Universal Merchant Bank (UMB) is transforming the way entrepreneurs access business registration and compliance services in Ghana following a new partnership with the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC).
The initiative is bringing selected ORC services directly to UMB branches, creating a more convenient channel for entrepreneurs and business owners who need to register their businesses, update records, renew registrations and undertake other related transactions.
The partnership is expected to strengthen efforts to formalise businesses across Ghana while reducing some of the practical difficulties entrepreneurs face when accessing public services.
UMB Takes ORC Services to Its Branches
The partnership follows a Memorandum of Understanding between UMB and the ORC to establish service desks at selected UMB branches.
UMB’s Branch Network Head for Greater Accra, Victoria Esinam Attipoe, said convenience is at the heart of the initiative.
She explained that the bank wants customers to access relevant government business services through its existing branch network rather than having to visit an ORC office for every transaction.
“The UMB-ORC partnership programme is actually to support government business and also help customers, or to bring convenience to customers.”
According to her, the initiative is designed to make government services more accessible to ordinary Ghanaians while strengthening the relationship between the private sector and public institutions.
“Come through our doors; we would support you with the same service you would find at the ORC through our branches,” she explained.
Three UMB Branches Lead the Rollout
The first phase of the programme covers three UMB branches: Kasoa, Tema Main and Labone.
The Kasoa branch became the first location to offer ORC services, with the rollout beginning on July 27. Customers at the branch can access services including new business registration, updating business records and other related transactions.
The Tema Main branch commenced the service on Monday, August 17, while the Labone branch is expected to be the next location to join the programme.
The initial rollout represents an important step in expanding access to business registration services beyond traditional government offices.
UMB has indicated that the arrangement could eventually extend to additional branches, potentially giving more entrepreneurs across the country access to ORC services through locations they already use for their banking needs.
Entrepreneurs Get a Major Convenience Boost
For many entrepreneurs, particularly owners of small businesses, the process of registering and maintaining a business can represent an additional administrative burden.
By bringing ORC services into banking branches, UMB is seeking to remove some of those barriers.
Ms Attipoe said customers will no longer have to make separate trips to access services that can now be obtained through participating UMB branches.
“We are bringing the service to their doorsteps so that any time customers want to do business registrations or renewals or anything related to the ORC, they can just walk through our branches and have those services done.”
The initiative could be particularly significant for entrepreneurs operating in areas surrounding Kasoa and communities along the western corridor.
New Push to Formalise Ghanaian Businesses
Beyond convenience, the partnership carries a broader economic significance because of the large number of businesses operating informally in Ghana.
Business formalisation can provide entrepreneurs with a recognised business identity and create a stronger foundation for maintaining statutory compliance, accessing formal financial services and pursuing opportunities that require proof of registration.
Ms Attipoe said the initiative is intended to make formalisation more accessible to ordinary Ghanaians.
“It offers the ordinary Ghanaians [the opportunity] to formalise their businesses,” she said.
For small and emerging enterprises, easier access to registration services could encourage more business owners to transition from informal operations into recognised business entities.
This could also strengthen the country’s formal business base and improve the ability of entrepreneurs to interact with financial institutions, government agencies and other commercial partners.
UMB Positions Itself as a Partner to Government
The initiative also demonstrates UMB’s intention to play a wider role in supporting government-related business services.
“We want to position ourselves as a bank that supports government business as well as our customers,” Ms Attipoe said.
UMB already operates a nationwide network of branches and has dedicated UMB Centres for Businesses in Accra, Kumasi and Kasoa.
By using this physical network to facilitate selected public services, the bank is expanding the role of its branches beyond conventional banking transactions.
For the ORC, the partnership provides another channel through which its services can reach entrepreneurs without relying exclusively on its own offices.
UMB Adds Estate Planning to Customer Services
The discussions surrounding the partnership also highlighted another service available to UMB customers, Legacy Care Plus.
The online will-writing and estate-planning service allows customers to begin the process digitally through the UMB SpeedApp or the bank’s website.
Customers complete an online form and book an appointment, after which UMB’s legal experts contact them and provide guidance throughout the process of preparing and finalising their will.
“Just go there, you fill a form and then you will book an appointment,” UMB’s Head of Corporate Communication, Edem Knight-Tay, explained.
The additional service reflects UMB’s broader strategy of providing customers with services that go beyond traditional financial transactions.
Partnership Could Reshape Business Access
The UMB-ORC partnership comes at a time when easier access to public and business services is increasingly important for Ghanaian entrepreneurs.
With the first three branches serving as the foundation, the programme could eventually create a wider network of convenient access points for business registration and compliance services.
If expanded successfully, UMB branches could become important hubs connecting entrepreneurs with government processes while helping more businesses establish formal identities.
For Ghana’s small business community, the message is increasingly clear: registering and maintaining a business may soon become significantly easier, with essential ORC services moving closer to where entrepreneurs already conduct their everyday financial activities.
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