FNB wants more partnerships with SMEs

FIRST National Bank (FNB) Zambia has called for more partnerships with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to expand economic activities, as the financial institution rebrands.

The institution is working with over 13, 000 SME customers, according to the FNB Zambia Chief Executive Officer Bydon Longwe.

“Currently we have about 5, 800 cash plus agents dotted across the country in all the 10 provinces. We currently have 240, 000 customers and 13, 000 SME customers.

“This supports the government’s agenda of SMEs, for us we would like to participate in the success of this country and I hope those that are not yet SMEs will come to us and open an account for them,” Mr Longwe said at the rebranding of FNB in Lusaka recently.

He encouraged FNB customers to use the innovations on the bank’s app by downloading the application.

The app, he said, had a pool of innovations such as agency banking model where FNB had partnered with mostly SMEs customers and the communities so that they could assist deliver the bank’s products.

“We are very proud that we have over 74,000 downloads and about 240, 000 customers and we would like to get more customers because that is where things are happening.

“That is where development is happening. So we would like to appeal to you our customers to please to download the app and see what we are offering from there,” Mr Longwe said.

On rebranding, Mr Longwe said FNB was keen to continue improving its service delivery to customers while building trust.

“Trust is at the core of what we do at FNB and for us, whatever changes we go through in terms of business and brand is all about trust. When you look at the issue of trust, our FNB people who are currently about 650 people,” he said.