
Alero Ladipo, Group Head, Brands, Marketing and Corporate Communications at UBA, stated that digital payments in Nigeria are growing quickly and customers expect more ways to pay. According to Ladipo, making Google Pay available to UBA’s Visa and Mastercard cardholders gives them a simple, fast option for everyday purchases, backed by the security of their UBA cards.
Ladipo added that adopting global payment platforms early gives customers more choice, and that UBA will continue to work with global technology and payment partners on new ways to bank and pay. With Google Pay now available in Nigeria, banks that enable their cards on the service determine which customers can use it for contactless payments.
