About us

FNB is the oldest bank in South Africa, tracing to the Eastern Province Bank formed in Grahamstown in 1838. Today, FNB trades as a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. The Acacia tree in our brand logo is a suitable representation of our history. Our roots run deep in South Africa, and we have grown thanks to our commitment to serving the needs of our clients and communities.

Environmental focus

How we manage the direct and indirect impact of our operations on the environment.

Environmental policies and compliance

Covering the direct environmental impact of our own daily operations.

Suppliers and other third parties

We engage with suppliers and contractors on environmental issues.

Paper saving initiatives

Ways to minimise and manage the use of this resource.

Community projects

A portion of FNB's Corporate Social Investment funds is donated to projects that work in favour of the environment. Some branches have arrangements with Mondi Paper to collect used paper for recycling. In lieu of payment, they cede their profits to Mondi's CSI initiatives, such as Hospice and the SPCA. Some branches send reusable material to community recycling projects. Other branches donate their used paper and other materials to local artists for use in their work.

Energy and water conservation

Awareness about water and energy conservation through training.

Environmental awards

FNB's environmental awareness and initiatives have been recognised through the following awards: Deloitte and Touche Award for Sustainable Development and Mail and Guardian Greening the Future Award for The Company with the Most Improved Environmental Performance.

More on our environmental focus

Read more about each of our environmental initiatives.

Environmental policies and compliance

The bank's environmental policies cover two broad areas: the direct environmental impact of our own daily operations, which is governed by our Environmental Health and Safety Policy; and the bank's indirect impact on the environment in terms of responsible lending and business development, which is governed by our Environmental Risk Policy.

In addition to the corporate action described above the strategy of the Group, where appropriate, has been starting and growing completely new businesses, which the Group refers to as its "greenfields" approach. Examples of significant "greenfields" start-ups by the Group include the King II Code, JSE SRI Index, Principles of the UN GRI Index, UN Global Compact and the Carbon Disclosure Project.

At FirstRand level, an Environmental Committee discusses relevant issues and reports to various executive committees, as well as the Board of FirstRand Bank. There is also a Group Environmental, Health and Safety Manager who manages environmental issues for the bank.

FNB's Environmental, Health and Safety representatives have to undergo formal training that includes a module on environmental management, with a pass rate of 90%. An online learning module about the importance of environmental management and FNB's environmental initiatives is also made available to all new employees.

Every business unit has a compliance officer, who reports on any non-compliance issues. Compliance with environmental legislative requirements and the group's sustainability reporting (excluding Financial Sector Charter reporting) are audited by FNB's internal auditors. The bank is also audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers on environmental management, ISO 14001:2004 standards. Financial Sector Charter Reporting is audited annually by Sizwe Ntsaluba VSP.

Suppliers and other third parties

FNB actively engages with suppliers and contractors on environmental issues, and will in future include our customers and other interested parties.
Our Purchasing and Supply Management policies insist on the sustainability of all operations.
We engage our suppliers on environmental issues and support them in implementing initiatives that improve their SRI Index on the JSE.
We are currently evaluating the use of recycled paper in conjunction with our paper supplier, Bytes Document Solutions, as well as Sappi and Mondi.
Due to the large volumes of printing done at FNB, issues in terms of manufacturer's warranties and guarantees on printing equipment arise when recycled paper is used. We have engaged with the suppliers of these machines to test the acceptance of recycled paper, reduce paper consumption and eliminate the use of paper made from hardwoods.
FNB is currently in the final stages of choosing an IT consumable supplier and the tender process has included issues such as collecting and recycling printer cartridges, ribbons and other consumables, as well as other waste management planning.
In future, all FNB's tender processes will include a section on the prospective supplier's environmental policies, as well as other sustainability issues. Regular reporting on strategy development initiatives will be required from suppliers.
Training material about the bank's environmental management objectives is being prepared for contractors and suppliers.

Paper saving initiatives

The nature of our business is paper-intensive and FNB is constantly looking for ways to minimise and manage the utilisation of this resource.

Electronic statements: The bank offers our customers the option of receiving their monthly credit card and cheque account statement electronically, rather than in paper format. We have introduced a reduced electronic service fee incentive to encourage our customers to move to electronic channels. As a result of the switch to electronic statements, we reduced our paper consumption by 22,354kg in the last financial year. The knock-on effects of this change include a reduction in the use of printing ink and equipment, as well as envelopes, postage and associated processes.

Recycled paper: FNB has piloted the use of recycled paper in many areas of Head Office operations. Educational initiatives regarding efficient printing methods, such as the re-use of paper, duplex and similar printing, have been run. Employees have been encouraged to make use of online information, rather than printing documents. We are currently considering using recycled paper for our letterheads and branded documents. To encourage the recycling of white paper, employees at the head office, BankCity, have been provided with special bins at their workstations to deposit recyclable material.

Energy and water conservation

Energy saving initiatives: As the largest concentration of our employees is at BankCity, our head office, a number of initiatives have been implemented there to promote energy savings. The results of this have been incredible, with BankCity achieving a benchmark saving of around R300,000 per month in 2005. All lights in BankCity have been changed to energy saving globes and triple tube lights have been replaced with double tubes. The air conditioning system has been optimised to use less energy, catering equipment has been converted from electricity to gas where possible, and all the lifts in BankCity are being replaced with new models that run off energy efficient motors and use 70% less power.

Water care: Awareness about water conservation is raised through training and internal communications. Water readings are taken regularly at BankCity so that excessive use can be identified and investigated immediately. At BankCity, grey water is directed into a dump, where it is treated before being used in the fountains in the buildings' piazza.

On the record

The FNB Archives Department was established in 1979 to carry out document research and make available to the public the important historical records accumulated by the bank. The archives initially formed part of the FNB Museum. In May 1997, when the museum closed, it was decided to move the Archives to new premises. The Archives cater for a wide variety of researchers from many fields of study, such as economic history, genealogy, economics, banking and management studies.

FNB Archives

The bank's historic records are open to bona fide researchers (restrictions do exist on certain material)

Archival holdings

The historic documents and other sources held by the Archives pertain to FNB and its predecessors, the most important are: The Eastern Province Bank; The Bank of Africa Limited; The Natal Bank Limited; De Nationale Bank van den Oranjevrijstaat/National Bank of the Orange River Colony; De Nationale Bank der Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek Beperkt; The National Bank of South Africa Limited; Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas); Barclays Bank DCO; and Barclays National Bank Limited.

Other core documents include board minutes, branch and head office general ledgers, signature books, directors' reports and balance sheets, annual reports, correspondence photographic collection, and staff and branch records. The Archives also has a small research library containing books dealing mainly with banking and other related subjects.

Archive contact details

Telephone / fax — Tel: 011 352 8684, Fax: 011 352 8633.

Postal address — The Archivist, PO Box 1153, Johannesburg, 2000.

Physical address — 2nd Floor, 78 Market Street, Johannesburg, 2000.

FirstRand Group

FNB forms part of the FirstRand Group, which is the largest listed financial institution in Africa by market capitalisation.

Visit FirstRand website

Being earth-friendly

Our vision is to transform a good business to a great business and to help create a better world. We view sustainability as a business practice that creates value for stakeholders by managing environmental, social and governance factors. We are a values-based organisation, guided by pride, accountability, innovation, Ubuntu and respect, which serve as a guide when making business decisions and in our dealings with all stakeholders, including colleagues, customers, investors, suppliers, the community and the environment.

View FirstRand's reports

FSP Licences

View and download the Financial Service Provider licences for FNB and its divisions.

First National Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited FNB Wealth, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited Commercial, a business unit of First National Bank FNB Insurance Brokers FNB Trust Services (Pty) Ltd FNB Securities (Pty) Ltd

Get in touch

General enquiries 087 575 9404

International calls +27 11 371 3711

Email info@fnb.co.za