Technology Magazine June 2018 | Page 253

AFRICA

“ The company ’ s IT function has grown rapidly . It has moved away from being a supportive function to become a huge business driver ”

Lijocha Nalitolela , Head of Information Technology
Bank has carved its own path in the financial Technology .
It was the first bank to introduce Mastercard credit cards and mobile ATMs in Tanzania and it was also the first bank to open subsidiaries outside of the country , according to Nalitolela .
It ’ s this commitment to technological ingenuity which he believes has helped the bank overtake its competitors .
“ Exim Bank is trying to become a regional player within East Africa , however , it hasn ’ t forgotten its calling – a dedication to innovation ,” he says . “ There are strong competitors in the region but what Exim Bank brings to the market is that new level of innovation that we need . Regardless of what we are doing , we try to be ahead of the market . We may not be the biggest , but we ’ re chasing down the competition by putting innovation front and centre of our strategy .”
This inherent commitment is not only revolutionising the bank ’ s products and services , it ’ s also transforming its relationship with its customers .
“ This commitment to being innovative also means that customers receive an unparalleled level of service which they wouldn ’ t get in a bank that is three or four times bigger than us ,” notes Nalitolela . “ Customers that bank with Exim prefer the firm because of the level of service they receive , whether they ’ re using our online platforms or visiting one of our branches .
“ Rather than trying to digitise everything , we ’ re looking specifically at the payments segment in the financial Technology ,” he continues . “ We ’ re trying to introduce financial services that customers can access at their fingertips using technology . For
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