By Lwazi Dlamini
After being launched in 2023, Eswatini Bank’s innovative digital wallet, ShareSha is now being roll-out for the much-needed convenience for emaSwati, both Eswatini Bank account holders and non-account holders.
Addressing members of the media on Monday, Eswatini Bank Managing Director (MD) Nozizwe Mulela said the roll-out of ShareSha banking was a move by the bank to evolve from the traditional brick and mortar model to an elaborate anytime, anywhere digital ecosystem offering among other services.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, you will recall that last year (2023) EswatiniBank launched its innovative digital wallet, ShareSha, which comes with many cutting-edge features such as scan-to-pay, prepaid card loading and many other offerings such as bill payments, airtime and data top-ups.
As an enhancement and to complement the digital wallet, I am happy to announce the roll-out of ShareSha Banking, a development which marks a milestone in our journey as Eswatini Bank,” Mulela said.
She said ShareSha Banking simply put, brings the bank closer to the people, eliminating costs of travelling for banking services (ATMs or branch).
“It eases access to banking through Agents spread country wide at your doorstep or community. ShareSha Banking is directed towards supporting financial inclusion in Eswatini.
We have already seen the positive impact within the communities where the bank already has Agents, during the pilot phase, which kicked off in the third quarter of this year (2024).
The costs of travel have been minimised and those who were unbanked, now accessing banking services.
ShareSha Banking ensures that one’s money is now safe, no need to keep it
under your pillow, you simply deposit with your nearest agent. Therefore,
customers’ funds are protected,” the MD said.
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She added: “ShareSha Banking introduces a comprehensive mobile payment solution that facilitates seamless deposits/withdrawals, payments, accounts opening, scan to pay feature and other innovative payment solutions.
To our Agents, may I take the opportunity to applaud the efforts you have made
thus far in driving ShareSha Banking in the communities.We are seeing many
transactions being made, which is very encouraging indeed,”
Mulela said the ShareSha Banking Agents they have partnered with, are empowered through trainings and gadgets to ensure that they deliver the same services regardless of their location.
“We trust that they will carry out our vision of providing bank services and excellent customer care for our communities.
Features of ShareSha Banking Customers can make cash withdrawals and deposits, bill payments, buy airtime and data, transfer funds, load their Prepaid Card and get a ShareSha statement.
These services can be accessed at an agent near you. To date, we have
onboarded over 60 Agents, distributed country-wide, with more to be trained today and in future,” she added.
Mulela said as a brand they work tirelessly to provide exceptional customer experience and financial solutions suitable to their evolving customer needs.
“We strive to put customers at the centre of everything we do. Our customer-centricity approach is anchored by our Customer Service Standards that foster agility and collaborations within the bank to speed up decision making and service delivery.
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In this way, we enrich our customers’ digital lifestyles and deliver an excellent customer experience as we transition to be an innovation/technology driven financial institution,” she noted.
She stated that in the current strategy, their focus has been on innovation and delivering superior customer experience across all service points; a practise that led to them winning the ‘Bank of the Year’ at the Service Excellence Awards for two consecutive years and the ‘Best Inclusive and Innovative financial product in Eswatini’ for ShareSha, the digital wallet.
“In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, the role of technology in banking
has never been more paramount.
It needs to be responsive to customers and
community needs. As a sustainable business, we do not simply innovate to
because we can, but we want to improve the livelihood of the communities in
which we work and live.
The usefulness of technology does not lie only in its uniqueness but in its abilityto solve a pressing societal problem.
A large population of the people of Eswatini remain unbanked and underbanked due to compliance issues and lack of access to traditional banking services among others.
to traditional banking services among others.
As mentioned, with ShareSha
Banking, we can contribute to financial inclusion by banking underserved
communities and offering convenience to Eswatini Bank and non- Eswatini Bank
customers,” she said in conclusion.
