French telecoms firm Orange has partnered with Ecobank to roll-out a service that will allow both their customers to transfer money between their respective accounts.

Ecobank is an independent pan-African banking group with presence in 36 African countries.

A statement reveals that Orange Money subscribers who have bank accounts with Ecobank will be able to use their mobile phones to securely transfer money at any time.

The service has already been launched in Mali and will be rolled-out in several other African countries, including Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea Conakry, Niger, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, during the first half of 2015.

The partnership aims to facilitate money transfers for both Ecobank and Orange customers by offering them the possibility of topping up their Orange Money e-wallet from their bank account and vice versa, reads the statement.

Laurent Paillassot, deputy chief executive officer of Orange in charge of customer experience and mobile banking said, “This partnership between Orange and Ecobank will further enrich customer experience. By facilitating exchanges between Ecobank and Orange Money accounts, our customers will be able to conduct financial transactions quickly and in complete security, bringing them the best of both worlds. We want to offer this service wherever it makes sense.”

Ecobank’s group executive in charge of domestic banking, Patrick Akinwuntan said, “This roll-out further demonstrates Ecobank’s commitment to make branchless banking a reality by activating multiple service channels in every country in which we operate. Our unique pan-African footprint also enables us to be at the forefront of efforts to develop the market for cross-border mobile financial services in Africa.”