As SMEs tackle pandemic-induced challenges, FNB’s approach to helping them is being recognised on the global stage. The bank has been bestowed the accolade of ‘Best SME Bank in South Africa and Africa’ at the Global Finance SME Bank Awards 2021 and received an honourable mention in the ‘Best Bank for Women Entrepreneurs’ category at the Global SME Finance Awards 2021.
Jacques Celliers, FNB CEO, says, "We are humbled to be recognised for helping our clients with platform-based capabilities for ‘ease of doing business’. Our success in the SME market stems from our ability to innovate and deliver meaningful solutions that truly address the day-to-day challenges of starting, running, and growing a business. This ranges from helping an entrepreneur register a business, open a bank account, making and accepting payments, retrieve financial statements, as well as assist them in unlocking opportunities in credit, insurance, and investments through our big data capabilities."
"Through our world-class interfaces like the FNB App and Online Banking Enterprise™, we cater for the entire SME value chain, including clients with side-hustles. As businesses are increasingly relying on digital, we are proud to be enabling our clients to manage their profiles and administration, authentication and fraud prevention on our trusted digital platform," he adds.
FNB’s unique ability to keep abreast of the needs of businesses is demonstrated through its ever-expanding ecosystem. The bank’s rapidly growing digital marketplace on the FNB App gives businesses that provide home and professional services access to a market of over 4 million potential customers. Furthermore, FNB provides free business support through tools such as Fundaba on the FNB App, where clients can learn about entrepreneurship and how to run a business. The bank also invests vast resources and collaborates with like-minded partners to support women-owned or led businesses.
"For over 183 years, we’ve remained committed to continuously supporting our clients through ups and downs on their business journey. Despite the challenges in the operating environment, the agility of our platform business enables us to consistently deliver contextual services to support our clients," concludes Celliers.
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