Latest news with #JeremyAwori
Zawya
27-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Ecobank named Best Bank in Africa 2025 in Global Finance Awards
Ecobank ( the leading private pan-African financial services Group which has unrivalled African expertise, is delighted to have been named Best Bank in Africa 2025 in Global Finance's World's Best Banks 2025 Awards. The Awards also selected Ecobank Gambia and Ecobank Togo as the Best Banks 2025 in their respective countries. Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, said, 'Driving intra-African trade is an important focus of our Growth, Transformation and Returns strategy and we are continuously leveraging technology and partnerships to further enhance our continental digital payments platform and to position Ecobank as Africa's trade bank of choice. 'These awards are a testament to Ecobank's intense focus on putting our customers at the centre of our decision making, and the quality of our comprehensive suite of financial products, services and solutions that we provide to global and regional corporates, financial institutions and international organisations. Our expertise and integrated coverage, which is networked across our 35-African country footprint, enable us to structure complex local and cross-border transactions. We maximise our impact across our markets by deploying our key product pillars of cash management; trade finance; fixed income currencies and commodities; loans and liquidity; investment banking; and securities, wealth and asset management.' In selecting the best bank winners, Global Finance's judges considered factors including growth in assets, profitability, geographic reach, strategic relationships, new business development and innovation in products. They also sought the opinions of equity analysts, credit rating analysts, banking consultants and others involved in the industry, and held extensive consultations with corporate financial executives, bankers, banking consultants and analysts. The winners are banks that attend carefully to their customers' needs in difficult markets and accomplish strong results while laying the foundations for future success. Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Ecobank Gambia and Ecobank Togo will be presented with their awards at the Global Finance Awards Ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington DC, USA, on 18 October 2025, which is being held during the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated. Media Contacts: Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Christiane Bossom, Group Communications, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Email: groupcorporatecomms@ Tel: +228 22 21 03 03 Web: About Ecobank: Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 35 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 14,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers. For further information, please visit
Zawya
03-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
The Ecobank Group expands its gender-financing offer to facilitate access to financing for Africa's women entrepreneurs
Ellevate by Ecobank expands to become bigger, better and more inclusive. From supporting corporate businesswomen, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs to individual entrepreneurs, and those in the informal sector. To bridge the gender financing gap for Africa's women entrepreneurs, Ecobank ( the leading pan-African financial services group, announces significant enhancements to its multi-award-winning gender-financing solution - 'Ellevate by Ecobank'. These improvements strengthen Ecobank's commitment to women-owned, women-led, and women-focused businesses, while reinforcing its market competitiveness. The World Bank estimates that closing the gender gap in Africa could add $2.5 trillion to the continent's GDP by 2025, underscoring the urgency of investing in women – not just for social justice, but for a more prosperous and equitable future for all Africans. In response, Ecobank's enhanced Ellevate programme is now more ambitious and inclusive, designed to address the diverse challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. The programme is being extended from new and existing Commercial Banking customers to include new and existing Consumer Banking and Corporate Banking customers, as well as female business leaders, with Corporate Banking customers serving as a pool of mentors. With this expansion, individual entrepreneurs - including those in the formal and informal sectors - can now fully benefit from its enhanced financial and non-financial solutions. Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer, Ecobank Group, said: 'We recognise and applaud the role that women entrepreneurs play in driving socio-economic impact across Africa and are committed to supporting them at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. Since the launch of the Ellevate programme we have made significant progress, disbursing over US$200 million in loans, providing business networking opportunities, and offering leadership and capacity-building training for businesswomen.' 'Today, Ellevate 2.0 heralds in a new era for gender financing. It is bigger, better and more inclusive, delivering exceptional value to female entrepreneurs and women business leaders. Enhancing our products and solutions for women entrepreneurs to position Ecobank as their bank of choice is an integral component in accelerating the success of our Growth, Transformation and Returns strategy's objectives. It also supports our Group-wide objective of promoting gender equality and contributing to sustainable development.' The enhanced Ellevate's value propositions now include: Increasing access to finance with unsecured loans of up to US$50,000 Competitive interest rates and favourable collateral requirements Accommodating customers with a two-year track record instead of the industry-standard three years Helping them to find new customers and access new markets across Africa through our innovative online matchmaking MyTradeHub platform Training, knowledge sharing webinars, support and other initiatives to enhance customers' business and leadership skills Customised wealth management services A one-stop shop to meet insurance needs. A loyalty programme providing exclusive offers and discounts at select retail stores and recreation centres To coincide with the celebrations of the International Women's Day, our enhanced Ellevate program will be launched by nine of our affiliates (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Senegal, Togo and Zimbabwe) by the end of March 2025. It will then be rolled-out in phases across all our other sub-Saharan African affiliates throughout the year. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated. Media Contact: Christiane Bossom Group Communications Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Email: groupcorporatecomms@ Tel: +228 22 21 03 03 Web: About Ecobank Group (or 'Ecobank Transnational Incorporated' or 'ETI'): Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 35 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 14,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers. For further information, please visit
Associated Press
06-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
XTransfer and Ecobank Group Partner to Empower African SMEs' Foreign Trade
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 6 February 2025 - XTransfer, the world-leading and China's No.1 B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, and Ecobank Group, the leading private pan-African financial services group with unrivalled African expertise, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation (MOU) to roll out comprehensive cross-border financial services to Africa's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in foreign trade. The collaboration will facilitate trade between China and African countries. In recent years, China and Africa have continued to deepen trade cooperation, with the scale of imports and exports rising rapidly. In 2023, bilateral trade reached a record US$282 billion. From January to November 2024, China's exports to Africa totalled US$160 billion, a 1.4% increase from the previous year, while imports from Africa reached US$107 billion, marking a substantial rise of 6.6%. Despite this growth, African SMEs engaged in foreign trade face numerous challenges related to cross-border payments and fund collections. These challenges include difficulties in opening accounts with traditional banks, a high risk of funds being frozen, difficulties in foreign exchange and related losses, lengthy remittance times and high remittance costs. The partnership between XTransfer and Ecobank Group will foster collaboration between both parties to provide comprehensive cross-border payment solutions for African SMEs' foreign trade. XTransfer will leverage Ecobank's extensive network across Africa, enabling its Chinese clients to collect funds in local African currencies while assisting African SMEs in making payments in their local currencies to negate foreign exchange issues. Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, stated, 'We are excited about the partnership with Ecobank. This collaboration represents a significant milestone for XTransfer and greatly enhances our global payment capabilities. Leveraging Ecobank's extensive payment network in Africa will accelerate our business expansion in the region. We are looking forward to the synergies and opportunities this partnership will create. Together, we will drive innovation and improve the financial landscape, making financial services more efficient and accessible for African SMEs.' Jeremy Awori, CEO Ecobank Group, said, 'We are proud to partner with XTransfer to advance seamless cross-border payment solutions between Africa and China. This partnership builds on our established strategy, which includes a representative office in China and a dedicated China desk. By integrating XTransfer's cutting-edge solutions with our pan-African payment platform, we simplify payments, reduce transaction costs, and enable African businesses to thrive in global trade.' The partnership will facilitate trade between SMEs in China and African countries and also streamline foreign trade transactions between African companies and their global partners. Ultimately, this will help reduce the costs of global trade and enhance the global competitiveness of African SMEs. This partnership aligns with Ecobank's goals of driving financial integration by facilitating seamless cross-border trade, which is the backbone of the continent's economy growth. By collaborating with XTransfer, Ecobank is strengthening its position as a key player in the global payments industry by reducing trade barriers, enabling African SMEs to thrive in international markets and contribute to the continent's sustainable development.
Zawya
06-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
XTransfer and Ecobank Group Partner to Empower African SMEs' Foreign Trade
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 6 February 2025 - XTransfer, the world-leading and China's No.1 B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, and Ecobank Group, the leading private pan-African financial services group with unrivalled African expertise, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation (MOU) to roll out comprehensive cross-border financial services to Africa's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in foreign trade. The collaboration will facilitate trade between China and African countries. In recent years, China and Africa have continued to deepen trade cooperation, with the scale of imports and exports rising rapidly. In 2023, bilateral trade reached a record US$282 billion. From January to November 2024, China's exports to Africa totalled US$160 billion, a 1.4% increase from the previous year, while imports from Africa reached US$107 billion, marking a substantial rise of 6.6%. Despite this growth, African SMEs engaged in foreign trade face numerous challenges related to cross-border payments and fund collections. These challenges include difficulties in opening accounts with traditional banks, a high risk of funds being frozen, difficulties in foreign exchange and related losses, lengthy remittance times and high remittance costs. The partnership between XTransfer and Ecobank Group will foster collaboration between both parties to provide comprehensive cross-border payment solutions for African SMEs' foreign trade. XTransfer will leverage Ecobank's extensive network across Africa, enabling its Chinese clients to collect funds in local African currencies while assisting African SMEs in making payments in their local currencies to negate foreign exchange issues. Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, stated, "We are excited about the partnership with Ecobank. This collaboration represents a significant milestone for XTransfer and greatly enhances our global payment capabilities. Leveraging Ecobank's extensive payment network in Africa will accelerate our business expansion in the region. We are looking forward to the synergies and opportunities this partnership will create. Together, we will drive innovation and improve the financial landscape, making financial services more efficient and accessible for African SMEs." Jeremy Awori, CEO Ecobank Group, said, "We are proud to partner with XTransfer to advance seamless cross-border payment solutions between Africa and China. This partnership builds on our established strategy, which includes a representative office in China and a dedicated China desk. By integrating XTransfer's cutting-edge solutions with our pan-African payment platform, we simplify payments, reduce transaction costs, and enable African businesses to thrive in global trade." The partnership will facilitate trade between SMEs in China and African countries and also streamline foreign trade transactions between African companies and their global partners. Ultimately, this will help reduce the costs of global trade and enhance the global competitiveness of African SMEs. This partnership aligns with Ecobank's goals of driving financial integration by facilitating seamless cross-border trade, which is the backbone of the continent's economy growth. By collaborating with XTransfer, Ecobank is strengthening its position as a key player in the global payments industry by reducing trade barriers, enabling African SMEs to thrive in international markets and contribute to the continent's sustainable development. Hashtag: #XTransfer #Ecobank #Africa #SMEs #Partnership #Crossborder #Payment The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. XTransfer
Zawya
06-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
XTransfer and Ecobank Group Partner to Empower African Small and Medium-sized Enterprises' (SMEs) Foreign Trade
XTransfer, the world-leading and China's No.1 B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, and Ecobank Group ( the leading private pan-African financial services group with unrivalled African expertise, have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation (MOU) to roll out comprehensive cross-border financial services to Africa's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in foreign trade. The collaboration will facilitate trade between China and African countries. In recent years, China and Africa have continued to deepen trade cooperation, with the scale of imports and exports rising rapidly. In 2023, bilateral trade reached a record US$282 billion. From January to November 2024, China's exports to Africa totalled US$160 billion, a 1.4% increase from the previous year, while imports from Africa reached US$107 billion, marking a substantial rise of 6.6%. Despite this growth, African SMEs engaged in foreign trade face numerous challenges related to cross-border payments and fund collections. These challenges include difficulties in opening accounts with traditional banks, a high risk of funds being frozen, difficulties in foreign exchange and related losses, lengthy remittance times and high remittance costs. The partnership between XTransfer and Ecobank Group will foster collaboration between both parties to provide comprehensive cross-border payment solutions for African SMEs' foreign trade. XTransfer will leverage Ecobank's extensive network across Africa, enabling its Chinese clients to collect funds in local African currencies while assisting African SMEs in making payments in their local currencies to negate foreign exchange issues. Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, stated, 'We are excited about the partnership with Ecobank. This collaboration represents a significant milestone for XTransfer and greatly enhances our global payment capabilities. Leveraging Ecobank's extensive payment network in Africa will accelerate our business expansion in the region. We are looking forward to the synergies and opportunities this partnership will create. Together, we will drive innovation and improve the financial landscape, making financial services more efficient and accessible for African SMEs.' Jeremy Awori, CEO Ecobank Group, said, 'We are proud to partner with XTransfer to advance seamless cross-border payment solutions between Africa and China. This partnership builds on our established strategy, which includes a representative office in China and a dedicated China desk. By integrating XTransfer's cutting-edge solutions with our pan-African payment platform, we simplify payments, reduce transaction costs, and enable African businesses to thrive in global trade.' The partnership will facilitate trade between SMEs in China and African countries and also streamline foreign trade transactions between African companies and their global partners. Ultimately, this will help reduce the costs of global trade and enhance the global competitiveness of African SMEs. This partnership aligns with Ecobank's goals of driving financial integration by facilitating seamless cross-border trade, which is the backbone of the continent's economy growth. By collaborating with XTransfer, Ecobank is strengthening its position as a key player in the global payments industry by reducing trade barriers, enabling African SMEs to thrive in international markets and contribute to the continent's sustainable development. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated. Media Contact: XTransfer Limited Maggie NG Public Relations Director Tel: +852 6287 2989 Email: Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Christiane Bossom Group Communications Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Email: groupcorporatecomms@ Tel: +228 22 21 03 03 Web: About XTransfer: XTransfer, the world-leading and China's No.1 B2B Cross-Border Trade Payment Platform, is dedicated to providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with secure, compliant, fast, convenient and low-cost foreign trade payment and fund collection solutions, significantly reducing the cost of global expansion and enhancing global competitiveness. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Shanghai and has branches in Hong Kong SAR, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, the UAE, and Nigeria. XTransfer has obtained local payment licences in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia. With more than 600,000 enterprise clients, XTransfer has become the industry No.1 in China. By cooperating with well-known multinational banks and financial institutions, XTransfer has built a unified global multi-currency clearing network and built a data-based, automated, internet-based and intelligent anti-money laundering risk control infrastructure centred on SMEs. XTransfer uses technology as a bridge to link large financial institutions and SMEs around the world, allowing SMEs to enjoy the same level of cross-border financial services as large multinational corporations. XTransfer completed its Series D financing in September 2021 and achieved unicorn status. The Company possesses a diverse composition of international investors, including D1 Capital Partners LP, Telstra Ventures, China Merchants Venture, eWTP Capital, Yunqi Capital, Gaorong Capital, 01VC, MindWorks and Lavender Hill Capital Partners. For more information, please visit: About Ecobank: Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 35 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 14,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers. For further information, please visit
