“Too Expensive”: SA Reacts As FNB Slaps Business Customers With Huge Fee for Emailed Bank Statements

• FNB introduced a new R25 monthly fee for business customers getting statements by email
• The bank announced the change in June 2026, but it only kicked in on 1 July
• Angry customers flooded social media, with some threatening to switch banks over the charge

FNB has started charging business banking customers a new R25 monthly fee for emailed statements. The change took effect on 1 July 2026 in South Africa, catching many customers off guard.

Twitter user Ndzavi Derrick shared a post about the fee on 15 July 2026. The post said FNB now charges business account holders R25 a month for emailed statements. It quickly got attention, with many South Africans reacting to the news online.

The bank first announced the update in its annual pricing guide back in June 2026. However, most customers only found out once they received the actual billing notice. FNB says the R25 fee applies per business entity every month. It stays the same no matter how many statement cycles or emails go out.

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Customers left with fewer options to avoid the fee

Several small business owners hit out at the bank after the post spread. Propulsion founder Francois du Toit said the existing bank fees should already cover something as small as an email. He said FNB should rather have scrapped emailed statements completely instead of charging for them.

FNB removed the old self-service option that let customers turn off email statements themselves. Business owners must now request the change through FNB’s Secure Chat feature. Only bank staff can process the request from their side. Customers are advised to keep screenshots of any confirmation, since chat records only go back two months.

FNB told MyBroadband the move supports its wider digital strategy. The bank said customers benefit from added convenience and security on its digital channels. It added that statements remain free through the FNB app and online banking.

Reactions to Derrick’s post were largely negative. Many customers pointed out that other banks still offer free emailed statements. Some said they were already considering switching to competitors like Capitec.

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Source: Briefly News