FirstBank Holds SMEconnect Webinar, Enlightens Entrepreneurs On Accessing Finances

Posted by African Examiner African News, Business News, Featured, Latest Headlines Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, First Bank of Nigeria Limited will hold its SMEConnect Webinar by 11am on Thursday, 8th July 2021 with “The ABCs of Accessing Finance for your Business” being the topic to be discussed at the event. Participants are required to register for the event via https://firstbanknigeria.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SU8vLK_OToec2EwZLqljZA

The event topic is designed to expose SMEs to various finance opportunities that they can access and utilise to foster the continued growth of their business, whilst optimising the sustenance of their business operations in contributing to national development.

SMEConnect webinar is one of the ways through which FirstBank delivers its capacity building pillar of its value propositions to SMEs. The Bank’s SMEConnect initiative is focused on impacting SMEs in key areas that affect their business growth and development.

The scope of the Bank’s SME services covers small/medium scale manufacturing firms, merchants (suppliers, distributors etc.), professional firms (law, consulting, audit etc.), agricultural, Churches, Mosques and NGOs whose annual debit turnover is between N5M and N500M.

Guess Speakers at the event include: Damilola Salawu – Partner/Head Technology, Innovation and Fintech, Olaniwun Ajayi LP and Patrick Ehidiame Akhidenor – Head Credit Analysis & Processing, First Bank of Nigeria Limited.

Speaking on the event, Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Gbenga Shobo said “amongst many factors, access to finance, plays a critical role to the growth and sustenance of every business venture, especially the SMEs and we are delighted with the role we continue to play in connecting SMEs to finance opportunities that are essential to boosting their businesses.

With FirstBank’s over 127 years of being woven into the fabric of society, we remain at the forefront of positively impacting businesses, especially the SMEs and enjoin all business owners and individuals intending to own theirs to be part of the event’’.

Only recently, FirstBank was honoured with the Africa Bank of the Year and Innovative Banking Product of the Year Awards in recognition of its sterling performance in delivering over 127 years of development-oriented services as Africa’s foremost financial inclusion services provider.

These awards came on the heels of a hat-trick of awards the Bank bagged – the 2021 ‘’Retail Banking CEO of the Year Nigeria’’, ‘’Most innovative Retail Banking App Nigeria’’ and ‘’Best CSR Bank Nigeria’’ – at the Global Banking and Finance awards. In addition, Brand Africa ranked FirstBank the second most admired financial services brand for the second year running.

What remains apparent in the awards is the Bank’s commitment to innovation as exemplified in FirstMobile. Easy to use, secure, fast, convenient (offering “Instant Banking, Anywhere!”), innovative and interactive, FirstMobile was designed to offer lifestyle solutions which make banking an exciting experience for FirstBank customers. The self-service mobile banking product allows customers in possession of the phone linked to the mobile number on which they receive FirstBank SMS alert messages and who possess a Naira Mastercard (debit) or a Verve debit card and have downloaded and activated the app, to transact via its secure platform on their smart devices without intervention from FirstBank.

The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store (for users of android devices) or the App Store (for iPhone and other iOS devices’ users) and also from FirstBank website via the URL: https://www.firstbanknigeria.com/getfirstmobile.

About FirstBank

First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is the premier Bank in West Africa and the leading financial inclusion services provider in Nigeria for over 127 years.

With over 750 business locations and over 100,000 Banking Agents spread across 99% of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, FirstBank provides a comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services to serve its over 30 million customers. The Bank has international presence through its subsidiaries, FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, FBNBank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal, as well as a Representative Office in Beijing.

The Bank has been handy at promoting digital payment in the country and has issued over 10million cards, the first bank to achieve such a milestone in the country. FirstBank’s cashless transaction drive extends to having more than 10million people on its USSD Quick Banking service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code and over 4.5 million people on FirstMobile platform.

Since its establishment in 1894, FirstBank has consistently built relationships with customers focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, optimised risk management and leadership. Over the years, the Bank has led the financing of private investment in infrastructure development in the Nigerian economy by playing key roles in the Federal Government’s privatisation and commercialisation schemes. With its global reach, FirstBank provides prospective investors wishing to explore the vast business opportunities that are available in Nigeria, an internationally competitive world-class brand and a credible financial partner.

FirstBank has been named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” six times in a row (2011 – 2016) by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times Group; “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” for seven consecutive years (2011 – 2017) by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards and “Best Bank in Nigeria” by Global Finance for 15 years. Our brand purpose is always to put customers, partners and stakeholders at the heart of our business, even as we standardise customer experience and excellence in financial solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, in consonance with our brand vision “To be the partner of the first choice in building your future”.

Our brand promise is always to deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence. This commitment is anchored on our inherent values of passion, partnership and people, to position You First in every respect.

Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications