The FBNBank Ghana is to deploy technology-based solutions to drive financial inclusion and grow the bank among the prestige top tier financial institutions in the country.

The Managing Director (MD) of the FBNBank Ghana, Mr Victor Yaw Asante, said the bank had already adopted cutting-edge technology to support its product and service offerings.

Addressing the media after a staff durbar to mark the bank’s 25th anniversary celebrations in Accra on June 28, Mr Asante stated that currently, the bank was in the tier three space and operating keenly in the competitive banking industry.

“In Ghana, we are in the tier-three space and we want to be in the tier-one space in the near future.

“We believe that with tenacity, we can move one tier in the next three to five years by growing the bank’s assets, network and other ratios with which financial institutions are measured.

“We want to be number one because we are customer centric,” he said.

Solid bank

The MD observed that the current management of the bank also sought to build a solid institution to support the country’s economy.

“After a successful transition, we are now focusing on restructuring and expanding the bank’s portfolio by making sure the systems such as technology, personnel, products and services are appropriately in the right place.

“Our key focus is trade as a bank, we also want to ensure our payment and digital platforms are solid to serve customers better because it is the way forward for every bank to go and so, we are investing a lot in digital channels.

“We cover all manner of clientele because of the bank's transition but now our key focus is trade. We currently have a big footprint in the West Africa sub-region,” he said.

Focus on trade

Mr Asante stated that due to the bank’s focus on trade, it recently held the FBNBank Ghana’s National Trade Forum.

He said promoting Ghana’s trade with the rest of the world was a responsibility which required collaborative effort.

He said all stakeholders must contribute to the agenda, with banks being no exception.

He said banks generally had a responsibility to contribute to the development of the markets in which they did business.

Bank’s footprints

According to him, the bank plans to expand its footprint across the country in order to ensure that more people, especially the unbanked, get access to financial services.

“Although we are investing in digital channels, we recently added a few branches.

“At the moment, we have 22 footprints, comprising 20 branches and two agencies with plans to roll out a few more branches in the short to medium-term,” he said.

Client engagement

The anniversary was also climaxed with client engagement with a pledge to offer improved services to customers.

Mr Asante said the bank had come thus far through the strong foundations laid by its founders, the culture of commitment, dedication, innovativeness and integrity from staff members.

“The bank has for the past years paved the way for individuals and institutions which have limited or no access to formal banking services to have prompt access to banking services.”