FinTech Summit 3.0: First Bank committed to growing Nigeria’s economy, improving well-being of Nigerians -Adeduntan

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has reiterated its rock solid commitment to contributing its quota to expedite the process of growing Nigeria’s economy and improving the well being of Nigerians.

Speaking at the third FinTech summit held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Wednesday with the theme ” Banking +Tech = Solving Real Problems”, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr Adesola Adeduntan, said beyond profitability, the bank would continue to strive to build a more resilient and inclusive country that everyone can be proud of.

Adeduntan said the summit was about how to harness the various opportunities that the digital revolution presents, noting that the ability of the bank to lift innovation and its ability to reinvent itself, which are ingrained in the DNA of the institution have kept it going in the last 125 years.

According to Adeduntan, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd. is not just the oldest bank in Nigeria, it is Nigeria’s oldest incorporated entity, adding that the usage of technology can apply to virtually all spheres of life in the current dispensation.

Media Personality, Fade Ogunro floats Bookings Africa.com 

“Today as an institution, we have more than eight million people using our USSD platform, more than three million people on our FirstMobile app. Today we have 35,000 First Bank agents called Firstmonie agents spread across the nooks and crannies of the country. But there is still a lot that can be done leveraging technology. And those are the things that, as a country, if you don’t address, the future doesn’t look bright.

“Innovation is at the heart of what we are doing and that is why we have existed for 125 years. In terms of age, the institution is 125, but when you look at the thinking and the capacity embedded within the institution, it’s actually second to none in terms of modernity.

“Everything for us is not about profitability. Profitability is very important, but economic growth, ensuring the wellbeing of our country is also a key pillar we have watched over time. Our predecessors have handed it over to us and we are going to carry it over to the next generation.”

Commenting on the theme of the summit, Mr Victor Asemota, founder of SwiftCorp, a pioneering African software and technology services group, harped on the need to pay special attention to people in the drive to solve real problems because banking and technology alone will not cut it.

According to Asemota, institutions and technology are only tools but people will solve people’s problems, explaining that in Ghana, Brazil and Nigeria, what has made the difference is people. The SwiftaCorp founder says no matter the technology deployed, it is people that matter, adding that it is important to find out what people need and look for ways to solve their problems by providing them with the appropriate services.