FNB expands e-commerce with firstpay portal

KEIKANTSE LESEMELA
Correspondent | Monday April 2, 2012 00:00

Speaking at the launch on Friday, FNBB's Director of e-Solutions, Constance Storom, said their FirstPay Portal was the first in Botswana and that it allows FNBB and Non-FNBB customers to pay their utilities and other services online using a debit or a credit card.

'We are especially pleased to launch FirstPay Portal,' Storom said. 'This is a one stop payment portal that seeks to eliminate cash as the primary means of payment across Botswana.

Any customer can securely and conveniently make utilities and services payments through FirstPay Portal.  'The world of making and receiving payments is evolving. Consumers, businesses and governments are looking for more convenient, efficient and innovative ways to transact and FNB Botswana is at the forefront in responding to the changing landscape.'

Storom explained that merchants should have an account with FNBB, sign an e-Commerce agreement with the bank's Card Division and be set up to receive payments from any customer utilising FirstPay to be in the FirstPay Portal listing. 'To-date we have signed up 20 hotels and lodges and many other retail outlets, all of whom accept any Visa debit and credit card as a form of payment on their websites,' she said.

Storom explained that FNBB is in partnership with other merchants, including vegetable retailers such as Ms Veg, government printers and hotels and they are in the process of extending to other service providers such as fast food outlets. 'The service provides convenience not only to Batswana in Botswana but to Batswana in the Diaspora who need to pay bills from time to time' said Storom.

She explained that the system was designed for utility payments and that they currently had five merchants, namely, BPC, Water Utilities, G4S, Peermont and Multichoice.  'We have linked our system to these service providers in such a way that allows reconnection if you make payments,' Storom said.

FNBB is currently the only bank in Botswana with a Visa International approved e-commerce licence. The licence allows merchants to securely accept Visa Card payments for goods and services bought via the Internet.