First National Bank

First National Bank, universally known in South Africa as FNB, traces its origins to 1838, which places it among the oldest financial institutions in the country. The modern bank, however, took its current shape in 1998 when it merged with Rand Merchant Bank and the insurance arm of RMB Holdings to create FirstRand Limited, a holding company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. FNB operates as FirstRand's retail and commercial banking arm, while sister brands RMB and WesBank handle corporate and asset finance respectively.

The bank's branch network and digital platforms serve millions of retail and business customers across South Africa and several neighboring countries, including Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania. FNB has built a reputation for digital innovation, from early mobile banking products to the eBucks rewards program, which it runs with partner companies. Its orange and black branding is a common sight on South African high streets and in advertising for everything from home loans to the FNB App.

Competitively, FNB sits within South Africa's so-called Big Five banks, alongside Standard Bank, Absa, Nedbank, and Capitec. Capitec has pressed hard on low-cost banking, while TymeBank and Discovery Bank have entered as digital challengers. FNB tends to compete on service and innovation rather than purely on price, a strategy that has kept it at the center of FirstRand's earnings. The group does not break out FNB's revenue separately, but the retail and commercial franchise consistently contributes the largest share of FirstRand's headline earnings.

A word of caution for anyone searching online: the name First National Bank is used by dozens of unrelated institutions in the United States, including F.N.B. Corporation of Pittsburgh, First National Bank of Omaha, and First National Bank Alaska. None of these have any connection to the South African FNB. The correct domain for the South African bank is fnb.co.za. [edit]