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Financial Services · Retail and commercial banking

First National Bank

FNB is the South African banking division of FirstRand Bank Limited. Its predecessor history is older than the FirstRand group formed in 1998.

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FNB signage beside Bank City’s stone archway in Johannesburg.
Bank City, photographed on 24 September 2013. Resized and converted to WebP without cropping. Photo: Thuvack / Wikimedia Commons · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0. Adapted WebP under the same licence.

First National Bank, or FNB, trades in South Africa as a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. This record covers the banking franchise, not a second listed FirstRand parent company. [4]

History

FNB traces its predecessor banking roots to 1838. Its archive preserves records from several earlier banking institutions. This long operating history must be distinguished from the modern group’s formation in 1998. [4]

The 1998 merger brought the FNB holding company into the new group. The listing particulars describe its existing retail, corporate and other financial activities, rather than a bank created from nothing at the merger. [1]

Brand and legal bank

The June 1999 restructuring notice retained FNB as a separately branded division while consolidating banking activity in FirstRand Bank. The legal bank name and customer-facing brand therefore perform different roles. [2]

FNB’s current public disclosure still identifies it as a FirstRand Bank division, checked on 16 October 2026. This does not mean every similarly branded overseas operation is the same South African legal entity. [4]

Historical evidence

The bank established its archives department in 1979. Its own account says the museum closed in May 1997 and the archives moved. These collections help distinguish predecessor history from later group transactions. [4]

Frequently asked questions

Did FirstRand’s founders establish FNB in 1838?

No. The group formed in 1998, while FNB traces an older predecessor history. [4][3]

Is FNB a separate South African legal bank from FirstRand Bank?

Its own disclosure describes it as a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. [4]

Key milestones

  1. Earliest banking roots identified by FNB’s historical account, not a modern incorporation date. [4]

  2. The FNB holding company entered the group formed through the merger. [1]

  3. The banking name-change plan retained the FNB trading identity. [2]

Related articles

Related institutions

  • FirstRand — FirstRand is a South African financial-services group formed through a merger in 1998. Its founding trio was GT Ferreira, Laurie Dippenaar and Paul Harris.
  • Rand Merchant Bank — RMB is a corporate and investment banking business and a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. Discovery records RMB’s support at its establishment in 1992.
  • FirstRand Bank — The South African legal banking subsidiary wholly owned by FirstRand Limited, with separately branded banking operations including FNB and RMB.

Sources

  1. FirstRand, via JSE SENS, Revised listing particulars: merger completion and name change, 1998-05-25. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩
  2. FirstRand, via JSE SENS, Formation of banking group: legal entity and retained brands, 1999-06-24. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩
  3. FirstRand, Chairman’s report 2018: founding trio and board retirements. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩
  4. First National Bank, About FNB: historical roots, archives and legal division. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩