Till numbers have been popularized by M-PESA, and have gone a long way in ensuring that customers can pay for goods and services easily.
Lender Equity Bank has launched the same service, but it is calling it One Equity Till Number.
The product is different from what M-PESA offers in that it has an interoperability feature. This means that merchants can receive payments from multiple payment channels or mobile wallets through a single till number.
Specifically, merchants can receive payments from customers using M-PESA, Airtel Money, PesaLink, Equitel, and Equity Mobile using One Equity Till Number without having to subscribe for multiple Paybill/Till numbers for their businesses.
Effectively, the development brings convenience to merchants: they can collect all their payments directly into their bank account without having to do several transfers from mobile wallets to bank account since there is no limit to the amount of money a merchant can receive. Moreover, the merchant can access the money instantly at no charge.
At the same time, the centralized collection account will in turn improve their credit score thus enabling merchants to access higher credit facilities from the bank to enable them to expand their businesses.
The product will support micro, small, and medium enterprises around the country to conduct their business conveniently.
Furthermore, businesses will now be able to get the most out of their activities by devoting their time to their clients as the Equity solution simplifies their operational needs from a payment standpoint.
Benefits
Merchants or businesses will enjoy benefits from the service as it provides instant onboarding and ease of reconciliation.
The service will offer freedom and convenience to customers who will now have a simple and instant payment solution irrespective of the mobile payment channel used.
Lastly, One Equity Till Number will also include QR code payments for customers wishing to scan-to-pay from their payment channels including Equity Mobile App, M-VISA, Masterpass QR, and UnionPay.
