…Licenses Interswitch To Ease Sale of e-PINs for 2018

In recent years Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has rolled out a number of initiatives to make purchase of UTME forms easier and more convenient for students. Interswitch has been a key partner to JAMB on this journey, that students can now obtain UTME e-PINs from the comfort of their homes and at the click of a button. With the resumption of form sales for the 2018 University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) once again licensed Interswitch to provide e-Pins for candidates.

This move simplifies the registration process, ensuring that as many as 2 million candidates can get their e-Pins without facing the regular challenges associated with purchase of JAMB forms. This initiative will allow the candidates more time to spend on their studies and preparation for the exam rather than staying on long queues or travelling far to obtain forms,

For interested candidates, e-PINs are available at N5, 500 each and can be purchased on www.jamb.org.ng. Also available on the following Interswitch channels:

Quickteller website- www.quickteller.com 

Quickteller Mobile App, 

Quickteller Paypoint Agent Locations 

Quickteller Reseller CBT centres
Quickteller-enabled ATM 


Candidates can get e-PINs by simply following these steps:

Step 1: To create a new profile - Send Surname, First Name, Other Name as SMS from your unique GSM number to 55019. Ensure the names are in the specified order and separated from each other by a space. e.g. Adewale Chukwu Adamu
Step 2: To update an existing profile that is yet to purchase a UTME/DE PIN, Send Correct Surname, First Name, and Other Name as SMS from your unique GSM number to 55019. Ensure the names are in the specified order and separated from each other by a space. e.g. Correct Adegoke Chukwu Adamu
Step 3: Upon receipt of your confirmation code, proceed to purchase PIN online on any Interswitch platform
Step 4: Browse http://jamb.org.ng/eFacility/CandPay/InitPay to input Profile code and click on “Get Details”

Christmas came early for four Nigerians on wednesday as they were rewarded with N100, 000 each for using their Verve Cards in the on-going nationwide Verve card reactivation campaign -a partnership between Verve International and First Bank Nigeria.

The winners, Mr. Omoregie Kingsley, a security Operative; Mrs. Abiodun Adijat Asabi, a business woman; Mr. Olushola Adefemi Johnshon, a clearing and forwarding agent and Mr. Bolaji Dawodu Erigbemi a web designer, all based in Lagos were excited and confirmed that they could not believe it when they were informed that they had won N100, 000.

The nationwide campaign, which runs till the end of January is geared to inspire Nigerians who have not used their Verve cards in a while to reactivate it with either a bill payment, airtime recharge, or funds transfer transaction across all channels (ATM, POS or WEB). Cardholders are expected to carry out two or more of these cash transactions to stand a chance of winning N100, 000 each in the weekly draw and Airtime.

It was a colourful morning at the Landmark event centre, Oniru, VI, Lagos, as A-list celebrities, corporate executives and individuals across different walks of life turned up en-masse to attend the maiden edition of The Verve Life.

Starting right on time – 7:30am - despite the rainy weather, the event had in attendance celebrities including International supermodel, Oluchi Orlandi, Nigerian dance queen, Kaffy, Nollywood actors Alexx Ekubo, Brian Okwara & Emmanuel Ikubuese, DJ Xclusive, Ubi Franklin and many more.

Attendees were treated to a delightful morning of intense fitness challenges, master classes on Boxing strength and conditioning, Dance, Yoga, Zumba, Martial Arts and Nutrition.

There was a lot of dancing, with an abundance of healthy foods from various vendors and ample networking opportunities. The top 3 contestants in the fitness challenges from both male and female categories went home with N20,000, N30,000 and N50,000 respectively courtesy of the organizers, Verve International.

Come September 14th and 15th 2017, Landmark event centre Lagos will be bustling with the crème of the crop of Africa’s tech/payment ecosystem for the maiden edition of Interswitch Connect.

Themed “Digital Transformation Imperatives: Innovative Evolution or Disruptive Innovation”, the 2 day conference organized by Interswitch, promises to be tech/payment event of the year with a lectures and keynote speeches from various accomplished and renowned industry leaders from around the world.

Futurist, global selling author and host of “Breaking Banks” on voice America, Brett king, will deliver the keynote speech at the conference and will be bringing his deep knowledge of the industry and disruption to bear.

Also speaking at the conference is the famous John Chaplin, a highly influential personality in the developments of retail payments for more than 25years. One of the driving forces behind the growth of Visa, John has been the director of Ixaris payment, since 2007, and also an adviser to Helios investments, Chaplin is also an organizer of the global payments innovation jury and it has been revealed that he will be unveiling the 2017 Payments Innovation Jury in Nigeria at the conference.

Other renowned speakers lined to speak at the conference include Stephen van Coller, a member of MTN group executive committee and also former chief executive at Barclays African group, also the conference is set to host Austin Okere the founder and executive of CWG plc., alongside co-founder of Flutterwave, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji; Head, Digital Financial Service & Mobile Payments at KCB Bank Group, Edward Ndichu, Director for Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, Adewale Arikawe; Executive Director for Retail Banking at FCMB, Olu Akanmu; Chief Transformation Officer at MTN, Olubayo Adekanbi; co-founder and CEO of Paystack, Shola Akinlade; CEO for Kantar TNS East Africa, Aggrey Maposa; Technology and business leader at Fio Corporation, Bayan Quandil and Co-founder of Lagos, Nigeria-based Paga Jay Alabraba.

Interested in attending this conference, visit www.interswitchconnect.com to register and book a seat.

Verve International has announced its strategic partnership with Nigerian banks and Mobile Money Operators to deploy Cardless transaction infrastructure across all states in the country.

Known as Paycode, this infrastructure makes it possible for Nigerians to withdraw money at ATMs and POS merchants, and make payments at PoS merchants without using cards. Financial institutions who have already adopted this ground-breaking technology include GTBank, Fidelity Bank, FCMB, Wema Bank, Heritage Bank, Union Bank, Zenith Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Unity Bank, Sterling Bank, Skye Bank, UBA and Access Bank, as well as Paga, ReadyCash, Quickteller Paypoint and FETS. Other financial institutions are currently being implemented and service should be ready to be accessed by customers in the next few months.

This technology shows clear understanding on the part of the adopting institutions and Verve of the plight of their customers. Customers sometimes forget or lose their cards which could leave them stranded, but with Paycode these customers would still be able to get cash at the ATM without the need for a physical card.

In a statement to the press, Charles Ifedi, CEO, Verve International said:

“We are excited to announce this collaboration with the banks, mobile money operators, PSTPs, PTADs and merchants because we know the convenience that Paycode will create for customers. Understanding the peculiarities of our environment and knowing that the millions of Nigerians no longer need to worry about having their physical debit cards with them is a major milestone in Nigeria’s payment ecosystem. This is part of our commitment to continuously address indigenous problems with solutions that can be accessed by every Nigerian”

In all, Paycode offers faster, safer and convenient payment to customers without the use of physical debit/credit cards. In just a few seconds, customers with their phone can pay for goods or services or withdraw funds without hassle.

This ecosystem, powered by Verve, will allow users generate a unique Paycode via USSD, Internet Banking or Apps directly from their Bank accounts or using their existing cards. Another major use for Paycode is the ability to send it to people without Banks accounts, they receive the Paycode as a text message on their mobile phones and can withdraw cash at any Paycode enabled ATM, POS or Agent. This adds an additional level of convenience and security because it removes the need to give one’s card or bank account details to third parties.

In an environment where the penetration of mobile money agents is still growing, Paycode is a revolutionary product that solves a problem that operators and consumers have battled with for over a decade.

“We’re all familiar with queues at ATMs and the low ATM per capita coverage in Nigeria, leaving many Nigerians without convenient ways to access funds, Charles Ifedi says. ‘Paycode can be cashed out at POS merchants and Quickteller Paypoint agents, easing the burden on the infrastructure of partner financial institutions, bringing ease of transaction to customers, and saving enormous time and associated resources along the chain”.

This possibility of cardless transactions is a very welcome development that heralds a new era in payments and is coming at a very significant time in the history of payment; at a time when the world is celebrating 50 years of ATM transactions.

Verve International has announced its strategic partnership with Nigerian banks and Mobile Money Operators to deploy Cardless transaction infrastructure across all states in the country.

Known as Paycode, this infrastructure makes it possible for Nigerians to withdraw money at ATMs and POS merchants, and make payments at PoS merchants without using cards. Financial institutions who have already adopted this ground-breaking technology include GTBank, Fidelity Bank, FCMB, Wema Bank, Heritage Bank, Union Bank, Zenith Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Unity Bank, Sterling Bank, Skye Bank, UBA and Access Bank, as well as Paga, ReadyCash, Quickteller Paypoint and FETS. Other financial institutions are currently being implemented and service should be ready to be accessed by customers in the next few months.

This technology shows clear understanding on the part of the adopting institutions and Verve of the plight of their customers. Customers sometimes forget or lose their cards which could leave them stranded, but with Paycode these customers would still be able to get cash at the ATM without the need for a physical card.

In a statement to the press, Charles Ifedi, CEO, Verve International said:

“We are excited to announce this collaboration with the banks, mobile money operators, PSTPs, PTADs and merchants because we know the convenience that Paycode will create for customers. Understanding the peculiarities of our environment and knowing that the millions of Nigerians no longer need to worry about having their physical debit cards with them is a major milestone in Nigeria’s payment ecosystem. This is part of our commitment to continuously address indigenous problems with solutions that can be accessed by every Nigerian”

In all, Paycode offers faster, safer and convenient payment to customers without the use of physical debit/credit cards. In just a few seconds, customers with their phone can pay for goods or services or withdraw funds without hassle.

This ecosystem, powered by Verve, will allow users generate a unique Paycode via USSD, Internet Banking or Apps directly from their Bank accounts or using their existing cards. Another major use for Paycode is the ability to send it to people without Banks accounts, they receive the Paycode as a text message on their mobile phones and can withdraw cash at any Paycode enabled ATM, POS or Agent. This adds an additional level of convenience and security because it removes the need to give one’s card or bank account details to third parties.

In an environment where the penetration of mobile money agents is still growing, Paycode is a revolutionary product that solves a problem that operators and consumers have battled with for over a decade.

“We’re all familiar with queues at ATMs and the low ATM per capita coverage in Nigeria, leaving many Nigerians without convenient ways to access funds, Charles Ifedi says. ‘Paycode can be cashed out at POS merchants and Quickteller Paypoint agents, easing the burden on the infrastructure of partner financial institutions, bringing ease of transaction to customers, and saving enormous time and associated resources along the chain”.

This possibility of cardless transactions is a very welcome development that heralds a new era in payments and is coming at a very significant time in the history of payment; at a time when the world is celebrating 50 years of ATM transactions.

In a strategic move to eliminate the possible challenges associated with purchase of ePINs for the 2017 Direct Entry (DE) application for candidates with A-level results and wishing to gain direct admission into degree programmes in Nigerian higher institutions, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has accredited Interswitch as a partner to vend ePINs via its secure and seamless digital payment channels.

This move will not only simplify the registration process, but will go a long way in addressing the nagging issue of fraud and possible shady registration.

In a press statement on Tuesday, July 11 2017, Head of Media at JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin urged all candidates to obtain their pins only at any of the approved partners like Interswitch. Interswitch services are available online, across more than 11,000 ATMs and over 8,000 Quickteller Paypoint Agents across Nigeria.

Desiring candidates can follow the simple steps outlined below,

Step 1: Create your Profile on www.jamb.org.ng

Step 2: To make payment, Select Sales of Form & DIRECT ENTRY, then choose “Interswitch Payment” under Payment Options;

• Click ‘Pay Online Now’ to pay immediately on JAMB website and get ePIN (the PIN will also be sent to the candidate’s mail)
• Or click ‘Quickteller/Bank Branch Payment’ to get a Transaction ID which can be used to complete your payment later on quicketeller.com, Quickteller App, Quickteller-enabled ATMs, at any Quickteller Paypoint Agent Location listed on JAMB website
• Or by simply dialing*322*1*04281110*Amount# to get the ePIN (the PIN will also be sent to the candidate’s mail)

Step 3: Go to registered JAMB CBT centre with the ePIN to complete registration, biometrics, and pick up your booklets.

Note: To pay on ATM, follow these steps…

Press Enter and select “Quickteller”
• Select “Pay Bills’
• Select “Others”
• Enter 04306901 as Payment code
• Enter Transaction ID
• Enter mobile number and Amount

Your PIN will be sent to your email.

Living in an economy in recession is no easy task; we’ve all had that experience 1st hand. Imagine having to keep buying the same quantity of food you used to buy a year ago at double or even triple the price and your source of income still remains adamant and unchanged.

That’s our hard reality.

Anyways, let’s move on. 2 students namely; Chinedu Amos & Precious Eboh both from Enugu State University of Technology (ESUTH) as well as 1 Med. Lab. Scientist, Ogundipe Akinwale from Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta have been granted some respite from the harsh bite of our austere economy as they all received N1million each on Friday after emerging winners of the Quickteller Referrals program, Season 1.

All they did was actively participate in the program; refer, register and activate their friends, family, colleagues etc. to use the payment platform and at the end of 3 months they were the top 3 referrers amongst 81,787 participants.
They were full of smiles and gushing as they received their alerts on Friday April 28th 2017…well who wouldn’t, a N1million credit alert is very therapeutic, ask your doctor.

Season 2 of the Referrals program kicks off this May, I don’t know about you but I’ve drawn up a list of all my friends, family, colleagues, even my customers at the market, my neighbors, the enjoyment gang at the bars on my street, those that patrol the estate where my office is, everybody I may come in contact with for the next 3 months. I’m gunning for my 1st million at the end of the next 3 months.

Interswitch, Africa’s leading integrated digital payments and commerce company, today unveiled a new agreement with Toronto-based Fio Corporation to ramp up distribution of the company’s healthcare technology services in Nigeria.

Representatives from the two companies announced the news together during a joint press conference commemorating World Malaria Day and its theme for 2017: End Malaria for Good.

“The effects of malaria are devastating to the health and prosperity of people across Africa and other parts of the world where it has not been eliminated.” stated Uzor Okonmah- Head, Health Solutions at Interswitch. “This detectable and treatable disease continues to claim more than 400,000 lives each year. Our collaboration with Fio will put tools for automated disease testing and real-time tracking into the hands of more frontline health workers. Together we can advance progress toward malaria elimination in Nigeria and set an example for disease control programs around the globe.”

Fio’s intelligent mobile diagnostic device, called the Deki™ Reader, allows health workers in even the most remote areas to automate testing of suspected cases of malaria, and other infectious diseases, and transmit results in real time to the Fionet™ data system. As a result healthcare managers can log onto the Fionet™ web portal and monitor diagnostic data and other key metrics from the field at any time.

“Disease control is impossible when you are fighting an enemy you can’t see”, said Hayim Raclaw, vice-president and sales team lead at Fio Corporation. “Fio’s technology makes the invisible visible so that decision makers can take direct, transformative action. We are honoured to be working with Interswitch to take the impact of our services in Nigeria to the next level.”

The new agreement with Interswitch builds on Fio’s existing relationships in Nigeria, where the company’s technology is already being used to support the National Malaria Elimination Programme. Public health workers at 32 facilities in Akwa Ibom State are currently using Deki™ Readers and the Fionet™ system to augment malaria services, thanks to a collaboration launched with Africare last year.

According to the National Malaria Elimination Programme in Nigeria, malaria is responsible for 60% of outpatient visits to health facilities in Nigeria. Each year the disease accounts for 11% of maternal deaths, 30% of all childhood deaths, and 25% of deaths occurring before a child’s first birthday.

Nigeria is one of several malaria endemic countries within Africa and Latin America where Fio’s technology is being used to support control and elimination programs. Fio’s services are the latest addition to Interswitch’s suite of solutions for the health sector. This collaboration will further develop technologies to automate healthcare service delivery, operations and administration whilst standardizing reporting for analytics.

How hitch free is this process