Designing Interoperable Agent Banking Business Model for ARB Apex Bank in Ghana

Between November 2020 and May 2021, as part of the World Bank’s Financial Sector Development Project in Ghana, AFC Agriculture and Finance Consultants GmbH (AFC) assisted ARB Apex Bank (ARB) in its agency banking initiative.

The Rural Community Banks (RCBs) are the main providers of formal financial services to the low-income un- or under-banked population segment of the economy living in the rural communities of Ghana, which, most often, lack reliable technology infrastructure like telecommunication and internet connectivity.

AFC was tasked to design an effective distribution channel for financial services that would reach underserved rural communities on a shared interoperable agency banking platform. The outcome sought to further promote the cash-light culture at each single agent location across the RCBs network.