Bereng Mpaki
NEDBANK Lesotho wants to turn its clients into investors by offering them shares in the financial services provider.
This was revealed by Nedbank’s board chairperson Matjato Moteane during a gala dinner in Maseru last week to celebrate the financial institution’s 20th anniversary of operating in the country.
Nedbank Lesotho Limited is a subsidiary of the Nedbank Group, a South African banking group that is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Mr Moteane said the bank’s management was committed to ensuring that Basotho did not just remain as clients but became shareholders.
“Basotho should not just be depositors but shareholders. That is what we are committed to going forward,” he said.
Mr Moteane, who started off as a client and later became a board member before being appointed its chairperson, further indicated that the bank needed to increase its reach to serve more people in Lesotho.
Currently, the bank has 10 branches, with three in Maseru and one each in Berea, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, Maputsoe, Hlotse, Butha-Buthe and Roma. It also has 31 ATMs across the country.
“We also want to see the bank having a bigger customer reach, although this may be possible through usage of digital platforms. That is a vision we have for this bank going forward,” he said.
Reflecting on the bank’s 20-year journey, Chief Executive Officer PJ Bouwer said they had done well to become the second largest financial institution in terms of assets in the country.
The bank, he said, had also developed a reputation of pioneering innovations in the local banking sector.
Some of the pioneering products and services include internet banking, a fully managed local credit card, and certified fully mobile point-of-sale solution designed for businesses.
Nedbank Lesotho is the first and still only bank to offer Cash Online solution for corporate clients and the first bank to introduce Sunday opening times at the Pioneer Mall branch.
Added to that, the bank financed Lesotho’s first major shopping centre, Pioneer Mall, and was the first corporate sponsor of the first local golf tournament in Lesotho, the Nedbank Mohokare Golf Classic.
Long-time client, Mohlabi Tsekoa, urged the bank to continue offering clients the high quality services it provides.
“I implore this bank to continue with the good work for the last two decades of providing an efficient banking system in Lesotho,” he said, adding that they should extend their footprint in Mokhotlong.
“There is a booming wool and mohair industry in Mokhotlong, and diamond mining is taking place along with the construction of the Polihali Dam.
“I would like to see Nedbank present there too, to ensure it is not just a Maseru bank but for the entire country,” Mr Tsekoa added.
