FNB reveals new-look branches with free Wi-Fi

·11 May 2016

Banking group FNB says it will embark on a journey to change the design of its branches, as part of a campaign to promote sustainability and support local businesses.

The first of such branches opened its doors to customers two weeks ago at The Mall of Africa in Midrand.

The bank said it will also offer free Wi-Fi at the new branch at the Mall of Africa and will be a standard offering across branches with the new design.

“The new design is primarily premised on making the customer’s journey within the branch seamless from start to end. We also noted during our research that customers expect a lot more privacy during consultations with staff and the new model design is aimed at satisfying this need,” said Lee-Anne van Zyl, CEO of FNB Points of Presence.

“Aesthetically, our branches will start looking very different, but most importantly we have made a commitment to using locally produced materials that can be reused as the needs of our branches change. Another factor worth noting is that these branches will be built at 35% less per square meter compared to our conventional design.”

The new branch structure will widen access to digital banking platforms which will enable customers to conduct transactions digitally on site with the assistance of an eBanker.

FNB would like to channel consumer towards transacting digitally as this convenient and cost effective for the customer,” the bank said.

“This type of design will now become the standard look and feel across new FNB branches that will be opened where a need is identified. This new model will enable us to significantly reduce the number of days that a branch remains closed during renovations – from 43 to 32 days, this is a 25% reduction,” Van Zyl said.