The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FirstBank

  • FirstBank, Microsoft 4Afrika host SMEs

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited will be partnering with Microsoft 4Afrika, in hosting a free-to-attend event for SMEs in Nigeria holding today in Lagos. The event was designed  to promote technology adoption and skills development.

    The event will serve as an official launch of the new partnership between Microsoft 4Afrika and FirstBank, following a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in June 2018.

    The partnership seeks to build the capacity of local SMEs and accelerate their digital transformation, by providing them with exclusive and tailored non-financial solutions. Participants will be exposed to skills development resources, access to business networks and an educational platform.

    According to Taiwo Shonekan, Head Customer Experience and Value Management, First Bank of Nigeria Limited: “This partnership with Microsoft enables us to deliver a portfolio of non-financial solutions to our SME customers. We have over the last 125 years supported SMEs in building their business, whilst contributing to the national economy. This partnership is a landmark step in our quest to leverage the influence of technology in businesses, especially in today’s digital age.”

    “With this partnership, FirstBank customers can buy Microsoft products at discounted rates in the local currency – the naira – as this seamlessly aids technology adoption, skills and capacity development among SMEs in Nigeria,” she adds.

     

     

  • FirstBank, Microsoft 4Afrika host SMES

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited will be partnering with Microsoft 4Afrika, in hosting a free-to-attend event for SMEs in Nigeria. The event planned for  January 18, was designed  to promote technology adoption and skills development.

    The event will serve as an official launch of the new partnership between Microsoft 4Afrika and FirstBank, following a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in June 2018.

    The partnership seeks to build the capacity of local SMEs and accelerate their digital transformation, by providing them with exclusive and tailored non-financial solutions. Participants will be exposed to skills development resources, access to business networks and an educational platform.

    According to Taiwo Shonekan, Head Customer Experience and Value Management, First Bank of Nigeria Limited: “This partnership with Microsoft enables us to deliver a portfolio of non-financial solutions to our SME customers. We have over the last 125 years supported SMEs in building their business, whilst contributing to the national economy. This partnership is a landmark step in our quest to leverage the influence of technology in businesses, especially in today’s digital age.”

  • FirstBank provides funding for schools

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited is supporting schools with their business requirements to promote preparations for the school year.

    This, the bank achieves through its array of educational based products and solutions targeted at enabling schools acquire their required educational facilities to boost the continued expansion of their schools whilst empowering parents and guardians to send their wards back to school.

    The bank’s educational products and solutions include the FirstEdu Loan, Operational Vehicle Loan, Term Loans for constructing new sites and extension of existing sites, Personal Loan against Salary (PLAS) and Salary Overdraft (SODA) which enhances parents’capacity to pay their children’s school fees.

    The FirstEdu loan is targeted at private Nursery, Secondary and A-Levels schools. The product offers opportunity for private schools to access flexible funding to meet urgent cash flow needs, replace old furniture and equipment, as well as refurbish dilapidated buildings and classroom blocks.

    With this product, school owners/proprietors can stay ahead of competition in providing educational services and support to the target population by maintaining acceptable standard infrastructure at all times.

    This product allows the customer access up to N10 million with no tangible collateral required apart from the domiciliation of school account with the Bank. This reduces the cost of borrowing to the customer and eliminates the challenges posed by the provision of additional demanding collaterals.

    The Operational Vehicle Loan is targeted at registered businesses. It allows the entrepreneur to acquire brand new vehicles for the day to day operation of the business. Organisations can take advantage of this facility to purchase school buses in the case of school proprietors and even upscale their staff welfare schemes through provision of staff buses. The product terms and conditions is competitive .

    Personal Loan against Salary (PLAS) offers customers in paid employment access to cash to meet immediate financial needs such as payment of school fees, medical treatment, holiday expenses, etc. PLAS has a flexible repayment plan spread up to 48 months for our customers’ convenience.

    There is no equity contribution or collateral requirement. The Salary Overdraft Account (SODA) is also available to customers who want short tenured overdraft to meet immediate financial needs.

    SODA can be dispensed as a one-off overdraft for 30 days with up to 40 per cent net salary and a revolving overdraft for 90 days with 25 per cent of applicant’s average previous three months net salary.

  • FirstBank takes financial inclusion to markets

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited has extended its agent banking campaign to 14 major markets and business points across Bayelsa, Cross River and Delta states.

    The market activation, which spanned over three weeks between November 24 and December 16, 2018, was an intensive period of customer engagement, education and awareness creation of the Firstmonie Agent Network and by extension, Financial Inclusion.

    The event took place in Ogbonogo Market, Koka Junction, Bonsac Junction, Ibusa Junction, Delta State while Calabar in Cross River State had the event at Mobil Junction, Etagbor Junction, Watt Market, Marian and Etim Edem Markets. Swali, Tomba, Opolo and Nembe communities also felt the impact of our activation campaign in Bayelsa State.

    In just about 18 months, the FirstmonieAgent Network has expanded to almost every Local Government Area in Nigeria (98 per cent coverage), “demonstrating our readiness to make financial services available to everyone irrespective of their location”.

    Firstmonie Agents are positioned within rural and semi-urban locations across the country to provide basic financial services such as account opening, cash deposit, cash withdrawals, airtime purchase, bill payments and much more to every Nigerian. Through this channel, the Bank is committed to providing convenient services that endear trust, provide ease of access to financial products, thereby saving time and travel costs. Transactions carried out through this channel are securely authenticated.

    The agent banking model, which is in line with the mandate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is targeted at ensuring individuals and members of the public, irrespective of their literacy levels, familiarity with technology or income levels can access financial services. The FirstmonieAgent Channel delivers financial services outside conventional bank branches, often using non-retail agents – Firstmonie Agents – and relying on technology such as point-of-sale (POS) terminals or mobile phones for real time transaction processing.

    According to the Group Head, eBusiness, First Bank of Nigeria, Chuma Ezirim, “with our Firstmonie Agents spread across the country, we are aggressive at increasing the penetration of financial services, especially in the suburbs while significantly reducing the unbanked in the country”. “We encourage the patronage of Firstmonie Agents irrespective of the location as these Agents are well trained to provide the FirstBank Gold Standard Services to customers,” he said.

  • FirstBank marks second anniversary for FirstGem

    FirstGem, the FirstBank lifestyle product designed specifically for women to promote female independence and entrepreneurship will mark second year anniversary on Friday, in Lagos. The event is themed “Building Sustainable Wealth”.

    Since the launch of FirstGem in October 2016, a series of female empowerment initiatives, trainings and seminars have been organized across the country and in the UK to harness and financially mobilize the growing percentage of women in the country whilst empowering them through the nuggets of financial independence. The empowerment sessions include; Oyo State Women Empowerment Programme; Southern States Governors Wives’ Forum; Benue State Women Empowerment Program; Mentoring Women to Posterity held at Enugu, Enugu State; OAU International Law Students Women Conference and the FirstGem in the UK. The bank has also supported over 8,000 women with finance to grow their businesses.

    The speakers and plenary session discussants at the second anniversary event will include; Dr. Doyin Salami, CEO, Kainos Edge Consulting Limited; Aruma Oteh, Treasurer and Vice President of World Bank; Nimi Akinkugbe, CEO Bestman Games and author of A – Z of Personal Finance and Arese Ugwu, author of The Smart Money Woman, amongst other discussants.

    According to the Bank’s Group Head, Products & Marketing Support, Mr. Abiodun Famuyiwa, ’at FirstBank, we recognise that promoting female entrepreneurship and independence is key to economic development and building the economic viability of every home in the country.

     

     

  • FirstBank, FBNQuest mark World Savings Day

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited and FBNQuest Merchant Bank, both subsidiaries of FBNHoldings, have joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Savings Day.

    With: “What do you wish for?”as its theme, the six geo-political zones of the country were covered with visits to 30 secondary schools and more than 1000 students imparted with knowledge of financial literacy nuggets.

    The World Savings Day is in line with FirstBank’s FutureFirst programme, specially designed to equip students with the knowledge of money management, early entrepreneurship skills, and financial independence whilst stimulating in them savings culture at an early age. Commemorating the World Savings Day is consistent with the Bank’s financial literacy initiatives.

    Also, volunteers from FBNQuest Merchant Bank went further to cover and highlight how students can take advantage of investment opportunities in fixed deposits and Mutual Funds from a young age, cultivating the habit of putting money away to meet medium to long term financial goals.

    According to the official website of World Savings Day, “World Savings Day or World Thrift Day was established to inform people all around the world about the idea of saving their money in a bank rather than keeping it under their mattress” which is akin to FirstBank’s commitment to encouraging its key stakeholders, customers, to imbibe savings culture whilst having their children also carried along on the essence of savings through its youth focused products, KidsFirsts (0 – 12 years) and MeFirst (13 – 17 years) carefully designed to meet the financial targets of the given demographics.

    These accounts ensure the accounts holders acquire the rudiments of banking and financial literacy as they grow into adulthood and they both come with exciting packages to support the financial journey of the children, enabling them learn money management from an early age.

    Speaking on the World Savings Day, Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited said ‘’FirstBank’s participation in the 2018 World Savings Day is one of our many interventions in Financial Literacy. As the Bank continues to entrench the savings culture across all its markets, it has over several years engaged in Savings Promo to encourage and reward savings whilst committing human and financial resources to the development of financial literacy among secondary school students under the auspices of the FirstBank Futurefirst programme.

    Sharing similar views, Kayode Akinkugbe, Managing Director/CEO FBNQuest Merchant Bank said “The CBN has created an essential platform which affords us the opportunity to enlighten the younger generation on finance-related matters, and contribute to financial literacy across the nation. It’s an initiative we are very proud to be a part of, as we believe such is crucial for the sustainable development of our nation.” “We believe that opportunities to transfer a wealth of knowledge, are crucial to the development of our economy and the sustainability of society. We therefore, take very seriously, the responsibility of equipping the next generation so they can take our nation to its next level of success,” he added.

  • FirstBank sponsors golf championship

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has announced its sponsorship of the 57th edition of the Lagos Amateur Golf Open Championship. The 2018 edition is billed to tee-off on Friday 16 and run through Sunday 18 November 2018 at the lush greenery of the Ikoyi Club 1938 Golf Course in Lagos. This is the 56th time the Bank is sponsoring the elite event, since its inception.

    FirstBank’s sponsorship of the Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship has enhanced the bank’s signature hold of the competition, giving the Bank a unique differentiation as the major driver of the oldest bank-owned sporting championship in Nigeria.

    The 2017 edition played host to over 260 elite golfers, while the 2018 edition will host over 280 golfers across the nook and cranny of the country.

    This year, the three-day golf tournament will feature among others the “Professional Coaching Clinic” to nurture the skills of young and upcoming talents, and “Beat the Pro Skills competition”.

    According to FirstBank’s Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Folake Ani-Mumuney, “The Lagos Amateur Golf Championship is not just a competition but a tradition FirstBank is honoured to associate with for 56 years. Our identification with the competition is in line with our strategic objective of recognising activities that promote the socio-economic diversity and growth of the nation as well as the promotion of talents that fly the green and white colours of the Nigeria beyond the shores of the country.”

     

     

     

  • FirstBank, FBNQuest mark World Savings Day

    First Bank of Nigeria Limited and FBNQuest Merchant Bank, both subsidiaries of FBNHoldings, have joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Savings Day.

    With: “What do you wish for?”as its theme, the six geo-political zones of the country were covered with visits to 30 secondary schools and more than 1000 students imparted with knowledge of financial literacy nuggets.

    The World Savings Day is in line with FirstBank’s FutureFirst programme, specially designed to equip students with the knowledge of money management, early entrepreneurship skills, and financial independence whilst stimulating in them savings culture at an early age. Commemorating the World Savings Day is consistent with the Bank’s financial literacy initiatives.

    Also, volunteers from FBNQuest Merchant Bank went further to cover and highlight how students can take advantage of investment opportunities in fixed deposits and Mutual Funds from a young age, cultivating the habit of putting money away to meet medium to long term financial goals.

    According to the official website of World Savings Day, “World Savings Day or World Thrift Day was established to inform people all around the world about the idea of saving their money in a bank rather than keeping it under their mattress” which is akin to FirstBank’s commitment to encouraging its key stakeholders, customers, to imbibe savings culture whilst having their children also carried along on the essence of savings through its youth focused products, KidsFirsts (0 – 12 years) and MeFirst (13 – 17 years) carefully designed to meet the financial targets of the given demographics.

    These accounts ensure the accounts holders acquire the rudiments of banking and financial literacy as they grow into adulthood and they both come with exciting packages to support the financial journey of the children, enabling them learn money management from an early age.

    Speaking on the World Savings Day, Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited said ‘’FirstBank’s participation in the 2018 World Savings Day is one of our many interventions in Financial Literacy. As the Bank continues to entrench the savings culture across all its markets, it has over several years engaged in Savings Promo to encourage and reward savings whilst committing human and financial resources to the development of financial literacy among secondary school students under the auspices of the FirstBank Futurefirst programme.

    Sharing similar views, Kayode Akinkugbe, Managing Director/CEO FBNQuest Merchant Bank said “The CBN has created an essential platform which affords us the opportunity to enlighten the younger generation on finance-related matters, and contribute to financial literacy across the nation. It’s an initiative we are very proud to be a part of, as we believe such is crucial for the sustainable development of our nation.” “We believe that opportunities to transfer a wealth of knowledge, are crucial to the development of our economy and the sustainability of society. We therefore, take very seriously, the responsibility of equipping the next generation so they can take our nation to its next level of success,” he added.

  • FirstBank rewards Verve card users

    Firstbank is rewarding customers for Verve Card usage in its Free Fuel Fridays promotion.

    The free fuel Friday promo, which is activated by FirstBank in collaboration with Verve International and Oando Plc., will run from Friday,  October 19 to December 7, between 6am and 8pm.

    In the promo, for a minimum of N3,000 fuel purchase, FirstBank Verve Card holders will receive five extra litres of fuel for FREE instantly at selected Oando Fuel Stations across Lagos. The fuel stations  are Lekki Stillwaters, Alapere, Marina, Ojodu, Maryland, Awolowo 1(by Fire Service), Agege-Bypass, Lawanson, Apapa Dump and Herbert Macaulay Way.

    Verve card is a secure debit card which allows the card holder to conveniently meet day-to-day financial needs such as payment for goods and services, airtime recharge, bill payments, funds transfer, etc. It is accepted across all Automated Teller Machines, Point of Sale, Web and Mobile Platforms in Nigeria

    Customers are encouraged to pick up their FirstBank Verve card at any of the bank’s branches and start getting rewarded.

  • FirstBank to reward Verve card users 

    FirstBank is set to reward customers for Verve Card usage in its Free Fuel Fridays promotion.

    The free fuel Friday promo which is activated by FirstBank in collaboration with Verve International and Oando Plc. kicks off on Friday, 19 October 2018 to Friday, 7 December 2018 between 6am and 8pm.

    In the promo, for a minimum of N3,000 fuel purchase, FirstBank Verve Card holders will receive 5 extra litres of fuel for FREE instantly at selected Oando Fuel Stations across Lagos. The Oando fuel stations where the promo will run are Lekki Stillwaters, Alapere, Marina, Ojodu, Maryland, Awolowo 1(by Fire Service), Agege-Bypass, Lawanson, Apapa Dump and Herbert Macaulay Way stations.

    Verve card is a secure debit card which allows the card holder to conveniently meet day to day financial needs such as payment for goods and services, airtime recharge, bill payments, funds transfer, etc. It is accepted across all Automated Teller Machines, Point of Sale, Web and Mobile Platforms in Nigeria

    Customers are encouraged to pick up their FirstBank Verve card at any of the bank’s branches and start getting rewarded.