John Muyamba
Rundu
First National Bank (FNB) has given its clients another way of depositing money – as in the past people would have to queue up in the bank but now they can also deposit money with whoever through automatic deposit-taking machines also referred to as advanced ATMs.
There are only two such ATM machines in Rundu and they are right outside the FNB Rundu business branch, at the Rundu shopping mall, besides at various points around the country. The machines work just like a normal ATM and also offer the same services as other ATMs such as prepaid purchases, eWallet and more. The easy to use machines were launched in Rundu on Thursday.
“Our vision at FNB is to be a great Namibian business creating a better world and we will do that through executing our customer satisfaction-based strategy, which is built on the four Ps – people, partnerships, planet and profit,” said Toivo Kalla, the FNB Namibia area sales and service manager for the far north area office.
According to Kalla, meeting the challenge to provide affordable and accessible banking channels to both businesses and individuals has taken FNB Namibia into many new territories in terms of innovation. From online banking, the FNB app, cellphone banking to EWallet, cardless cash withdrawals and so much more. Kalla says that all activities at FNB are driven by the brand mantra of ‘How can we help you?’
“I understand that the traditional way of banking through branches is still preferred by many fellow Namibians but FNB actively encourages its clients to make use of the innovative self-service channels, products and services as life becomes busier and busier and also as daily living costs rise,” he said.
The automatic deposit-taking (ADT) machine is the first of its kind and the new generation of advanced ATMs introduced by FNB. This ATM machine allows for real-time (instant availability) deposits to accounts of up to N$20 000 per transaction. “Deposits can now be made at these terminals on a 24-hour basis, which offers convenience and peace of mind to our clientele parallel to none,” Kalla said.
One can deposit cash into the machine at anytime of the day and immediately use that money electronically to pay bills, buy electricity, airtime as well as send money home and even if by mistake you deposited all your money but then realised you need cash for a taxi you can withdraw a little again at the same time, same day, he says.
“No waiting for cash to be cleared – the machines are state-of-the-art and at your convenience. At FNB we urge our clients to make use of our banking platforms, especially our electronic channels to experience affordable convenience any day, at any time,” Kalla added.
Kavango East Regional Governor, Dr Samuel Mbambo, and Rundu Mayor Verna Sinimbo were also at the launch and demonstrated the use of the advanced ATM.
“There are many milestone achievements in human history and today we are gathered here to witness yet another significant milestone in human history – this is a small part of the bigger phenomenon called digitalization. We are living in a digital or let me say e-world, where many things are controlled by the letter e. We are talking about e-learning, e-health, e-agriculture. And the reason that we are here today is to learn about another e,” Mbambo said.
“Gone are the days of queuing up in the branch to get a bank statement, to deposit cash or to update your savings account,” he said.
Mbambo also praised other FNB banking services that have made banking easy. “FNB has realised that the best way to serve their clients and customers is to go digital, so that they don’t need to stand in long queues for a simple thing like a bank statement.”