# Ecobank / Ecobank Mobile App

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/ecobank
> research date 2026-05-30 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Ecobank — official](https://ecobank.com/)

## Overview

**Ecobank Group** is **Africa's leading private pan-African banking group** + **35 sub-Saharan African countries + 4 non-African countries (France + UK + UAE + China)** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [global-cro]</sup>. **2025 baseline**: 32M+ Ecobank Group customers + Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users in 33 African countries + Ecobank Togo affiliate named **Bank of the Year 2024 in Togo** in The Banker's prestigious Bank of the Year Awards 2024; **2025 — Ecobank + Thunes partnership** powering Africa's instant payments for the next billion users (Togo first country to benefit); **$1B+ in transactions processed on Ecobank Mobile App in Africa** distinctive scale.

**Distinctive Ecobank positioning** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [3][3], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Africa's leading private pan-African banking group** + **35 sub-Saharan African countries + 4 non-African countries** (France + UK + UAE + China)
- **32M+ Ecobank Group customers**
- **Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users in 33 African countries** + **$1B+ in transactions processed on Ecobank Mobile App in Africa**
- **Ecobank Togo affiliate named Bank of the Year 2024 in Togo** in The Banker's prestigious Bank of the Year Awards 2024
- **2025 Ecobank + Thunes partnership** powering Africa's instant payments for the next billion users (Togo first country to benefit; distinctive pan-African instant payments innovation)
- **1985 ETI founding by ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce** in Lomé, Togo — distinctive pan-African banking heritage
- **Distinctive Africa's only pan-African universal banking platform** providing single gateway for payments + cash management + trade + investment

## History

**1985 — Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) founded** by ECOWAS Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce in Lomé, Togo — distinctive pan-African banking heritage.

**1988 — ETI formally incorporated in Lomé, Togo**.

**1990s-2010s — Ecobank pan-African expansion** to 33 sub-Saharan African countries via greenfield + acquisitions.

**2014 — Nedbank Group (South African banking group) acquires ~20% Ecobank ETI stake** for $493M — distinctive South African-pan-African banking strategic alliance.

**2017 — Ecobank Mobile App launches** as pan-African mobile banking app.

**2024 — Ecobank Togo affiliate named Bank of the Year 2024 in Togo** in The Banker's prestigious Bank of the Year Awards 2024 <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**2025 — Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users milestone in Africa** + **$1B+ in transactions processed on Ecobank Mobile App in Africa** <sup>[2][2], [3][3]</sup>.

**Oct 2025 — Ecobank + Thunes partnership** powering Africa's instant payments for the next billion users (Togo first country to benefit) <sup>[4][4]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI)** (NGX: ETI; GSE: ETI; BRVM: ETI; LSE: ETI).

**Major shareholders**: **Nedbank Group ~20% (South African banking group) + Qatar National Bank QNB ~15% + IFC International Finance Corporation + Public Investment Corporation South Africa + Arise B.V. (formerly Rabobank + Norfund + FMO ESG investor consortium; distinctive ESG ownership) + pan-African institutional + pan-African retail public float**.

**Regulators**: **BCEAO (Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) + BEAC (Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale) + multi-jurisdiction African + European central banks + UK FCA + UAE CBUAE + Chinese CBIRC**.

## Technical integration

**Ecobank Mobile App (iOS + Android; 4M+ users in 33 African countries; $1B+ in transactions processed)** + ecobank.com online + Ecobank cards (Visa + Mastercard) + Ecobank pan-African branch network (33 sub-Saharan African countries) + **Ecobank Pay** (distinctive pan-African mobile money + QR payment) + **Rapidtransfer (Ecobank pan-African remittance service)**; WAMZ (West African Monetary Zone) + GIMACPay + RSW (Regional Switch West Africa) interconnect; **2025 Ecobank + Thunes partnership** (Africa's instant payments for the next billion users).

## Users & growth

**2025**: 32M+ Ecobank Group customers + Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users in 33 African countries + $1B+ in transactions processed on Ecobank Mobile App in Africa.

## Use cases

Pan-African (35 sub-Saharan African countries) + France + UK + UAE + China retail + private + corporate + SME + investment + Islamic banking via Ecobank Mobile App + ecobank.com online + cards + branches + **Ecobank Pay** (pan-African mobile money + QR payment) + **Rapidtransfer (Ecobank pan-African remittance service)**; WAMZ + GIMACPay + RSW interconnect; **2025 Ecobank + Thunes partnership** powering Africa's instant payments for the next billion users (Togo first country to benefit).

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI; NGX: ETI; GSE: ETI; BRVM: ETI; LSE: ETI); Nedbank Group ~20% + Qatar National Bank QNB ~15% + IFC + PIC South Africa + Arise B.V. (Rabobank + Norfund + FMO ESG consortium).

**African subsidiaries**: **35 sub-Saharan African country subsidiaries** including: Ecobank Nigeria + Ecobank Ghana + Ecobank Côte d'Ivoire + Ecobank Senegal + Ecobank Cameroon + Ecobank Mali + Ecobank Burkina Faso + Ecobank Niger + Ecobank Benin + Ecobank Gabon + Ecobank Congo + Ecobank DRC + Ecobank South Africa + Ecobank Kenya + Ecobank Uganda + Ecobank Tanzania + Ecobank Malawi + Ecobank Zimbabwe + Ecobank Zambia + Ecobank Mozambique + Ecobank Sierra Leone + Ecobank Liberia + Ecobank Guinea + Ecobank Angola + Ecobank São Tomé + Ecobank Equatorial Guinea + Ecobank Cape Verde + Ecobank Gambia + Ecobank Burundi + Ecobank Rwanda + Ecobank Ethiopia + Ecobank South Sudan + 35 sub-Saharan African countries total.

**Non-African subsidiaries**: **Ecobank France + Ecobank UK + Ecobank UAE + Ecobank China**.

**2025 partnerships**: **Ecobank + Thunes partnership** (Africa's instant payments for the next billion users; Togo first country to benefit).

**Major pan-African banking competitors**: [Standard Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/standard-bank) (Africa #1 by assets; South African; 20+ countries) + FirstRand (Africa #2 by assets; South African) + [Absa Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/absa) (Africa former #3 pre-Attijariwafa; South African; formerly Barclays Africa rebranded 2018; 12+ countries) + [Attijariwafa Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/attijariwafa-bank) (Africa #3; Moroccan; 25+ countries) + [UBA (United Bank for Africa)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/uba) (United Bank for Africa; Nigerian; pan-African) + [Access Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/access-bank) (Nigerian; pan-African; post-Apr 1 2019 Diamond Bank merger; Africa's largest retail bank by customer base) + [GTBank (Guaranty Trust Bank; GTWorld)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/gtbank) (Nigerian + 11 countries) + [Zenith Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/zenith-bank) (Nigerian) + Bank of Africa (BOA; Moroccan-controlled; West African footprint).

**Regulators**: BCEAO + BEAC + multi-jurisdiction African + European central banks + UK FCA + UAE CBUAE + Chinese CBIRC.

## Fun facts

- **Africa's leading private pan-African banking group** + **35 sub-Saharan African countries + 4 non-African countries** (France + UK + UAE + China).
- **32M+ Ecobank Group customers**.
- **Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users in 33 African countries** + **$1B+ in transactions processed on Ecobank Mobile App in Africa**.
- **Ecobank Togo affiliate named Bank of the Year 2024 in Togo** in The Banker's prestigious Bank of the Year Awards 2024.
- **2025 Ecobank + Thunes partnership** powering Africa's instant payments for the next billion users (Togo first country to benefit; distinctive pan-African instant payments innovation).
- **1985 ETI founding by ECOWAS Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce** in Lomé, Togo — distinctive pan-African banking heritage.
- **Distinctive Africa's only pan-African universal banking platform** providing single gateway for payments + cash management + trade + investment.

## Comparison

| Feature | Ecobank / Ecobank Mobile App | [Standard Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/standard-bank) (Africa #1 by assets rival; South African; 20+ countries) | [Absa Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/absa) (Africa former #3 pre-Attijariwafa rival; South African; formerly Barclays Africa rebranded 2018) | [Attijariwafa Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/attijariwafa-bank) (Africa #3 rival; Moroccan; 25+ countries) | [Access Bank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/access-bank) (Nigerian + pan-African rival; post-Apr 1 2019 Diamond Bank merger) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (NGX: ETI; GSE: ETI; BRVM: ETI; LSE: ETI)** | Standard Bank Group Limited (JSE: SBK) | Absa Group Limited (JSE: ABG; formerly Barclays Africa Group Limited; rebranded 2018) | Attijariwafa bank S.A. (Casablanca Stock Exchange: ATW) | Access Holdings PLC (NGX: ACCESSCORP) |
| Type | **Africa's leading private pan-African banking group + 35 sub-Saharan African countries + 4 non-African countries + 32M+ customers + Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users in 33 African countries + $1B+ in transactions processed** | Africa #1 by assets + 20+ countries African footprint + Standard Bank app | Africa former #3 pre-Attijariwafa + 12+ countries African footprint + 2018 Barclays Africa rebrand to Absa | Morocco's largest financial institution by assets + market share + Africa's #3 largest banking group + 12M+ customers worldwide + 25+ countries footprint | Africa's largest retail bank by customer base post-Apr 1 2019 Diamond Bank merger + 42M+ customers + 600 branches + 28K staff at merger close + Nigerian + 16+ countries pan-African |
| Country | TG + 35 sub-Saharan African countries + FR + GB + AE + CN | ZA + 20+ countries | ZA + 12+ countries | MA + 25+ countries | NG + 16+ countries (pan-African + UK + UAE + China presence) |
| Distinctive | **1985 ETI founding by ECOWAS Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce in Lomé, Togo; 1988 formal incorporation; 2014 Nedbank Group ~20% acquisition for $493M; 2024 Togo Bank of the Year 2024; 2025 Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users + $1B+ transactions processed; Oct 2025 Ecobank + Thunes partnership (Africa's instant payments for next billion users; Togo first country)** | 1862 Standard Bank of British South Africa founding in Port Elizabeth | 1991 Amalgamated Banks of South Africa formation; 2005 Barclays Africa 60% acquisition; 2018 Barclays Africa rebrand to Absa | 1911 Wafabank Casablanca founding heritage; 1933 BCM founding; 2003 BCM + Wafabank merger | 1989 Access Bank founding in Nigeria; Apr 1 2019 Diamond Bank merger (Africa's largest retail bank by customer base); 16+ countries pan-African footprint |

## Status

**Active, Africa's leading private pan-African banking group + 35 sub-Saharan African countries + 4 non-African countries** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [3][3], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI; NGX: ETI; GSE: ETI; BRVM: ETI; LSE: ETI)** since 1985 ECOWAS Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce founding in Lomé, Togo + 1988 formal incorporation.
- **32M+ Ecobank Group customers + Ecobank Mobile App 4M+ users in 33 African countries + $1B+ in transactions processed**.
- **2014 Nedbank Group ~20% strategic alliance for $493M + Oct 2025 Ecobank + Thunes partnership (Africa's instant payments for next billion users)**.
- **BCEAO + BEAC + multi-jurisdiction African + European central banks + UK FCA + UAE CBUAE + Chinese CBIRC regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://ecobank.com/ "Ecobank — The Pan African Bank"
[2]: https://ecobank.africa-newsroom.com/press/ecobank-mobile-app-reaches-4-million-users-milestone "Ecobank mobile app reaches 4 million users milestone in Africa"
[3]: https://ecobank.africa-newsroom.com/press/1-billion-in-transactions-processed-on-ecobank-mobile-app?lang=en "$1 billion in transactions processed on Ecobank Mobile App in Africa"
[4]: https://african.business/2025/10/partner-content/thunes-and-ecobank-group-to-power-africas-instant-payments-for-the-next-billion-users "Thunes and Ecobank Group to power Africa's instant payments for the next billion users — African Business"

- [1] [Ecobank — The Pan African Bank][1]
- [2] [Ecobank mobile app reaches 4 million users milestone in Africa][2]
- [3] [$1 billion in transactions processed on Ecobank Mobile App in Africa][3]
- [4] [Thunes and Ecobank Group to power Africa's instant payments for the next billion users — African Business][4]
- [global-cro] In-corpus: `reports/countries/global.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [ecobank.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/ecobank). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.