***UBA Plc has launched “Advance Top-Up” on its *919# USSD platform, allowing customers to instantly borrow airtime and data, enhancing financial inclusion and ensuring uninterrupted connectivity***

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a significant move to deepen digital financial inclusion and enhance customer experience, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has introduced a new feature to its *919# USSD banking platform called “Advance Top-Up.”

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This innovative service enables customers to instantly access airtime and data, even when they have run out of credit or are offline.

The “Advance Top-Up” feature, recently unveiled at the bank’s head office in Lagos, empowers users to conveniently borrow airtime or data directly from their mobile devices.

This aims to eliminate disruptions in connectivity and ease communication barriers, ensuring customers can stay connected at all times.

Shamsideen Fashola, UBA’s Group Head, Retail and Digital Banking, described the new feature as a timely addition to the bank’s growing suite of digital offerings, underscoring UBA’s “customer-first approach.”

“At UBA, we are constantly looking for ways to make banking and everyday services more accessible for our customers.

With the launch of Advance Top-Up on our USSD platform, *919#, we are giving our customers the power to stay connected without interruption, regardless of time, location, or airtime balance,” Fashola stated during the official launch.

The “Advance Top-Up” service is now live on *919# and complements an existing wide range of services available on the platform.

At UBA, we are constantly looking for ways to make banking and everyday services more accessible for our customers. With the launch of Advance Top-Up on our USSD platform, *919#, we are giving our customers the power to stay connected without interruption, regardless of time, location, or airtime balance.

These include airtime and data purchases, money transfers to UBA and other banks, account balance checks, card blocking and freezing, online transaction controls, and bill payments.

Fashola highlighted the simplicity and convenience of the solution: “You don’t need to download an app or visit a data centre. Just dial *919#, follow the prompt, and you’re immediately connected. It’s simple, fast, and reliable.”

Alero Ladipo, the Bank’s Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, added that the feature was developed directly in response to customer feedback and their evolving needs.

“Our users asked for a way to stay connected when they have no airtime, and as always, we have come up with a quick solution, right there on their phones, instantly, with no fuss, and no need for internet connectivity.

Whether for emergency communications or business continuity, *919# puts instant connectivity in every customer’s hands,” she explained.

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Ladipo also noted that this launch follows other recent innovations by UBA, including the newly improved Point of Sale (POS) Terminal and the UBA MONI App, both designed to redefine the digital payment landscape and empower Small and Medium Scale Enterprises across Africa.