By Dipo Olowookere
Between 2018 and December 2021, the agent banking of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Firstmonie, recorded transactions worth over N17 trillion, Business Post reports.
The bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Adesola Adeduntan, who disclosed this in an interview with ThisDay, said the financial services were carried out in 817 million transactions by over 150,000 Firstmonie agents spread in 772 of the 774 local government areas of Nigeria.
According to the veterinary doctor turned banker, this has arguably made First Bank the largest bank-led network in Nigeria, and indeed Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The Firstmonie initiative has been a very formidable vehicle for job creation and economic development in several communities across the country, as over 150,000 direct jobs and 450,000 indirect jobs have been created, with an agent earning an average monthly commission/income of N85,000.
“Over 1.5 million individuals have been economically impacted through the jobs created via the First Bank’s Firstmonie agent banking proposition.
“Significant percentage of Firstmonie’s agents are in the rural areas, contributing significantly to the development of the rural economy in Nigeria,” he stated.
Speaking further, Mr Adeduntan said, “First Bank is supporting the social-economic development of Nigeria in a profitable way. During the peak of the lockdown, the Firstmonie network provided an alternative channel for the bank’s customers to conduct transactions and meet their basic financial service needs, serving as quasi-physical touchpoints for the bank’s customers.
“This resulted in the Firstmonie network processing over N6.6 trillion worth of transactions during the period.
“We are not resting on our oars and the growth in 2021 is equally impressive; as at Q3 2021, we had processed more value of transactions than we did in the whole of 2020.
“The outlook for 2022 and beyond is also quite exciting. We will continue to focus on impacting the lives of the communities we serve and deepening the services we offer through collaborations with partners, the regulatory authorities, other industry players, and our customers.”
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Aduragbemi Omiyale