Chairman’s Message
“Afghanistan is a promising nation with the youngest population in the world. Thanks to its abundance in both natural and human resources, it remains to be a top country for investment.”
Over the past few years, The First MicroFinance Bank – Afghanistan (FMFB-A) has demonstrated strong capabilities in serving individuals, MSMEs, and corporate and international organizations operating in urban and rural areas in the country.
On the other hand, Islamic banking has grown dramatically in the region and around the world in the last decade and FMFB-A as a fully Shari’ah-compliant bank is proud to be a part of this global phenomenon.
Supported by the strength and reputation of our Shareholders, Partners, and dedicated employees, we thrive on our tradition of professionalism, strong understanding of people’s financial needs, and proven track record of helping our clients achieve business growth and profitability.
Despite the obstacles our industry faced due to the pandemic and the recent political change, FMFB-A remains committed to developing Shari’ah-compliant products and services to support individuals, businesses, and corporate clients further.
In terms of innovation, our introduction of digital means of interacting with clients has defined the future outlook of the bank. In the last year, we have reached important digital minestrones, such as the installation of ATMs, issuance of AfPay Cards, and launch of Debit MasterCard. These additions will not only minimize our operational costs and diversify our client base, but they will also optimize and enhance the overall quality of banking in Afghanistan.
Similarly, the imminent launch of phone banking, debit cards, internet banking for corporate customers, SMS banking, and integration with Roshan’s M-Paisa e-wallet will strengthen the e-money ecosystem.
As our Bank seeks to grow and evolve, these enhancements are crucial for our digital transformation, FMFB-A continues to invest in technology-driven compliance and customer management tools to create products and services that are secure, user-friendly, and beneficial for our client base. It is also important to mention that these changes would not be possible without the steadfast dedication of our staff who are willing to make the vision of the bank sustainable for the years ahead.
Our approach is based on the conviction that the most important ingredient of long-term success in banking is to enjoy the constant trust of our stakeholders and the most important of whom are our customers.
In 2021, we launched our Debit MasterCard and a wide range of Shari’ah-compliant products and services and aim to further expand our range of product offerings and improve our service proposition. In turn, this requires significant investment in innovation and transformation. More than that, we recognize the overriding need for us to embed in our culture an ongoing commitment to service quality and fairness, as well as prudent risk management and compliance with local and international norms and regulations.
Afghanistan is a promising nation with one of the youngest populations in the world. This is why we plan to continue investing in our human resources. FMFB-A remains wholeheartedly committed to advancing investment in their capacity development to proactively meet the digital banking transformation challenges through both conventional and e-learning training programs.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank our stakeholders, our faithful customers, and our devoted employees for their expertise and dynamism. We are grateful for our employees who have been quick to identify and adapt to our customer’s needs, helping to soften the economic shock amid a period of profound political and economic change.
Our commitment to the needs of our people speaks for itself. I encourage you to explore our Shari’ah Complaint products and services and know that we are truly standing by our promise and commitment to helping the people of this nation achieve their dreams and goals.
Brampton Mandy,
Chairman