The Bank with the Biggest, and Most, Balls in the World

FNB is attempting to set a Guinness World Record by amassing 150 000 soccer balls in one place over two days.

Dubbed the FNB Save to Score Challenge, the Bank’s stab at the record-breaking achievement flows from its association with the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM of which it is the Official National Supporter.

Pushing the boundaries of innovation, the Bank is now levering the power of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM to highlight key socio-economic issues in South Africa.

“One of the socio-economic challenges we face as a country is our low level of savings, which we recognise is a national priority,” said FNB CEO Michael Jordaan at the launch of the FNB Save to Score Challenge in Johannesburg today.

Jordaan invited South Africans to take part in the Bank’s record-breaking experience by opening an FNB Flexi-Fixed Deposit Account from as little as R100. When the savings reach R500 in invested funds, the account holder will receive an FNB 2010 FIFA World Cup limited edition leather soccer ball. When this increases to R5 000, the account holder will receive the same ball, but this time signed by FNB Brand Ambassador and former Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe.

Based on the increased uptake of investment products in the retail space over the last couple of months, FNB is confident that its Save to Score campaign will raise the level of savings among South Africans.

The campaign kicked today under the watchful eye of SA 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee Chairman Dr Irvin Khoza, FIFA, senior government officials and representatives from other 2010 FIFA World Cup TM commercial affiliates.

Jordaan and Dr Khoza used two upscalers to drop the last 10 of the 150 000 into the 30 tons of 11-metre high giant steel spheres erected on either side of FNB’s BankCity head office piazza along Johannesburg’s Simmonds Street.

“This exciting Guinness World Record attempt will further galvanise our country behind the 2010 FIFA World Cup efforts and we at the 2010 Organising Committee would like commend FNB for continuing their efforts to promote the tournament with yet another innovative campaign,” said Dr Khoza.

The loading of the soccer balls from 25 containers holding 10 000 boxes weighing 63 tons commenced on Saturday when 60 FNB employee volunteers braved the chilly weather to take part in this exciting project.

FNB will match the time and effort they have put into this world record attempt rand for rand, with the proceeds of their labour going towards social causes of their FNB business unit’s choice.

The exercise was as exciting as participating in the Bank’s Save to Score Challenge, which is in support of the National Savings Month in South Africa.

Robert Keip, Head of FNB's Savings and Investment Products, explained that the Flexi Fixed Deposit offering is an investment account currently paying a fantastic interest rate of 8.75% on balances R100 – R9 999 and 10,75% on balances of R10 000.

This rate is linked to prime, which makes it an ideal investment offering for the times we are in. “With interest rates on the rise, there has never been a better time to save. Flexi Fixed really is an alternative to getting into debt; and investing is the right thing to do right now,” said Keip.
He added: “The minimum investment of R100 is part of FNB’s deliberate strategy to lower entry barriers to investments for people who previously did not have access to savings opportunities. This makes Flexi Fixed a very competitive in the market”.

Another salient feature of Flexi Fixed is its flexibility that allows depositors to make two withdrawals of up to 15% of the capital, perform free transactions and make additional deposits via any channel of their choice – including ATMs, Internet, Telephone Banking and Cellphone Banking.

Savings as a percentage of GDP, explained Keip, has been at a low level in South Africa for a sustained period of time. Even when compared with other emerging countries, South Africa still exhibits one of the lowest savings rates.

“It is for this reason, among others, that FNB is at the forefront of efforts to raise savings levels in our country. And what better way to do this than use the power of the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM - the world’s biggest sporting event - to achieve this noble objective”, said Keip.