It’s no secret that I am a huge huge fan of FNB. They have constantly been at the forefront of innovation in South Africa, and even brought PayPal to South Africa last year.

This morning they launched, what I reckon is HUGE for smartphones in South Africa, the first dedicated iPhone & Android apps. They are the first bank in South Africa to offer such a value-add, for free.

I downloaded the iPhone app this morning and am well impressed. Security is tight, and you need to confirm your device on the FNB online banking portal before you can access your accounts. Once you have authenticated your device, you need to enter your password everytime you want to use the app. Another thing I found, which makes perfect sense, is that you can’t add new payment recipients, so if anyone steals your phone or forces you, you *can’t* add a new reciepient

From the app store description:

FNB is proud to bring you FNB App, South Africa’s first Smartphone and Tablet Banking Application.

The FNB App is simple to use and provides a convenient, easy and secure way to do your banking anytime and anywhere.

With the FNB App you can:

– Access your banking accounts (view account balances; detailed transaction history)
– Make payments to third parties
– Transfer funds between your accounts
– Other value added services, such as:
– Use Location Based Services to find FNB ATMs or Branches
– Make and receive calls (powered by FNB Connect), including FREE calls to FNB Call Centre’s
– View Forex Rates

Anyone can download the FNB App, but you need to be a FNB customer registered for FNB Online Banking to use the transactional services.

If you are not registered for FNB Online Banking, visit www.fnb.co.za or call us at 087 575 0362

You can download the iPhone app here & the Android app here. Do it !