J
Joshua Fagbemi
Guest
Nigeria’s premier commercial bank, First Bank has announced plans to transition to a new cloud-based procurement and financial platform as part of plans to improve services nationwide.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the migration is scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 26 and last until Monday, November 4. The process is set to affect over 42 million customers nationwide, preparing their minds for the disruptions ahead.
Part of the notice reads: “As part of the bank’s continuous investments to improve operational efficiencies and service experience, we will be transitioning from our current procurement and financial platforms to a new cloud-based platform that provides additional capabilities and benefits.
“The cut-over period will be from Saturday, October 26, 2024, to Sunday, November 3, 2024, while the new cloud-based solution will be live on Monday, November 4, 2024, and normal activities will resume,” the bank stated.
The bank added that to aid its transition process, several banking activities will be suspended. “During the cut-over period, certain activities and transactions will need to be suspended to aid housecleaning and safe migration of transactions with minimal disruption.”
It also pointed out that during this period, submission of invoices on its current Electronic Banking Suite will not be available.
“Payments will only be processed if invoices are submitted for received purchase orders by Friday, October 25, 2024,” the release reads.
In addition to its system transitioning process, First Bank stated that its current supplier portal will no longer be available until November 4.
Furthermore, the bank noted that it would provide further communication on the details of the new Supplier Portal, along with a job card. This will come ahead of the system’s go-live date on Monday, November 4, 2024.
“Kindly note to take proactive steps as indicated above to avoid business disruption during this critical period. Further details regarding onboarding, training, and user guides will be communicated before the end of the week,” the bank explained.
This announcement by First Bank follows several system upgrades to a new core banking system by Nigerian commercial banks. Customers have since experienced several disruptions, and more are likely to come.
Since September, about five major banks in the country have switched their core banking applications, including tier-1 lenders such as Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Sterling Bank and Access Bank.
DeFi is unbundling traditional finance
Nigerian bank customers are set to witness more service disruptions in the coming weeks and months as the financial institutions are embarking on system upgrades to improve their operational efficiency and enhance customer experience.
While a few of the banks have already made the switch with the attendant issues of customers not being able to transact or access their funds, sources from the banking industry said more banks are in the process of starting their core banking system migration as they all race to strengthen their technology infrastructure.
Just like disruptions experienced by customers of foregoing banks, First Bank’s customers are set to witness a 10-day service glitch.
Reacting to a post on X, several reactions had emerged. For example, Simileoluwa Liyele (@SimiLiyele) said on X:
This is my cue to migrate. I can’t suffer the Zenith Bank experience again.
Similarly, Bellatrix’s nemesis (@jols04) wrote:
Nd na my salary account be this, I can’t bear this God!
Another user, B_luthur8 (@B_Luthur8) wrote:
New Banking platforms. Not possible.
And, another customer, mofesakin (@Mofesakin1) said:
Ah
I neither have the bank app nor the atm card
Let me just screenshot my balance
Also Read: GTBank’s system upgrade is leaving a trail of transaction woes
The post First bank announces 10 days shut down for cloud platform update first appeared on Technext.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the migration is scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 26 and last until Monday, November 4. The process is set to affect over 42 million customers nationwide, preparing their minds for the disruptions ahead.
Part of the notice reads: “As part of the bank’s continuous investments to improve operational efficiencies and service experience, we will be transitioning from our current procurement and financial platforms to a new cloud-based platform that provides additional capabilities and benefits.
“The cut-over period will be from Saturday, October 26, 2024, to Sunday, November 3, 2024, while the new cloud-based solution will be live on Monday, November 4, 2024, and normal activities will resume,” the bank stated.
The bank added that to aid its transition process, several banking activities will be suspended. “During the cut-over period, certain activities and transactions will need to be suspended to aid housecleaning and safe migration of transactions with minimal disruption.”
It also pointed out that during this period, submission of invoices on its current Electronic Banking Suite will not be available.
“Payments will only be processed if invoices are submitted for received purchase orders by Friday, October 25, 2024,” the release reads.
Shutdown of Supplier Portal
In addition to its system transitioning process, First Bank stated that its current supplier portal will no longer be available until November 4.
Furthermore, the bank noted that it would provide further communication on the details of the new Supplier Portal, along with a job card. This will come ahead of the system’s go-live date on Monday, November 4, 2024.
“Kindly note to take proactive steps as indicated above to avoid business disruption during this critical period. Further details regarding onboarding, training, and user guides will be communicated before the end of the week,” the bank explained.
Nigerian banks upgrade: more to come
This announcement by First Bank follows several system upgrades to a new core banking system by Nigerian commercial banks. Customers have since experienced several disruptions, and more are likely to come.
Since September, about five major banks in the country have switched their core banking applications, including tier-1 lenders such as Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Sterling Bank and Access Bank.
DeFi is unbundling traditional finance
Nigerian bank customers are set to witness more service disruptions in the coming weeks and months as the financial institutions are embarking on system upgrades to improve their operational efficiency and enhance customer experience.
While a few of the banks have already made the switch with the attendant issues of customers not being able to transact or access their funds, sources from the banking industry said more banks are in the process of starting their core banking system migration as they all race to strengthen their technology infrastructure.
First Bank System Transition: Customers’ Reactions
Just like disruptions experienced by customers of foregoing banks, First Bank’s customers are set to witness a 10-day service glitch.
Reacting to a post on X, several reactions had emerged. For example, Simileoluwa Liyele (@SimiLiyele) said on X:
This is my cue to migrate. I can’t suffer the Zenith Bank experience again.
Similarly, Bellatrix’s nemesis (@jols04) wrote:
Nd na my salary account be this, I can’t bear this God!
Another user, B_luthur8 (@B_Luthur8) wrote:
New Banking platforms. Not possible.
And, another customer, mofesakin (@Mofesakin1) said:
Ah
I neither have the bank app nor the atm card
Let me just screenshot my balance
Also Read: GTBank’s system upgrade is leaving a trail of transaction woes
The post First bank announces 10 days shut down for cloud platform update first appeared on Technext.