Traditional banking is mostly great but also rough. There are certain important features and services that you think they would offer (without stress) by now but don’t, leaving their customers to keep wishing for things to change. We spoke to 5 Nigerians about the features they wish their banks had and this is what they had to say.
Tony, 29
I wish my bank gave out loans. Well, they do. But what I really wish is that the process was straightforward. There have been times when I’ve considered applying for one but when I saw what others went through, I changed my mind. Getting a loan at my bank is so stressful and time-consuming that by the time the loan is approved, you’d have aged a few years or probably have died. It’s actually wild that they make people applying for loans jump through so many hoops. The worst is when they string you on for so long and then tell you a big fat “no” after getting your hopes up.
Henrietta, 34
I wish my bank made it easy to apply for cards. Cards of any kind. Here’s how the process currently goes at my bank: You apply, they tell you that it’s instant and that you should wait a bit. You end up waiting for hours because of “network problems.” When you can’t take it anymore, they tell you to come back in a week, promising you that it’ll be ready by then. But that promise is a lie because you show up a week later and still end up waiting a few more hours before getting the card. That’s if they don’t tell you to come back another day. Whenever my card is expiring, my chest starts doing gbim gbim because of the impending stress. I hate it so much.
Chika, 25
Free transfers! Omo, transfer fees stress me out. I don’t have plenty of money in my account in the first place so the fact that when I transfer I get charged makes me scream every time it happens. It’s unavoidable for me too because I’m responsible for my 5 siblings’ upkeep so when salary enters, I immediately start transferring all over the place.
Babalola, 40
I wish my bank had a savings plan with a useful percentage interest rate. You can keep N500,000 in a savings account in my bank for a year and come back to meet N498,000 because they keep deducting small amounts of money at random times for nameless fees. The so-called interest you get from saving with them for so long will mean nothing because they’ll take it (in the form of fees) as soon as they put it in. It’s robbery of some kind and someone really needs to do something about it.
Gladys, 23
It would really improve the quality of my life if my bank had a system that helped people pay for stuff slowly. Like, if I want to buy a laptop now, I can get it and start using it, but pay in small bits until I complete the payment. I just graduated from uni and buying certain things is a struggle because my entry-level job doesn’t pay a lot. That’s all I can think of now sha. Wait! I also wish they offered loans without collateral. I could use a loan right now but can’t apply for one because I don’t own anything to offer as collateral. Lmao.
Do you know what bank has all these features and more? Carbon Bank.
Carbon is now a full-on digital bank that offers all the services traditional banks offer but without the stress and time-wasting. The services Carbon Bank offers include but are not limited to:
- 30 free transfers a month
- Monthly interests on account balance
- Doorstep delivery of debit cards
- Collateral-free loans and cashback on interest
- Buy now, pay later at 0% interest
- Up to 15.5% on savings
Download the Carbon Bank app for Android or iOS and open an account in minutes. Already have a Carbon Bank account? Apply for a debit card to enjoy the full Carbon Bank experience.
