Housing Finance Expands Agent Banking Through Interswitch Partnership

What the report says

Housing Finance Bank (HFB) has teamed up with Interswitch to widen its agent banking services across Uganda, giving customers access to cash deposits, withdrawals and balance checks through more than 23,000 Quickteller agent outlets. The announcement was made on November 4 and is aimed at reducing the need for customers to visit physical branches for routine transactions.

According to Nile Post, the service will be available through Quickteller agents in urban areas, peri-urban communities and rural trading centres, with longer operating hours than many bank branches. HFB said the move is part of its effort to extend banking beyond its branch network and make services easier to reach where customers live and work.

The bank’s chief operations officer, Robert K Mugabe, said the partnership was intended to improve customer convenience and strengthen alternative banking channels. Interswitch Uganda’s country general manager, Moris Seguya, said the arrangement would also create new business for agents while helping expand access to financial services.

Nile Post reported that the partnership is expected to support deposit mobilisation and encourage greater use of HFB debit cards. For customers, deposits will require account details at the agent point of sale, while withdrawals and balance inquiries will be done using the bank’s debit card and PIN. More broadly, the deal reflects a wider push by banks in Uganda to use agency networks to bring formal financial services closer to communities.