By Olimatou Coker
FirstBank Gambia on Monday officially launched a ‘Ndimbal’ digital salary advance initiative at its Head Office on Kairaba Avenue.
According to the bank, the initiative serves as a milestone in its digital transformation drive to deliver fast, innovative financial solutions.
‘Ndimbal’ is an electronic salary advance service designed to give workers easier and faster access to short-term funds, reducing paperwork and lengthy lending processes.
Managing Director of FirstBank Gambia, Gbenga O Ajibola, said the product is a direct response to customer pain points.
“Many other salary products listen to the cry of our customers because it takes a long time. The turnaround time is a big challenge to us as a bank, and that is why we went ahead to look for ways to make it easier for our customers to obtain this digital salary advance,” Ajibola said.
He said ‘Ndimbal’ is intended to provide quick access to funds when needed through a fully digital application.
Product Manager, Ebrima Jammeh, explained how it works:
“It is available via the bank’s digital channel, that is, the FirstMobile app. The product is fast, easy to access, and you can access it multiple times. That is to say, if you access it once, let’s say you have a need for 5,000 and your limit is 20,000, you can just take your 5,000 to solve your problem. You need another access, as long as your limit is not exhausted you access it multiple times,” Jammeh said.
He noted customers can use the service without paying a fee for the digital platform.
Group Deputy Managing Director, Ini Ebong, said the launch is part of FirstBank’s broader push to expand digital banking and make financial products more convenient.
“I was told here that Ndimbal means help, and I think it’s a very apt name, because it provides ease, provides access, it provides a financial service at a point of need. If you think of yourself as a salaried employee, living between salary payments is a fact of life, and having access to a product that will solve that financial need, whether to pay a bill or meet an unexpected cost, but within minutes, from the comfort of your home,” Ebong said.
FirstBank said ‘Ndimbal’ will give salaried workers a more convenient way to manage short-term financial needs — fast, multiple times, from their phone.