For many Nigerians who save with traditional financial products, the tradeoff has always been rigid: lock your money away and earn interest, or keep it accessible and earn little to nothing. Moniepoint Microfinance Bank is betting that closing that gap, rather than simply offering another savings account, is what will actually move the needle on savings culture, and they’re using Nollywood star Funke Akindele to help make that case.
The bank’s new campaign, tagged “One Step Ahead,” pairs the actress and filmmaker with an expanded range of savings products built specifically around flexibility. According to Managing Director Babatunde Olofin, that emphasis wasn’t incidental. “These innovative savings solutions were developed specifically to ease customer pain points,” he said. “Our ecosystem gives everyone the flexibility to grow their money and access it whenever they need it, combined with some of the best rates in the market, an offering that is truly unique.”
The product lineup reflects that logic directly. Target Savings allows customers to withdraw up to 50 percent of their balance once without forfeiting interest, a meaningful departure from products that penalize any early withdrawal. Flexible Savings goes further, permitting up to four withdrawals a month without losing accrued interest. Fixed Deposit, aimed at customers comfortable locking funds away for a defined period, offers interest paid upfront at rates as high as 17.5 percent per annum. Rounding out the range is Save As You Transact, which lets customers build savings passively as they spend, while keeping unrestricted access to whatever they’ve saved.
Together, the four products are designed to meet savers at different points on the flexibility spectrum, rather than forcing everyone into a single structure that may not fit their actual financial behavior.
The choice of Akindele as the face of the campaign leans on more than general celebrity appeal. Moniepoint specifically pointed to her Jenifa brand, one of Nollywood’s most recognizable and enduring franchises, as a vehicle for reaching everyday Nigerians and encouraging a stronger, more consistent savings habit. Whether that cultural reach translates into actual account growth will likely be the real test of the partnership in the months ahead.
