The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of First National Bank (FNB) Ghana, Mr Richard Hudson, has said it intends to leverage on its vast knowledge in technology to enhance electronic payments in the country.
He said it had noted that a large portion of retail payments in the country were completed by means of manual payments such as cheques and cash.
The CEO said it believed that, with its digital play, there would be a significant move towards electronic payments in the country as customers experience the benefits of greater security and convenience when paying electronically.
Mr Hudson said this at the official launch of FNB in Accra.
He said its strategy was to disrupt markets with exciting offers and new banking technology as it had 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,” he said.
“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 App for smart devices to Online Banking,” he added.
The Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank Group, Mr Jacques Celliers, also mentioned that coming to Ghana was an exciting opportunity to build a new bank tailored to the requirements in the country and based on technologies that were already proven across all its other operations.
He said its key objective was to provide electronic and digital banking that was convenient and low-cost to a broad segment of the people of Ghana and at the same time building conventional branches and installing latest ATMs.
The Chairman, First National Bank Ghana, Mr Michael Larbie, also added that the group, through the Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), had done considerable business over the years in Ghana and the new retail operation would leverage on the excellent relationships already forged in country.
FNB urged to list on capital market
The outgoing Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Henry Kofi Wampah, has urged management of the First National Bank (FNB) to consider floating part of its shares on the Stock Exchange market in the near future.
He said this would ensure that its entry into the Ghanaian market did not just create jobs but gave the public the opportunity to share in its fortunes.
He said by listing on the local bourse, the bank would also be encouraging participation on the capital market.
Strengthening financial sector
The Minister for Finance, Mr Seth Terkper also added that every economy needed a strong banking sector to thrive and it was ,therefore, his hope that the entry of FNB would further strengthen and deepen the financial sector of the country.
He said the entry of the bank also marked another stride in the economic partnership between Ghana and South Africa.
He ,however, urged the bank to develop new ideas and technologies and offer something new to the public.
“Innovation is the catalyst for growth. It is very crucial to Africa as it will promote and accelerate our growth,” he said. — GB