French telecoms firm Orange has partnered with BNP Paribas group to allow customers in Africa direct access between accounts via their mobile phones.

BNP Paribas is a French bank and financial services company with headquarters in Paris, and a global headquarter in London.

And according to a statement, customers will be able to access their BNP Paribas account and Orange Money account, and transfer money between bank and mobile accounts.

The service has already been made available in Ivory Coast and is planned to be extended to other countries in which BNP Paribas and Orange Money are present, the statement reads.

"Customers can transfer money to their Orange Money account directly from their BNP Paribas bank account, or vice versa, simply, quickly and securely," the statement noted.

The large network Orange Money distributors will supplement the network of BNP Paribas bank branches, offering a maximum number of cash withdrawal points to all customers, particularly in more remote areas.

“Orange Money and BNP Paribas are joining forces to deploy Orange Money services to banking customers in their common sales territories in Africa. BNP Paribas customers will thus benefit from Orange Money functionalities such as money transfers, bill payments, merchant payments and purchases of airtime credit. The synergies of our businesses will make it easier for customers to manage their money, wherever they are in the country and at any time of the day,” said Thierry Millet, director of the payments and contactless programme at Orange.

François Benaroya, retail director in the International Retail Banking branch of BNP Paribas added, “This agreement gives Orange Money customers access to new banking services (savings account, international bank card, etc) and gives BNP Paribas customers access to an extensive withdrawal/deposit network and the possibility of paying bills or buying telephone credit from their mobile phones.”

Orange Money currently has more than 10 million customers in 13 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Subscription to the Orange Money service is free of charge.