Following the acquisition of majority stake in Rwanda’s second largest bank, Atlas Mara Limited is ready to roll out a new brand and mobile banking app for Banque Populaire du Rwanda. According to John F Vitalo, the CEO of Atlas Mara, the new branding depicts the strength of the merger of Banque populaire du Rwanda (BPR) and Atlas Mara. “We are aiming to become a true leader in Rwandan financial services and bring value to our customers, employees and the broader communities we serve. Our stakeholders can look forward to a better and stronger business that is focused on performance and innovation,’ said Vitalo. The branding, that will be introduced across the BPR network in Rwanda, has a new design that incorporates the Atlas Mara logo with illustrations to communicate extensive local insights and unrivalled global expertise. “We believe the proposed branding is a balanced representation of the heritage and history of BPR,as well as thepotential and promise that Atlas Mara brings to both BPR and its customers. It provides familiarity, reassurance and stability, while creating confidence, excitement and optimism regarding the future of the group,” said Sanjeev Anand, Chief Executive Officer of BPR. Meanwhile, the mobile app is expected to give users the ability to transact, monitor and effectively manage their finances in graphical representations with implications of better financial health. “Users will also be able to apply, receive approval and disburse loans based on alternative behavioral data points such as age on network, calls/texts history, phone recharge patterns and social media usage, among others. I am very excited that our first major digital launch is of such a ground-breaking product for Africa,” added Vitalo. Atlas Mara acquired two banks in Rwanda which are currently in an advanced stages of operational integration. In 2014, it acquired the commercial banking operations of the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD Commercial) and recently completed its acquisition of a majority stake in Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR) also known as the peoples bank. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
