First National Bank (FNB) Zambia says it is strengthening support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through trade finance and digital banking solutions aimed at helping businesses expand into regional markets.
Speaking to Zambian Business Times-ZBT during the 98th Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show, FNB Chief Marketing Officer Kasali Mwaba kaingu said Zambia’s strategic location, bordered by eight countries, provides businesses with significant opportunities to increase exports and grow beyond the domestic market. She said the bank is positioning itself as a growth partner by providing financing and tailored financial solutions that enable SMEs, corporates and individual entrepreneurs to scale their operations.
“We are here to support the growth of our SMEs. Zambia is strategically located and surrounded by eight countries, which presents enormous opportunities for trade. Our role is to help businesses access the financing they need to expand, export their products and tap into regional markets,” Mwabakayengu said.
She said FNB’s trade finance products are designed to help businesses increase production capacity, improve competitiveness and access larger regional markets. Mwabakayengu also challenged businesses to look beyond primary agricultural production by investing in value addition and processing industries.
“It’s not just about growing pineapples. We should also be asking who is producing the pineapple juice, who is providing the packaging and how we are building industries around agricultural products. That is how businesses grow and create more value,” she said.
She added that sustainable business growth requires financial institutions to understand the daily operations of their customers and provide solutions that respond to their needs.
“We look at how our customers operate every day from paying suppliers and employees to receiving payments from clients. We provide solutions that make those processes seamless so businesses can focus on growth,” she said.
Mwabakayengu said the bank is complementing its financing solutions with digital banking services, including its mobile banking application, online banking platform, foreign exchange services and the FNB eWallet Plus service, which enables customers to send and receive money across all mobile networks in Zambia and pay merchants directly from their mobile phones.
She said the bank’s participation at this year’s Zambia Agriculture and Commercial Show reflects its commitment to supporting entrepreneurship, increasing financial inclusion and facilitating trade and investment in line with the show’s theme, “Fostering Trade and Investment.”
Article by Karen Ngulube
