Quickteller agents expand to 25,000

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Interswitch Uganda says its Quickteller agent network now exceeds 25,000 outlets across five regions, a scale-up driven by territorial expansion, tighter liquidity management and a new push into agency banking that has lifted active agents by more than 50% in just two months.

Interswitch entered Uganda in 2010 and built a domestic switch, an infrastructure that allows interoperability between banks. The infrastructure enables a customer with a debit card from one bank to withdraw cash at another bank’s ATM because Interswitch sits in the middle, routing and settling transactions.

“A customer can walk out of their house and find a Quickteller agent, buy airtime, deposit on mobile money or withdraw. As we scale, fraudsters keep thinking. We do not want our agents to lose money,” Moris Seguya, the Interswitch country general manager, said.

Country General Manager Interswitch Moris Seguya. (Photo by Titus Kakembo)

“Within just two months, the number of agents facilitating agency banking transactions grew by over 50%. The number of bank customers visiting our channel has grown by 35% over the period.”

He was speaking to New Vision on the sidelines of the launch of the Jaguza Ne Quickteller campaign at Protea Hotel in Kampala last week. The event was a celebration of the more than 25,000 agents spread across towns, trading centres and rural communities.

“Our agents are the heartbeat of Quickteller. Their resilience, consistency, and commitment are why digital payments continue to grow across Uganda. You have built trust at the grassroots and brought financial services closer to the people,” Seguya said.

In July last year, Interswitch announced its collaboration with Centenary Bank to enhance convenience and accessibility for its customers.

Quickteller, launched in 2016 as an agency network, extended that plumbing into neighbourhood shops. Interswitch aggregates third-party services, bill payments, mobile money deposits and withdrawals, airtime, and pushes them through local agents.

Arua-based agent Joyce Monday, who won a motorcycle valued at sh8 million, said: “This reward has encouraged me to double my effort and serve my clients even better.”

Lilian Kusemererwa from Kawempe Division said she nearly closed her electronics and household essentials shop before incorporating Quickteller services into her business model.

“The transactions keep increasing by the day. Clients pay their utility bills, school fees and make deposits through my shop. It has brought steady traffic and additional income,” she said.