FNB launches in Ghana

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Green fields operation

Says FNB CEO, Jacques Celliers: “We took the decision to set up an entirely new ‘green fields’ operation free from existing structures and built a new bank from the ground up. This is an exciting opportunity to build a new bank tailored to the requirements in Ghana, based on technologies that are already proven across all our other operations.”

“Our key objective is to provide electronic and digital banking that is convenient and low-cost to a broad segment of the people of Ghana. At the same time, we are building conventional branches and installing our latest ATMs,” he adds.

National representation

In addition to the head office based at Accra Financial Centre, the bank already has two branches, and four ATMs with plans to open another three branches in Accra in the next two months. The intention is to then expand outside of country’s capital until the bank has national representation.

“We are truly delighted to be part of the Ghana banking sector. While our footprint is still developing, we have plans to roll out additional branches and ATMs in the next few years and are already offering a full range of digital platforms from banking apps for smart devices to online banking,” says CEO of First National Bank Ghana, Richard Hudson.

Disrupting markets

First National Bank’s strategy is to disrupt markets with exciting offers and new banking technology as we have done in many other countries. You will soon see this strategy at work, to the delight of consumers and upliftment of our new colleagues in Ghana,” continues Hudson.

“We have noted that a large portion of retail payments in Ghana are completed by means of manual payments such as cheques and cash. We believe that with our digital play, we will see a significant move towards electronic payments as customers see the benefits of greater security and convenience when paying electronically,” he adds.

A strategic country

“The group through Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) has done considerable business over the years in Ghana and the new retail operation will leverage off the excellent relationships already forged in country,” says Michael Larbie, chairman, First National Bank Ghana.

“Ghana is a strategic country for us and we see ourselves growing into a key systematically important bank over time, as we focus on growing the bank’s footprint to other regions of Ghana,” he concludes.