{"id":15575,"date":"2026-11-12T04:45:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T04:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/12\/baobab-mfb-provides-customers-with-complete-banking-relationship-rather-than-isolated-products-ntumba-businessday-ng\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T04:45:50","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T04:45:50","slug":"baobab-mfb-provides-customers-with-complete-banking-relationship-rather-than-isolated-products-ntumba-businessday-ng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/12\/baobab-mfb-provides-customers-with-complete-banking-relationship-rather-than-isolated-products-ntumba-businessday-ng\/","title":{"rendered":"Baobab MfB provides customers with complete banking relationship rather than isolated products – Ntumba – Businessday NG"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baobab Microfinance Bank has distinguished its brand by developing unique products tailored to the different categories of customers and MSMEs it serves. In this interview with BusinessDay, Eric Debout<\/strong>, Managing Director\/CEO of the bank, shares his experience managing a microfinance bank in Nigeria, the lessons learned along the way, and the institution\u2019s plans for the future. Excerpts:<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

Kindly tell us about Baobab Microfinance Bank, its evolution, and the role you see it playing in Nigeria\u2019s financial services industry?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Baobab Microfinance Bank has operated in Nigeria since 2009 with a clear mission: expanding access to quality financial services for individuals, entrepreneurs and MSMEs. Over time, we have evolved from a traditional microfinance institution into an increasingly phygital bank, combining a strong physical footprint with growing digital capabilities.\n<\/p>\n

Our proposition is built around three core pillars: Loans, Deposits and Transactional Banking. We want customers to be able to access finance, save, make payments, receive funds and manage their financial lives within one trusted ecosystem. Our role is ultimately to support financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and economic growth by making relevant financial services more accessible. For us, financial inclusion is not simply about access to an account; it is about access to opportunity.\n<\/p>\n

What has your experience been like leading Baobab Microfinance Bank, and what have been the biggest lessons from managing the institution in Nigeria\u2019s current economic environment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leading Baobab Nigeria has been both demanding and rewarding. Nigeria is a market of extraordinary resilience and entrepreneurial energy, but it also requires institutions to remain agile, disciplined and very close to their customers. One of my biggest lessons is that ambition must always be matched by discipline. Sustainable growth requires strong governance, risk management, operational efficiency, liquidity discipline and capable people.\n<\/p>\n

The second lesson is that technology alone is not enough. Banking remains fundamentally about trust. That is why our model is deliberately phygital: digital for convenience, speed and scale; physical for proximity, relationships and customer understanding. The institutions that will win are those that can combine technology with trust.\n<\/p>\n

What are the bank\u2019s key products and services, and how do you differentiate Baobab Microfinance Bank from other microfinance banks and financial institutions?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Our ambition is to provide customers with a complete banking relationship rather than isolated products. We offer Micro and SME financing, Savings and Current Accounts, Term Deposits and our digital savings platform, Jollof+. We are also expanding our transactional banking capabilities, including payments, cards, merchant solutions and digital transactions. What differentiates Baobab is the combination of strong customer knowledge, physical proximity and digital convenience.\n<\/p>\n

Our branches remain important relationship centres, while technology allows us to reduce friction and serve customers faster and more efficiently. We do not want to be seen simply as a lender. We want to become the everyday financial partner of our customers.<\/p>\n

Which sectors, customer segments, or geographic markets currently represent the strongest opportunities for the bank?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

MSMEs remain one of the strongest opportunities in Nigeria because they are major drivers of employment, commerce and economic activity. We see significant potential across trading, services, light manufacturing, agriculture-related businesses and other entrepreneurial sectors. We are equally focused on individuals seeking reliable savings, payments and digital financial solutions.\n<\/p>\n

Our phygital strategy allows us to deepen our presence around commercial hubs and communities while using technology to reach customers beyond the limits of a traditional branch network. The opportunity is not simply to finance businesses; it is to accompany them through their entire growth journey.\n<\/p>\n

Financial inclusion remains a major issue in Nigeria. What role do you believe microfinance banks such as Baobab can play?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Microfinance banks are uniquely positioned to advance financial inclusion because we operate close to the customers and communities that are often underserved by conventional banking. But inclusion must go beyond opening accounts. It should give people access to meaningful savings, credit, payments and financial tools that help improve their livelihoods and build resilience.<\/p>\n

Technology enables us to expand access at scale, while our branches and teams provide the human connection and trust many customers still value. Our CSR initiatives also form part of this commitment. We actively support women, entrepreneurs, children and vulnerable communities because we believe financial institutions should contribute to the broader development of the societies they serve. Financial inclusion becomes meaningful when access translates into empowerment.\n<\/p>\n

What are the biggest challenges small businesses currently face in accessing finance, and how is Baobab responding?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Many small businesses remain constrained by limited financial records, insufficient collateral, informal structures and unpredictable cash flows. At the same time, higher operating costs have increased the need for working capital and liquidity.\n<\/p>\n

Our approach is to understand the real economics of the customer\u2019s business. We assess cash flows, repayment capacity, business activity and customer behaviour rather than relying exclusively on traditional collateral. Technology and data are increasingly helping us improve credit assessment, reduce turnaround times and serve customers more efficiently.\n<\/p>\n

Our objective is not simply to lend more; it is to finance well \u2014 the right amount, to the right customer, at the right time.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, what are your priorities for Baobab Microfinance Bank over the next three to five years, and what would success look like?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

Our ambition is to build Baobab into one of Nigeria\u2019s most relevant and trusted financial institutions for individuals and MSMEs. Our priorities are clear: sustainable growth, stronger digital capabilities, superior customer experience, deeper financial inclusion and a balanced proposition across Loans, Deposits and Transactional Banking.\n<\/p>\n

We will continue investing in our branch network, Jollof+, digital lending, payments, merchant solutions, cards, data and our people. But growth must remain responsible. We want to expand while maintaining strong portfolio quality, governance and financial discipline. For me, success will not be defined by size alone.\n<\/p>\n

It will be defined by the strength of our franchise, the trust of our customers and the measurable economic and social impact we create.\n<\/p>\n

\n

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Source: <\/p>\n

Businessday NG<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baobab Microfinance Bank has distinguished its brand by developing unique products tailored to the different categories of customers and MSMEs it serves. In this interview with BusinessDay, Eric Debout, Managing… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}