Access Bank Partners with Aktivate on SME Creator Ads

In Short

• Access Bank is partnering with a creator commerce platform to make influencer marketing cheaper for its SME customers.
• Eligible SMEs get 67% off creator campaigns and can start a campaign for ₦5,000.
• The offer includes access to a pool of 50,000+ verified creators.

What Happened

Access Bank has partnered with Aktivate to offer discounted creator-led marketing for SMEs in Nigeria. Access Bank said the deal is aimed at helping small businesses increase product visibility, reach new audiences, and acquire customers.

Creator-led marketing is when brands pay creators, often influencers on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, to promote products in their own content. For many SMEs, the challenge is cost and trust, since it is hard to know which creators are real and which audiences convert.

Under the partnership, eligible Access Bank SME customers get 67% off Aktivate’s creator campaign offering. They can access more than 50,000 verified creators for ₦5,000. “Verified” here means the platform has checked the creator profiles to reduce fake accounts and inflated follower counts.

The arrangement also expands Aktivate’s creator commerce footprint in Nigeria by pushing its offering through a large bank’s SME customer base.

Why It Matters

Banks in Nigeria are competing more aggressively for SME relationships, not just deposits and loans. Bundling business services like marketing support gives banks another way to keep customers active and reduce churn.

For SMEs, the discount lowers the barrier to testing influencer marketing. A ₦5,000 entry point makes it easier to run small experiments, measure results, and repeat what works.

For the creator economy, partnerships like this can formalise brand deals. More campaigns flowing through platforms can improve pricing transparency and give creators steadier access to paid work.