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Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been urged to take up more Equity Bank technology-based banking and financing solutions from to overcome disruptive business environment at the Sheraton Kampala yesterday 19^th September 2024.

Yesterday, September 19, 2024, at the Sheraton Kampala, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were urged to adopt more technology-based banking and finance solutions from Equity Bank in order to overcome the disruptive business environment.

These remarks were made by Mr. James Olany, Strategy and Business Manager at Equity Bank Uganda during a Top 100 SME networking forum held at the Sheraton Kampala.

“As a result of emerging technologies such as blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence and machine learning, these advancements have not only shaped the operational strategies but also set new standards of how customers are to be served and the experience that customers expect to receive”, said Mr. James Olany.

During the meeting, Olany revealed that 96% of all customer transactions at Equity Bank Uganda were through digital channels. He also revealed that about 50% of all our Equity Bank Uganda customers were tele-connected and could access their accounts at their convenience wherever they were using the Equity Bank Mobile App or online banking platforms such as EazzyBiz.

Additionally, the strategy and business manager commended SMEs for their support in banking with Equity which has been at the forefront of supporting SME growth in not only Uganda but also East Africa and beyond.

He advised SMEs that to scale their businesses and extend their market reach beyond Uganda, adoption and leveraging of the latest technology was inevitable.

Mr. James Olany also revealed that Equity Bank provides financial education to their customers and runs technology-based upskilling to assist them in commercializing and digitizing their businesses.

Some of the technologies making breakthroughs for Equity Bank SME customers include retailing their goods and services on their websites, being part of online marketplaces like Kikubo Online, Jumia and integrating e-commerce payment such as Eazzy biz, Eazzy stock, card payments and digital transactions via mobile app, that are all offered by Equity Bank Uganda.

The remarks on technology align with the Bank’s mission to champion financial inclusion by offering integrated financial solutions that socially and economically empower its customers using innovative solutions.

Some of these innovative solutions include Equity Online, EazzyBiz and Eazzy Stock which offer SMEs easy and comprehensive banking experiences that support their financial needs, cash management, liquidity management, bill payments and cashless transaction settlements that eventually make banking easy.

Mr. James Olany also thanked the Top 100 partners KPMG and Nation Media Group for allowing Equity Bank to be their financial and banking partner.

In July 2024, Equity Bank Uganda announced that it had partnered with KPMG and the Nation Media Group as the main sponsor of Uganda’s Top 100 Mid-Sized Companies Survey and Awards for the next three years.