e-zwich is the brand name for the National Switch and Smart card payment system. The e-zwich payment system is an innovative method for improving accessibility to banking and retail services in Ghana. The e-zwich system offers Deposit taking financial institutions (i.e. Universal banks, Rural banks and Savings and Loans) a platform that enables them to interoperate.
This therefore, enables e-zwich cardholders to perform banking and retail transactions at the outlets of other e-zwich financial institutions.
As an e-zwich cardholder, you have available to you a large group of banks and their branches where your e-zwich transactions can be performed. It is therefore no more necessary to commute to a specific bank just to do banking transactions. The e-zwich smart-card is currently the only card in Ghana that provides the convenience of nationwide access as well as greater control over transactions for cardholders, retail merchants and other corporate users.
e-zwich Features
Transaction
The e-zwich POS supports both online and offline transactions. This dual capability ensures that e-zwich services can be accessed in all parts of the country whether or not the area has good communications network.
Transactions such as Cash Deposit, Cash withdrawal and Sale are completed offline and consequently could be successfully completed in the remotest part of the country without regard to the efficiency of the telecommunication infrastructure.
Security
e-zwich cardholders benefits from the highest security standards through the biometric (fingerprint) client authentication system. As a requirement, all fingers of a cardholder are scanned during enrolment and the templates stored on the client card.
When performing any transaction, the e-zwich device (ATM or POS), will demand the verification of the cardholder by comparing the fingerprint presented on the device scanner to any of those stored on the card. By implication, a stolen or lost card cannot be used by anyone except the owner. Any transaction that results in the movement of funds off an e-zwich card requires the biometric verification of the cardholder before the transaction can be successfully completed.
Interoperability
A key difference between the e-zwich card and other electronic payment instruments is the fact that e-zwich can be accessed more widely that most. Currently, all the major banks, rural banks and savings and loans companies offer services to all e-zwich cardholders regardless of the bank that issued the card.
Retail and corporate merchants are also able to offer e-zwich services to all e-zwich cardholders. As e-zwich cardholders, you therefore can leverage on the branch network of all participating financial institutions for all e-zwich transactions as if they were outlets of your bank without any complications.