Orange and the BNP Paribas group offer retail banking customers in Africa direct access between their BNP Paribas account and their Orange Money account through their mobile phones. This new service is available starting today in Côte d’Ivoire and will be extended to other countries in which BNP Paribas and Orange Money[1] are present, particularly Senegal.
The service allows customers of the BNP Paribas group (BICICI in Côte d’Ivoire) to carry out real-time banking operations without going to their banks, simply by using their Orange Money account.
Customers can transfer money to their Orange Money account directly from their BNP Paribas bank account, or vice versa, simply, quickly and securely.
This flexibility in transferring money between bank accounts and mobile accounts will make it easier to use the services already offered by Orange Money, such as payment for goods and services (water, electricity and television bills, etc.) and purchases of airtime credit.
The large network of licensed Orange Money distributors will supplement the network of BNP Paribas bank branches, offering a maximum number of cash withdrawal points to all customers, particularly in more remote areas.
“Orange Money and BNP Paribas are joining forces to deploy Orange Money services to banking customers in their common sales territories in Africa. BNP Paribas customers will thus benefit from Orange Money functionalities such as money transfers, bill payments, merchant payments and purchases of airtime credit. The synergies of our businesses will make it easier for customers to manage their money, wherever they are in the country and at any time of the day,” says Thierry Millet, Director of the Payments and Contactless Programme at Orange.
“This agreement gives Orange Money customers access to new banking services (savings account, international bank card, etc.) and gives BNP Paribas customers access to an extensive withdrawal/deposit network and the possibility of paying bills or buying telephone credit from their mobile phones,” adds François Benaroya, Retail Director in the International Retail Banking branch of BNP Paribas.
Through the new partnership, Orange Money and BNP Paribas pledge to increase the percentage of the population holding bank accounts by offering a fast, secure and reliable service for managing all daily banking operations.
Orange Money currently has more than 10 million customers in 13 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Subscription to the Orange Money service is free of charge.
about BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is present in nearly 80 countries and has 190,000 employees, including 145,000 in Europe. The group has key positions in its three major business areas: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions, and Corporate & Investment Banking. The Group has four domestic markets in Europe (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg), and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is number one in personal credit.
BNP Paribas also deploys its integrated retail banking model in the countries of the Mediterranean Basin, in Turkey and in Eastern Europe, and has a large network in the western United States. In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions businesses, BNP Paribas is the European leader and has a strong presence in the Americas and a solid, growing activity in Asia-Pacific.
about Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 41 billion euros in 2013 and has 164,000 employees worldwide at 31 March 2014, including 101,000 employees in France. Present in 30 countries, the Group has a total customer base of more than 239 million customers at 31 March 2014, including 182 million mobile customers and 16 million broadband internet customers worldwide. Under the Orange Business Services brand, Orange is also one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
Orange is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris (ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (ORAN).
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Orange and any other Orange product or service cited in this press release are trademarks held by Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.
[1] List of countries where Orange Money is available: Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt (under the name Mobicash), Guinea, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal and Uganda.