The Zest payment platform launched two days ago at the Eko Hotel in Lagos by Zest Payments Limited, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings is orchestrated on four major design strategic principles.
The four strategic principles, according to Stanley Jacob, Chief Executive Officer of Zest are Multi-Rail Platform Strategy, Human-Centered Design, Business growth powered by e-Commerce and Operational Excellence.
He explained that on the multi-rail platform strategy, Zest believes that businesses should be able
to collect payment in any form that the customer wants to pay. “What we have done at Zest is to ensure that we enable consumers and businesses to be able to meet on card rails, on account-based payments, quick response (QR) code, USSD and other forms of payments; both contact and contactless,” he said.
Also, on human-centered design, Zest has built a seamless experience for businesses at every stage of their engagement from the point of onboarding, the system ensures that within three minutes, you are onboarded on our platform.
On business growth powered by e-commerce, Zest wants businesses to be able to sell online, whether they have a website or not, especially for mnicro, small or medium enterprises. “At Zest, we have built a robust e-commerce marketplace and storefront where businesses can showcase their products and services for FREE. On these platforms, they can display their products, share this to their social media handle and process payments end-to-end digitally,” he added.
On operational excellence, Zest is a part of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC with significant achievements. “For us to continue to maintain this, we will uphold operational excellence, maintain regulatory compliance and operate at the highest standards of integrity,” Stanley assured.
Zest started commercial operations in May 2023, functioning primarily as a Payment Service Provider, having received all the relevant regulatory approvals to commence operations. This event themed Universe 1.0 marks the introduction of the brand to the public.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Mr. Basil Omiyi CON, in his opening remarks, noted that Zest was set to execute a solution-driven, platform orchestration strategy that will serve consumers, businesses, application developers, and other financial services providers.
Also delivering the keynote address, Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Dr Demola Sogunle, affirmed that Zest as the group fintech subsidiary, would be the epicenter of solutions delivery, new partnerships, and better experiences in the area of payments and customized solutions delivery.
The hybrid event focused on unveiling the Zest brand, showcasing its identity and culture through various touchpoints. The highlight of the event was a commerce experience where guests and shoppers had first-hand experience of the e-commerce platforms.