Wahda Bank Puts Retail and Business Banking on One Backbase Platform
The Libyan lender will launch business banking on the shared system in 2027, with retail services following, as the central bank pushes electronic payments.
Wahda Bank is consolidating its digital banking services onto a single platform built with Backbase, part of a broader effort to expand online banking in Libya.
The bank, one of the country's largest, will introduce business banking on the platform in 2027. Retail banking will follow on the same system. Business customers will be able to open accounts online and handle payroll, bills and invoices from one app.
The platform is Arabic-first and also supports English. Branch and contact centre staff will use a shared workspace to handle customer requests. The system will connect to Wahda Bank's existing core banking system and to Libya's instant payment infrastructure.
Backbase is supplying prebuilt banking features. Wahda Bank's own engineers can develop additional services using software development kits.
Rami Benissa, the bank's chief executive, said Wahda Bank has been a major contributor to Libya's economic growth and has been at the forefront of digital transformation in the country. He called the Backbase partnership the next step on that path, and said it would give business and retail customers Arabic-first digital banking on a platform the bank's engineers will keep extending.
Libya's central bank has been pressing for wider use of electronic payments, which raises expectations for what lenders can offer outside the branch. Building business services first, then layering retail on top, lets the bank test the plumbing on corporate clients before the larger consumer base arrives.
