Customers across Lagos and nationwide have lamented a major service disruption as one of Nigeria’s biggest banks failed to resume on a Monday after the weekend break.
As a result, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) has issued an update regarding its ongoing transition to a new Finacle Core Banking Application System.
The bank had notified customers that the migration, originally planned to be completed earlier on Monday, is taking longer than planned.
Consequently, all banking channels, including physical branches, were planned to reopen at 12:00 p.m. today instead of the previously scheduled 9:00 a.m.
In a note to customers, GTBank said, “Following our recent notification on the transition to a new and robust suite of Finacle Core Banking Application Systems, we would like to update you that this transition has taken a little longer than planned. As a result, all Banking Channels, including our Branches, originally scheduled to reopen at 9:00 am will now open at 12.00 noon today.”
It is not clear what progress has been made at the time of filing this report. Our correspondents had observed customers unable to access services at the physical branches and virtually, it’s been complaints deluge.
On Friday, GTBank had informed customers about the migration, and was expected to conclude by 9:00 a.m. on Monday, October 14, 2024. This migration was anticipated to cause temporary disruptions in the bank’s digital banking services and branch operations. But this hasn’t happened.
According to previous reports, GTBank’s branches nationwide had closed early on Friday and were expected to reopen this morning.
With the updated timeline, customers will now have to wait until noon or more for full access to the bank’s services.
The bank had earlier mentioned that while core services such as transfers and bill payments would remain available via digital channels during the migration period, other services would be temporarily unavailable.
The delay has sparked a wave of dissatisfaction among customers, particularly concerning the inability to make banking transactions. Many customers took to social media to express their frustrations:
@coderNotifier tweeted,
“Woke up this morning, and my GTBank app is not working. Someone cannot have an emergency on a Monday morning in this country.”
Woke up this morning, and my gtbank app is not working. Someone can not have an emergency on a Monday morning in this country.
— techbroke (@coderNotifier) October 14, 2024
@tuclint expressed deeper frustration, stating,
“I am completely stranded now because @gtbank, which I’ve been using for over 15 years, chose to shut down service without notifying me. I don’t know how many others out there were also left uninformed, but this is wrong and unacceptable.”
I am completely stranded now because @gtbank, which I’ve been using for over 15 years, chose to shut down service without notifying me. I don’t know how many others out there were also left uninformed, but this is wrong and unacceptable.@gtbank_help @CBNNews #NigeriaNews
— 2clint (@tuclint) October 14, 2024
@Joezzys_Space
@gtbank you better fix your network if you know what is good for you
Don’t add to Nigerians problem
@gtbank you better fix your network if you know what is good for you
Don’t add to Nigerians problem
GTBank highlighted that the ongoing transition to the new Finacle Core Banking System is designed to improve the bank’s service delivery, enabling smoother and more efficient customer interactions.
In an earlier statement, the bank emphasized, “Overall, this transition will allow us to drive digital transformation to achieve insights-driven and frictionless interactions at all our Customer Touchpoints; enhancing the quality of customer experience we can deliver to you.” /Additional reports by Nairametrics
