South African bank First National Bank has announced that 58 of its branches located in malls will now be open for business on Sundays.

FNB’s chief executive officer of Points of Presence Lee -Anne Van Zyl explained that only their branches in the Gauteng Province are planned to be open on Sunday.

In a statement the bank said it expects footfall to increase at branches due to the extension of hours. Branches are adequately staffed and processes have been put in place to assist frontline staff in managing increased foot traffic, the bank stated.

“The decision to extend business hours at FNB branches is based on demand by our customers; we wanted to ensure we service them at times and locations that are convenient for them… While branch hours are being extended, our digital channels remain key platforms of banking and will be accessible at branches or remotely because they are central to FNB’s banking ecosystem. ” says Lee -Anne Van Zyl, CEO of FNB Points of Presence.

Van Zyl added, “The branches that will operate on Sundays will not offer teller services; we will have staff on the ground to assist customers with their queries when using our digital platforms. Despite not having teller presence customers will still be able to conduct their banking as normal.”

The branches that will be operating over extended hours:
* 159 will operate from 08h00 – 17h30 (Monday – Friday) and 08h00 – 13h00 on Saturdays.
* 58 branches out of this group will operate on Sundays. These branches are located in malls around Gauteng.
* 43 will extend hours from 09h00 – 16h00 (Monday-Friday) and 08h00 – 13h00 on Saturdays
* The branch at Wits University will now operate from 09:h00 – 16:00 but will be closed on Sundays