“The delightfulness of our numerous customers across the country is among the blueprint of the FiBank, at FiBank we placed our customers at high esteemed, in that vein essential and effective quality services is certain. ” she ascertained.
She intimated that her institution had operated in Sierra Leone for considerable period of time with an enviable track record, in terms of transacting businesses with reputable public institutions, and international organizations, coupled with unique and exemplary services in the length and breadth of the country.
The experienced and successful banker maintained that all keen watchers of global trends would confirmed that global banking and finance industry regulation, know your customers requirements have become very strict.
According to her, due to issues of global concern on money laundering and financing terrorism, strict requirements have been placed on sub-Saharan Africa by international corresponding banks, thereby making it extremely difficult to do transactions in the United States dollars.
In View of the challenges ahead, Abagie went on to say that the banking system in order to satisfy international trading needs of its customers had to trade only in Euro denomination transactions, and that in the process of conducting Euro denomination transaction for the financing of international trade, the applied rate in leones for those transactions were Le7, 650 instead of the applicable rate for Euro Le8.000/Euro.
She made it crystal clear that her attention including the management of FiBank was drawn at war of calumny being waged against FiBank by one of the country’s local tabloid, stating that the said publication was just intended to dent the bank’s hard won reputation and public trust it had enjoyed over the years.
“The pull him down syndrome must stop; considering the fact that FiBank is one of the leading employers of the country’s labour force in the banking industry, with seventeen braches in various part of the country, and nine cash points nationwide,” Madam Abagie noted.
The Chief Executive Officer of First International Bank, Asiatu Abagie further stated that negotiations had been completed to renovate a facility in Kabala in the Koinadugu District, to commence banking operations in that part of country, with commitment to quality customer service delivery.
FiBank, she continued had introduced innovated and interactive banking products to satisfy the needs of its various customers , adding that the rate of the Euro was always higher than that of the United States dollars and all transactions for which the USD rates were processed against the Euro, transfers were corrected using the effective and applicable Euro rate.
Concluding, Abagie maintained that she had a strong faith that FiBank would continue to grow from strength to strength, and no amount of media attack would deter the bank from moving on, and would also continue to enrich its shareholders value, while contributing to socio- economic development of Sierra Leone.
