Equity Bank Uganda Wins Diaspora Banking Awards at Pan-African Gala

Equity Bank Uganda won three awards for diaspora banking and cross-border remittance services at the AIDO Network Pan-African Impact Awards held during Africa Liberation Week celebrations in Kampala, the lender said.

The awards ceremony took place on May 23 at Speke Resort Munyonyo, where the bank was recognised in the categories of Best Diaspora Bank in Cross-Border Remittances, Diaspora Banking Solutions and Diaspora Investment, as well as Best Bank for Diaspora Investments.

The recognition follows a partnership between Equity Bank Uganda and the AIDO Network, a Pan-African organisation representing more than 70,000 members globally and focused on historical justice, repatriation and socioeconomic reintegration for Africans in the diaspora.

“Over the last few months, a massive amount of work has gone into this, culminating in over 70,000 members of the global African diaspora casting their votes online. Equity Bank consistently stood out at the absolute front as the favourite diaspora bank for global Africa,” said Paul Jones Eganda .

Winfred Warui said the awards reflect the bank’s investment in products targeting Ugandans and Africans living abroad.

The bank said it has increasingly positioned diaspora banking beyond remittances for household consumption, focusing instead on investment and wealth creation products. These include fixed deposit accounts, savings products and access to government securities such as treasury bills and treasury bonds.

One of the products highlighted by the lender is Equity Release, which allows diaspora clients to access up to 70% of the appraised value of their Ugandan properties as financing for investments including real estate and business expansion.

“We want to ensure that when our diaspora community returns home, they don’t come back to empty bank accounts. They should return to solid investments, ready homes and commercial footprints,” said Warui, Senior Manager International Banking and Cross-Border Payments at Equity Bank Uganda.

The bank also said it has expanded its digital banking services to allow customers abroad to monitor projects, pay suppliers and manage businesses remotely without relying on intermediaries.

Its Visa-enabled banking platform also allows customers to access Ugandan funds internationally, while small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in cross-border trade can repatriate profits through the bank’s business services platform.

Equity Bank Uganda said it operates a dedicated diaspora relationship management unit supported by a 24-hour contact centre to serve customers across different time zones, particularly in Europe and the Americas.

The lender said its diaspora banking services and outreach efforts have reached nearly one million people globally, out of an estimated three million Ugandans living abroad.

The bank added that it plans to expand its diaspora market presence through international outreach campaigns, diplomatic engagements and referral-based growth initiatives.

Remittances remain a major source of foreign exchange and household income across East Africa, with banks increasingly competing to provide digital financial services tailored to diaspora communities