Attijariwafa Bank Launches Morocco’s First Full-Scale Neobank

Attijariwafa Bank’s launch of “Simple” marks a decisive shift in Morocco’s banking landscape, replacing its L’bankalik platform that had already surpassed 1 million users and reached profitability, as the country’s largest lender rolls out a four-tier, subscription-based neobank ranging from free accounts to premium services priced up to MAD 159 ($15.90) per month, in a bid to deepen digital penetration across a market where cash remains dominant, while extending its reach beyond young first-time users to families, merchants, and diaspora clients through a super-app model integrating payments, credit, savings, and travel services across more than 7,000 physical access points nationwide.

Attijariwafa Bank has launched “Simple,” a fully mobile neobank in Morocco that the lender says marks the first large-scale digital banking platform introduced by a traditional banking group in the country.

The platform replaces the group’s L’bankalik digital banking arm, which had built a client base of more than one million users and reached profitability amid a surge in digital adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new service operates as a subscription-based mobile banking app structured across four tiers, ranging from a free entry-level account to a premium metal card offering.

Simple Go provides a free Mastercard Standard with basic digital services, including Apple Pay and Google Pay integration and free virtual cards for online payments. Simple Plus costs 19 Moroccan dirhams ($1.90) per month and includes a Gold card, higher transaction limits and three free monthly operations.

Simple Prime is priced at 59 dirhams ($5.90) per month and includes a dedicated adviser, a World card and unlimited transactions, while Simple Metal costs 159 dirhams ($15.90) per month and offers a Visa Infinite metal card, airport lounge access, fast-track services and concierge support.

The bank said the transition from L’bankalik to Simple reflects a broader strategic shift from targeting primarily young first-time users to a wider customer base, including families, merchants, diaspora clients and premium segments.

“Keep your main bank and test Simple as a secondary bank,” the group’s leadership told journalists, describing an approach aimed at attracting already-banked customers.

“We have redefined client experience standards, because the smartphone has become the natural entry point of the day,” said Ghyzlaine Alami Marrouni, executive director overseeing retail and professional markets at Attijariwafa Bank.

She said consumer expectations are increasingly shaped by digital platforms beyond banking. “Simple is not just another banking application – it is a direct response to what clients expect today from their bank: speed, fluidity, and an experience truly integrated into their daily lives,” she added.

Account opening is fully digital, allowing users to retrieve a card from partner retailers, supermarkets, Wafacash outlets or delivery services, including Glovo, before completing onboarding via biometric verification, ID scanning and electronic signature within minutes.

Users can also complete onboarding digitally and collect their card later from a branch. Account closure is available directly within the app.

The platform positions itself as a “super app” combining payments, savings, credit and lifestyle services. Its Simple Pay feature enables QR-code payments and peer-to-peer transfers, which are free between Simple and Attijariwafa Bank clients.

The bank said the service is intended to support Morocco’s shift away from cash usage. “Cash is a real problem in our country,” Alami Marrouni said, adding that digital payments could replace a portion of everyday cash transactions.

The app also includes virtual card controls, allowing users to create, limit or delete cards for subscriptions and one-time online purchases.

Additional features include travel bookings through Simple Trip, offering discounts on millions of properties globally, as well as integrated services such as highway toll top-ups, roaming, travel allowances and insurance.

Other modules include youth accounts for ages 12 to 17, referral rewards, lifestyle deals, urban mobility services and entertainment offerings.

Simple Invest provides access to savings products from as little as 10 dirhams ($1), alongside term deposits, mutual funds and stock market participation, including IPO subscriptions.

The app also integrates consumer and mortgage lending with in-app simulation, approval and disbursement, while a future feature will allow Moroccans abroad to consolidate multiple banking relationships in one interface.

Despite its digital-first positioning, Simple remains backed by Attijariwafa Bank’s physical network of more than 7,000 branches, Wafacash outlets and ATMs, in a hybrid model combining digital onboarding with offline access.

Rachid Kettani, deputy chief executive responsible for Europe and retail banking, said the platform is part of the group’s push to accelerate financial inclusion, combining traditional banking infrastructure with fintech-style agility.

The bank said Simple is built on cloud-ready, API-based architecture designed to enable rapid rollout of new services, with artificial intelligence already embedded for customer interactions and further automation planned.

It added that data governance and cybersecurity frameworks are aligned with Bank Al-Maghrib regulatory requirements.

The group said the launch was not a response to any specific competitor, including speculation around the entry of European digital bank Revolut, arguing it was instead the result of an internal transformation process.

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