CJ Giddy, Head of RMB’s Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities division, has said that this year, more than ever, FICC is focussing on client service and growing our product offering. “We need to follow our clients into Africa and its trade corridors and provide them with the on-the-ground knowledge and expertise they’ve come to expect from FICC in South Africa.”

We know our clients face myriad risks every working day but RMB FICC offers solutions to protect a full suite of financial market risk.

Interest rate risk
Changing interest rates can reduce your investment returns or increase your borrowing costs.

Currency risk
Fluctuating exchange rates can increase the domestic costs of running your business, reduce your earnings or affect the value of your offshore assets.

Liquidity risk
Short-term cash flow problems without access to bridging finance can push your company to the brink.

Commodity risk
Unforeseen changes in prices could affect your earnings or increase your input costs especially within the commodities space.

Credit risk
Changing credit spreads can reduce your investment returns or increase your borrowing costs.

The vision, drive and complementary strengths of this trio transformed the fledgling outfit into one of South Africa's leading investment banks and most powerful brands.

Today, Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited, has a full-service product offering, over 1,000 employees and an impressive track record in profitability and innovation.

The RMB acronym is used by other businesses in the wider FirstRand Group, including RMB Private Bank, RMB Asset Management and RMB Private Equity.

The three founders still play active roles in the FirstRand Group.

GT Ferreira, Laurie Dippenaar and Pat Goss form a small company called Rand Consolidated Investments (RCI), specialising in leveraged leasing and off-balance-sheet financing. Paul Harris joins soon after formation.
RCI merges with Johann Rupert's Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) – a move which kick-starts its growth.
In a reverse takeover, RMB buys Momentum Life, a company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
RMB enters the sphere of retail banking in a newly democratic South Africa, ultimately leading to the creation of FirstRand, one of the country's largest listed financial services groups. The financial services interests of Anglo American and RMB Holdings are combined to form the FirstRand Group.
Rand Merchant Bank contributes R2.6 billion towards the FirstRand Group's pre-tax profits of over R15 billion.

SOUTH AFRICA

AFRICA

INTERNATIONAL

JOHANNESBURG

Postal Address
PO Box 786273
Sandton 2146
South Africa

Switchboard: +27 11 282 8000
Fax: +27 11 282 8008
Email: ficc@rmb.co.za

CAPE TOWN

Postal Address
PO Box 911
Cape Town
8000
South Africa

Phone: +27 21 658 9305
Fax: +27 21 658 9316

PORT ELIZABETH

Postal Address
PO Box 64083
Greenacres
Port Elizabeth 6057
South Africa

Phone: +27 41 374 1750
Fax: +27 41 374 1760

DURBAN

Postal Address
PO Box 4130
The Square
Umhlanga Rocks 4320
South Africa

Phone:
+27 31 580 6390 (Money Market)
+27 31 580 6410 (Forex)

Stellenbosch

Postal Address
PO Box Box 1208
Stellenbosch
7599
South Africa

Phone: +27 21 888 8311
Fax: +27 21 886 5034

NAMIBIA

Phone: +264  61 299 2265
Email: michellevw@fnbnamibia.com.na

BOTSWANA

Phone: +267 364 2884
Email: treasury@fnbbotswana.co.bw

MOZAMBIQUE

Phone: +258 21 356921
Email: ebrahim.motala@fnb.co.mz

SWAZILAND

Phone: +268 404 2800
Email: kdlamini@fnb.co.za

ZAMBIA

UNITED KINGDOM

Phone: +44 20 7939 1700
Fax: +44 20 7939 1728

CHINA

Phone: +86 216 210-0909
Fax: +86 216 210 0993
Email: zhu.jin@firstrand.co.za

INDIA

Phone: +91 22 6625 8603/8701
Email: dhiraj.singh@firstrand.co.in

The Group is unlike other financial services providers having a decentralised structure and owner-manager culture. There are a number of leading financial services franchises within the Group, such as Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), First National Bank (FNB), WesBank, Momentum and OUTsurance.

FirstRand was created in April 1998 when the financial services interests of Anglo American merged with RMB Holdings Limited. At the time, Anglo American and Momentum controlled First National Bank and Southern Life as well as Discovery Health, while RMB Holdings controlled Rand Merchant Bank.

Momentum changed its name to FirstRand Limited and was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on 25 May 1998. A day later it was listed on the Namibia Stock Exchange.

For more information, go to www.firstrand.co.za

• Childline Gauteng safe house project http://www.childlinesa.org.za
• LEAP Science And Maths School Alexandra http://www.leapschool.org.za

RMB FICC is actively involved in the Childline Sunlight Safe House project, not only by raising funds but by changing the lives of the volunteer foster mothers who provide safe and loving environments for abandoned children and those who have had to be removed from their families.

HIV/AIDS experts reckon there are 1 million AIDS orphans. The number of children who have been abandoned as a result of HIV and are in need of care has escalated dramatically in the past two years. The Sunlight Safe House Project is designed to provide care for HIV positive children and we have earmarked two specific safe houses for these children. This national crisis will have a major impact on our society and we hope to make a small contribution to the resolution of the problem.

Recently three courageous FICC members ran the JP Morgan challenge in chicken, egg and cow suits and raised over R70,000! The money will be used to make sure that the foster houses are painted and that basic home maintenance needs are addressed.

We also held a Spring party for the children and their foster mothers towards the end of 2008 and where we fulfilled wish lists from the mothers. We have also collected donations of clothes and toys for the children.

LEAP: Our involvement in the LEAP Science and Maths Schools is inspired by their vision to focus on maths and science education in previously disadvantaged communities. LEAP does not only focus on the education of the child but also invests in their personal development so that they will become successful and socially responsible citizens. They aim to substantially increase the number of students who achieve Bachelor Qualification Senior Certificate passes in maths and science so that they can have access to a full range of tertiary education opportunities.

FICC participated in LEAP's holiday programme where a day was dedicated to our team. We brought motivational speakers from RMB, provided insight into the global and local economic outlook as well as a speaker in the travel field who gave the children a look at the world beyond South Africa's borders.

We also plan to help the children to build their own veggie tunnel to encourage self-sufficiency.