Wema Bank Reinvents Digital Banking with ALAT Voice, Tap-and-Pay and Smart Uptime Tech
Nigeria’s digital banking race has entered a new phase — one defined not just by speed, but by intelligence, reliability and human-centred design.
Wema Bank has unveiled a major upgrade of its flagship digital platform, ALAT by Wema, introducing voice-enabled banking, contactless payments and predictive uptime technology in what it describes as a decisive leap in Africa’s fintech evolution.
The upgrade, branded “ALAT: The Evolution,” marks one of the most ambitious product refreshes yet by a Nigerian bank, repositioning digital banking from a transactional utility into an adaptive, intuitive and always-on financial companion.
From Digital Access to Digital Intelligence
Since launching ALAT in 2017 as Africa’s first fully digital bank, Wema Bank has consistently positioned itself ahead of the innovation curve. But this latest upgrade signals a strategic shift: from convenience to cognition.
At the heart of the new platform is SAW (Speak-A-Wish) — a voice banking feature that allows customers to perform transactions using natural voice commands. From transfers and balance checks to bill payments, customers can now interact with their bank hands-free, removing friction for users across different literacy levels, physical abilities and environments.
In parallel, the bank has introduced “Tap and Pay”, enabling secure, contactless payments that align with global trends in mobile wallets and near-field communication (NFC) technology — a crucial move as Nigeria’s cashless economy matures.
Perhaps the most strategic addition, however, is uptime prediction technology — a rare innovation in African banking. By giving customers visibility into service availability and system reliability, Wema Bank is directly tackling one of digital banking’s biggest trust deficits: downtime uncertainty.
Why This Matters for Nigeria’s Fintech Ecosystem
Nigeria’s digital banking market has become intensely competitive, with fintech startups and traditional banks battling for wallet share. But while many platforms focus on features, Wema Bank is addressing experience integrity — how customers feel about using their bank.
Voice banking improves financial inclusion, especially for users who struggle with complex interfaces. Contactless payments reduce transaction time and enhance everyday usability. Predictive uptime builds confidence, transparency and trust — a critical differentiator in a market where service interruptions often trigger customer churn.
Together, these upgrades position ALAT not just as a digital bank, but as a fintech operating system built for scale, resilience and behavioural insight.
Leadership Perspective: Redefining Banking, Not Just Updating an App
Announcing the upgrade, Mr Moruf Oseni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Wema Bank, described the transformation as a deliberate rethinking of what digital banking should deliver.
“By understanding the future of banking and listening closely to our customers, we have upgraded ALAT by Wema into a digital platform that is smart, intelligent and dependable. ‘ALAT: The Evolution’ is more than an upgrade — it is a clear demonstration of our commitment to redefining digital banking in Africa,” Oseni said.
He noted that the refreshed platform reflects the bank’s broader mission to design financial solutions that enhance how customers live, work and transact daily, rather than simply digitising old banking habits.
Built for Seamless Migration and Scale
Existing ALAT users can migrate effortlessly by updating the app via the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, with all account details and transaction histories preserved. New users can complete onboarding entirely within the app — reinforcing ALAT’s original promise of zero-branch, zero-paper banking.
According to Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, Chief Digital Officer, Wema Bank, the upgrade goes beyond surface functionality.
“This evolution is about delivering intelligence, not just features. By integrating voice banking, contactless payments and predictive reliability, we are building a platform that responds intuitively to customer needs and remains consistently available,” Adeniyi said.
BRANDECONOMY Insight: A Blueprint for African Digital Banking
Wema Bank’s latest move highlights a deeper truth about fintech maturity in Africa: the next phase of competition will be won on reliability, empathy and foresight — not just innovation headlines.
By embedding intelligence into infrastructure and designing for real-world behaviour, Wema Bank is quietly setting a new benchmark for what digital banking in Africa should look like in the next decade.
In an era where fintech trust is as valuable as fintech speed, ALAT: The Evolution may well become a case study in how legacy banks out-innovate challengers — not by copying startups, but by out-thinking them.
