Finance Minister Seth Terkper (left) and CEO of FNB Ghana (middle) unveiling the plaque of FNB as the MC for the occasion looks on First National Bank (FNB), South Africa’s leading financial services provider, was officially launched yesterday at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.

It obtained a Universal Banking license from the Bank of Ghana (BoG) in 2015.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FNB, Jacques Celliers, speaking at the launch, said FNB has a very long and proud history as South Africa’s largest financial service institution beginning from 1838.

He said the bank seeks to help facilitate the growth agenda of financial markets on the African continent.

According to him, the bank shall strive to be the most innovative and trusted bank in the country and across other jurisdictions where it operates.

FNB currently operates in numerous countries across Africa namely Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland.

The bank is poised to expand its portfolio across the entire continent in the coming years with the view to helping to strengthen the financial industry of Africa.

BUSINESS GUIDE gathered that FNB Ghana, a subsidiary of the FirstRand Group, will trade under the brand’s logo of a rising African sun and stylized Acacia tree with turquoise and amber corporate colours.

The objective of FNB, which traces its origin to the Eastern Province Bank formed in Grahamstown, South Africa in 1838, is to provide electronic and digital banking that is convenient and low-cost to a broad segment of the banking public in Ghana.

Aside its head office at Accra Financial Centre, FNB has two branches and four ATMs and plans to open three new branches in the capital in the next two months.

The bank also intends to open other branches across the country in line with its goal of helping to strengthen Ghana’s financial sector.

Outgoing Governor of BoG, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah, speaking at the launch, which marked his last public appearance, welcomed FNB and urged it to consider floating shares on the local stock market.

He gave the assurance that BoG would offer support to FNB in order to meet its objectives, saying FNB would focus on digital banking to serve all sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper was happy that FNB has chosen Ghana to expand its drive across the continent, indicating that the presence of the bank in the country was testament to the long-standing fruitful bilateral relationship between Ghana and South Africa.

He was optimistic FNB would help strength the nation’s banking sector.