Equity Bank’s new identity will drive growth, says Kirubi

Bank of Uganda executive director in charge of supervision Tumubweine Twinemanzi (left) unveils the new logo of Equity Bank. PHOTOS/MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI

Why did Equity Bank rebrand?

Since our entry into Uganda in 2008, we have been driven by a singular mission: To champion the socio-economic transformation of our people and the communities they live in. Bolstered by a spirit of partnership, we continue to witness stories by our customers about their impactful transformation. 

Our journey has been marked by evolution of our customers’ needs and change in operating environment. Our business model has also evolved to reflect the changing environment and to respond to our customers. 

We continued with our culture of self-disruption and innovation to bring modern ways of serving customers through physical and digital channels as well as third party infrastructure such as agency banking and merchant networks.

With this evolution, Equity business model and service delivery became technology led. We needed to reflect this change in our brand identity and hence the rebrand strategy. 

Has Equity changed its philosophical beliefs?
No. The essence of why we exist remains the same; transforming lives, giving dignity and expanding opportunities for wealth creation. Our vision remains the same: To champion the socio-economic prosperity of the people of Africa.

 Our mission remains the same: We offer integrated financial services that socially and economically empower consumers, businesses and communities. Our values depicted in Professionalism, Integrity, Creativity and innovation, Teamwork, Unity of purpose, Respect and dignity for customers, Effective corporate governance (PICTURE) remain the same.

What does the new logo mean?
The new logo preserves the essence of our brand, retaining the best from the past while introducing the best of the future - that of a dynamic, forward looking Group with an aspiration to have impact across the globe. It is bold, simple, memorable, versatile and timeless.
The logo features “Equity” without entity name such as bank, Insurance, Investment Bank or any other of our subsidiaries. Going forward, Equity will now present itself to the world as a unified brand, with one basket of products and services under one roof ranging from banking, insurance and investment from a service delivery perspective. This new approach is inspired by the need to give our customers a one-stop-shop experience of our services that are packaged to reflect the totality of our customers’ lifestyle.

What should customers expect from this change?
Our customers will start to see significant improvements being made in terms of products, solutions and technology. They will have access to a one-stop shop for the full-range of financial services offered by the Group that are tailored to their needs. In addition, our customers no longer have to move from one service point to another, or one company to another as they seek services at our physical, digital or alternative channels.  Any outlet that carries the logo Equity means that a customer can get any of our services be they banking, insurance, or investment and advisory services.

What happens to the branches and signage across the country?
They will be changed accordingly to reflect the new look. A team has already been put in place to execute a 24-month project to replace office, branch and way finding signage country-wide. At the same time, work of rolling the brand in all our other geographical markets across Africa will start. Our customers in those markets will start interacting with the new brand from our digital banking platforms and eventually in our physical outlets in those markets.

Will the new look be replicated in all the subsidiaries?
All subsidiaries will also undergo the rebrand process in phases to present a consistent brand across the region. Kenya and South Sudan have successfully launched the new look in their respective markets and Equity becomes the third subsidiary to do so.

Have Equity’s products and services changed?
The products and services remain available as before. But we are constantly making improvements to our services to make them simpler to understand and relevant to the evolving needs and aspirations of our customers. These improvements will be rolled out progressively in the coming months.