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Marrakech – Attijariwafa bank unveiled Simple on Monday in Casablanca, marking what the group describes as the first neobank launched by a traditional banking institution in Morocco.
The platform replaces L’bankalik, the group’s decade-old digital banking arm that accumulated over one million clients and reached profitability, particularly after a sharp uptick in digital adoption during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Simple operates as a fully mobile banking platform structured around four subscription tiers. Simple Go offers a free Mastercard Standard with basic services, including Apple Pay and Google Pay integration and free virtual cards for online purchases. Simple Plus, at MAD 19 ($1.90) per month, upgrades to a Gold card with higher transaction ceilings and three free monthly operations.
Simple Prime, priced at MAD 59 ($5.90) per month, bundles a dedicated advisor, a World card, and unlimited transactions. Simple Metal, the premium tier at MAD 159 ($15.90) per month, includes a Visa Infinite metal card, airport lounge access, fast-track services, and concierge support.
The shift from L’bankalik to Simple reflects a broader commercial recalibration. Where L’bankalik targeted young, first-time banking clients, Simple aims to capture a wider demographic spanning families, merchants, Moroccans residing abroad, and premium clients already served by competing institutions.
“Keep your main bank and test Simple as a secondary bank,” the group’s leadership told journalists, summarizing a strategy that openly courts already-banked customers rather than limiting itself to new entrants.
“We have redefined client experience standards, because the smartphone has become the natural entry point of the day,” Ghyzlaine Alami Marrouni, executive director overseeing the retail and professional markets at Attijariwafa bank, told reporters at the launch conference.
She noted that consumer expectations are now shaped less by banking norms than by platforms such as Spotify, Instagram, Glovo, and Booking. “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 follows a fully digitized process. Clients can retrieve a Simple card from partner retail outlets, supermarkets, Wafacash agencies, or delivery platforms, including Glovo, then complete registration via the mobile app using biometric verification, national ID scanning, and electronic signature – all within minutes.
The process can also work in reverse, with digital onboarding followed by card pickup at a branch. “You no longer need to speak to anyone. In a few minutes, your account is open, and your card is already in your pocket,” Alami Marrouni remarked. Account closure is equally streamlined, available directly through the app in a single step.
‘Cash is a real problem in our country’
The platform positions itself as a “super app” that extends well beyond conventional banking. Simple Pay enables instant peer-to-peer and merchant payments via QR code, free of charge between Simple and Attijariwafa bank clients.
Alami Marrouni framed the feature as a direct challenge to Morocco’s cash-dominant economy. “Cash is a real problem in our country,” she declared, adding that Simple Pay could convert a portion of everyday cash transactions into digital payments.
The app also bundles virtual card management, offering dedicated cards for recurring subscriptions and single-use cards for one-time online purchases, with full control over spending limits, blocking, and deletion directly within the interface.
Additional modules include Simple Trip, an integrated travel booking platform offering up to 20% discounts on accommodations across more than 2.8 million properties worldwide, with payments debited directly from the account. The travel ecosystem also covers Jawaz highway toll recharges, roaming top-ups, travel allowance activation, and travel insurance – all accessible without leaving the app.
Simple One targets adolescents aged 12 to 17 with parental controls. Simple Share introduces a referral and cashback system. Simple Deals provides exclusive daily offers and partner discounts, while Simple Move covers urban mobility services, and Simple Fun addresses entertainment and lifestyle.
Simple Invest provides access to savings products – starting from as little as MAD 10 ($1) through automated savings plans – along with term deposits, OPCVM funds, and direct stock market participation, including IPO subscriptions.
The app further integrates instant consumer and mortgage credit, with in-app simulation, real-time approval, and disbursement without any branch visit. For Moroccans residing abroad, an account aggregation feature is planned to consolidate multiple banking relationships into a single interface.
Despite its digital-first identity, Simple relies on Attijariwafa bank’s physical infrastructure of over 7,000 contact points, including branches, Wafacash outlets, and ATMs. The group described the model as hybrid, combining digital fluidity with on-the-ground accessibility tailored to a market where cash and in-person interactions remain prevalent.
Rachid Kettani, deputy CEO responsible for Europe and retail banking at Attijariwafa bank, characterized the launch as part of the group’s broader push to accelerate financial inclusion.
He stressed that Simple combines the institutional infrastructure of a major banking group with the agility of fintech platforms, and that artificial intelligence will play a central role in personalizing client experiences and streamlining services going forward.
On the technology side, the group indicated that Simple’s architecture is built on open, API-driven, cloud-ready systems designed for rapid deployment of new features. Conversational AI tools are already embedded, with transactional AI capabilities in development.
Data governance and cybersecurity frameworks were cited as central to the platform’s compliance posture, aligned with Bank Al-Maghrib regulatory requirements.
Alongside Alami Marrouni and Kettani, the conference also featured Issam Maghnouj, executive director of communication and CSR, and Hassan El Bedraoui, deputy CEO overseeing transformation, innovation, technology, and operations, who fielded questions on Simple’s roadmap and technical architecture.
With this launch, Attijariwafa bank enters a competitive space shaped by rising mobile usage, evolving payment habits, and growing fintech activity across Morocco and the wider African continent.
Speculation had suggested that the move was a preemptive response to Revolut’s likely arrival in the market, a reading the bank firmly denies, arguing that it would reduce months of internal transformation efforts to a simple reaction to competition.
