{"id":64672,"date":"2024-11-05T09:45:30","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T09:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas"},"modified":"2024-11-05T09:48:37","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T09:48:37","slug":"banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas","title":{"rendered":"Banks urged to expand footprints to rural areas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. <\/strong><\/span>Secretary to the Treasury Betchani Tchereni has called on financial institutions to prioritise expanding services reach to rural areas in contributing to the national financial inclusion agenda.<\/p>\n

Tchereni was speaking during the official opening of a new branch of Centenary Bank in Chikwawa on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cBanks must intensify their services by reaching out to the rural areas and the masses that are unbanked. Only by doing so can we ensure that economic opportunities are accessible to every Malawian, no matter where they live,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He underscored the essential role banks play in economic empowerment, noting that broadening banking services to rural regions is crucial for equitable growth.<\/p>\n

He noted that Malawi\u2019s rural communities are often underserved by traditional banking structures, leaving many without access to basic financial services such as savings accounts, loans and digital transactions.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that this lack of access hinders economic participation and resilience among rural households, making them vulnerable to financial shocks.<\/p>\n

Highlighting Centenary Bank\u2019s efforts, Tcheleni commended the institution for taking proactive steps to serve people in remote areas, aligning with the government\u2019s agenda for financial inclusion.<\/p>\n

Centenary Bank Managing Director Godfrey Byekwaso said opening of the branch marks a milestone in the bank\u2019s mission to provide financial inclusion to underserved communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to expanding our footprint to ensure that every Malawian can access the tools they need to build a secure financial future, bridging the gap in rural financial access,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that opening a branch in the Shire Valley is part of a broader strategy to support inclusive banking, with a focus on rural transformation.<\/p>\n

Byekwaso said the bank plans to offer tailored products and services that address the unique needs of rural clients, including smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of Malawi\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

This year, Centenary Bank opened two branches, one in Mchinji and another in Chikwawa, to ensure that the bank reaches the entire country.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Malawi Follow Africa-Press<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Malawi. Secretary to the Treasury Betchani Tchereni has called on financial institutions to prioritise expanding services reach to rural areas in contributing to the national financial inclusion agenda. Tchereni was speaking during the official opening of a new branch of Centenary Bank in Chikwawa on Saturday. \u201cBanks must intensify their services by reaching […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":64671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-64672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-malawi"],"yoast_head":"\nBanks urged to expand footprints to rural areas - Malawi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Secretary to the Treasury Betchani Tchereni has called on financial institutions to prioritise expanding services reach ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Banks urged to expand footprints to rural areas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Secretary to the Treasury Betchani Tchereni has called on financial institutions to prioritise expanding services reach ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Malawi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-05T09:45:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-05T09:48:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2024\/11\/sm_1730787496.049594.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1535\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"737\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Banks urged to expand footprints to rural areas\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-05T09:45:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-05T09:48:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas\"},\"wordCount\":346,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/malawi\/sites\/36\/2024\/11\/sm_1730787496.049594.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Malawi\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/malawi\/all-news\/banks-urged-to-expand-footprints-to-rural-areas\",\"name\":\"Banks urged to expand footprints to rural areas - 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