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FNB app gets an update

Simnikiwe Mzekandaba
By Simnikiwe Mzekandaba, IT in government editor
Johannesburg, 05 Oct 2016
The updated FNB app allows clients to make contactless payments via smartphones, says FNB CEO Jacques Celliers.
The updated FNB app allows clients to make contactless payments via smartphones, says FNB CEO Jacques Celliers.

First National Bank (FNB) unveiled version 5.0 of its banking app this afternoon.

The updated version of the bank's app features solutions such as FNB Pay, Fingerprint ID, Secure Chat, Smart inContact, 1-touch Report Fraud, as well as the FNB watch app.

Speaking at the launch event FNB CEO, Jacques Celliers, said the bank is serious about its digital place in the market.

This new version of the app allows our customers to have better control of their day to day banking functions on their smartphones, he said.

"The app solves crucial customer needs such as more control of one's bank account, cost-saving, better security and the need to bank anywhere, anytime."

He added: "The intuitive new features of app 5.0 are a clear demonstration of how we are prioritising customer needs. This platform also puts us in a much better position to continue capitalising on the seamless convergence of banking and telecoms, to produce integrated solutions."

According to Raj Makanjee, FNB Premium CEO, this year marks five years since the launch of the banking app. The bank first introduced its app back in 2011.

"App 5.0 is the 50th functionality we have done on the banking app," he said.

Commenting on some of the features introduced in line with the update on the app, Makanjee said Smart inContact notifies customers of transactions as low as one cent, with full control to report fraud with 1-touch of the Smart inContact notification to the 24/7 FNB fraud line.

Users can also authenticate themselves through the Fingerprint ID feature, which is available to both Android and iPhone owners. This feature uses a fingerprint sensor to verify the user before giving access to the account profile.

The bank's premier and private clients can also use Secure Chat, which allows them to talk directly to an FNB consultant. So far, FNB has conducted 80 000 chats with clients, said Makanjee.

This feature will also be rolled out to gold card and easy customer base, he noted.

The FNB watch app extends features of the bank's app onto Android and Apple smart watches.

FNB Pay allows customers to purchase goods by simply tapping their smartphone on a contactless enabled point of sale terminal. FNB Pay enables customers to purchase goods for below R200 without entering their card PIN.

Celliers noted that FNB Pay is a first for the bank, and they believe it will revolutionise the low-end payments space.

It works in the absence of cards, he said. "We bought into the contactless market a very long time ago. FNB pay is functional from today; it is globally accepted from today. It won't need to be scaled first."

Cilliers concluded that FNB Pay works by linking the customers' bank cards with the app. "You won't need photos of your cards; it provides access to plastics in a very easy manner."

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