FirstBank stays ahead of Covid-19, keeps faith with customers
Amid shuttering of social activities especially commercial services, through various lockdown measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, FirstBank has proven that as long as its customers require services, the bank will be waiting right in front of them.
As key enablers of the economy, banks are providers of essential services to customers and communities. Sequel to the pandemic outbreak, the Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria obtained presidential approval to permit critical financial services to function during the period.
CBN further urged the general public to limit their use of cash and avail themselves of alternative payment channels such as mobile banking, internet banking, mobile money, Point of Sale (POS), and USSD banking; assuring that financial institutions will remain operational during this period and therefore people should guard against panic withdrawals from their banks.
The assumption that banks will be able to deliver services during this period, was no doubt predicated on the fact that institutions like FirstBank already had a fully functional digital infrastructure to serve its customers through electronic channels.
In a statement to customers, FirsBank’s CEO Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, categorically promised that Covid-19 would not slow the bank down.
“These are unprecedented times. We therefore promise that now more than ever we will remain steadfast, showing up for all Nigerians; we would always be there for you.
“As I reflect on the last two weeks, I am comforted by the resilience of our people. I look back at our commitment and contribution to keeping commerce going and enabling businesses,” he had said.
These reassuring words of Dr. Adeduntan have not gone without tangible proofs of the bank’s unrelenting efforts to stay ahead of the situation many customers feared would cripple banking transactions and further exacerbate the pains brought on by the pandemic.
Indeed, since the enforcement of the lockdown measure, regular and unique ancillary services continue to be seamlessly delivered by FirstBank. The impressive achievements of FirstBank in service delivery, during this unexpected disruption to lives and businesses on a global scale, have been nothing short of the extraordinary.
Or how would you explain over 53,000 agents bringing banking services right to your doorsteps, processing over 5 million transactions with different and large monetary values in the week preceding 10 April. How about an approximate 2.5 million withdrawals amounting to N35billion across FirstBank’s ATMS in a single week?
On record, FirstBank’s larger corporate customers have done over 1,700 transactions successfully on the bank’s e-bills platform worth N6.8billion during this challenging period. Nigerians with FirstBank cards have used them 21 million times for payments or withdrawals, worth N268 million. Customers have made transfers over 10 million times with a total value of about N615billion naira across FirstBank’s digital channels all in one week. How does a bank get all these done under the prevalent lockdown and disruption of regular routine?
“Expertise and resilience are in our DNA. We are working tirelessly to ensure that your banking transactions continue seamlessly and will remain so. Covid-19 will neither slow us down nor defeat us. We are holding up our side, and now more than ever we will uphold our promise to you to be here for you and put You First,” the FirstBank boss assured.
Adeduntan in concluding his statement says to the bank’s customers: “Rest assured that we are in this together, and together we will emerge stronger at the end of this period because this too shall pass. We have all it takes; your support, patronage and trust. We will always put you first.”
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