FirstBank has announced a temporary disruption on its major digital banking channels, preventing some customers from completing transactions.
In a notice issued on Thursday, the bank said the downtime is affecting services on FirstMobile, FirstOnline, and its *894# USSD platforms.
“Please be informed that we are currently experiencing some downtime affecting transactions to other banks on FirstMobile, FirstOnline, and USSD platforms. Customers may therefore experience delayed or declined transactions”, the circular read.
The bank apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers that its technical team, working with partner service providers, is making every effort to restore full services as quickly as possible.
“We regret the inconveniences this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.
“Our team is working with our partners to restore services as quickly as possible, and we will provide updates once services are fully restored”, the bank added.
The disruption comes less than two months after FirstBank launched facial biometric authentication on its FirstMobile app, aimed at improving customer experience and boosting security.
The feature enables customers to register and activate their devices without needing a debit card.
Equipped with advanced facial recognition and anti-spoofing technology, it is designed to safeguard users against impersonation and fraud.
FirstBank explained that the biometric upgrade serves a wide range of customers, including new account holders without debit cards, diaspora clients, card-free users, and those with lost or expired cards.
By broadening onboarding options, the bank said it aims to make transfers, bill payments, and other digital transactions more seamless and secure for its more than 42 million customers.
