UBA launches chat banking on WhatsApp

06 Sep 2018
Financial Nigeria

Summary

UBA launched its Chat Banking solution in collaboration with Clickatell Transact.

Group Managing Director, United Bank for Africa, Kennedy Uzoka

The United Bank for Africa (UBA), in collaboration with Clickatell Transact, a division of the Clickatell Group, has launched its Chat Banking solution on the WhatsApp platform. The solution, known as ‘Leo’, went live on Tuesday.

With the service, customers can now conduct their banking activities in a secure and convenient manner by communicating with the bank in a verified WhatsApp chat.

“Our customers are at the heart of our business,” said, Kennedy Uzoka, UBA's Group Managing Director. “We, as a bank, are never relenting in matching our words with equal action. In today’s fast-paced world with demands for quick responses, our aim is to make banking seamless and effortless for our millions of existing and potential customers.”

‘Leo’ on WhatsApp is made possible through Clickatell Transact’s Control platform and integrated with the WhatsApp Business API. Customers can chat with ‘Leo’ via this number: +2349030002455.

The Control platform for Chat Banking allows banks to roll out commonly used banking activities like checking balances, money transfer and purchasing digital products and services across popular communication channels like USSD, and now WhatsApp.

In July, Clickatell had also enabled Absa Bank, a South African financial institution, launch its Chat banking service on WhatsApp.

“United Bank for Africa is a technology-driven institution with vast knowledge in the business (of banking),” said the UBA Group Head – Online Banking, Austine Abolusoro. “And Leo, being a tested dependable and intelligent personality, will replicate on WhatsApp, the success it has experienced on the Facebook Messenger platform. It is a solution that come from the customer’s standpoint, easy to use by anyone regardless of your demography.”

Clickatell, in a statement on Thursday, noted that the introduction of Chat Banking is accelerating the banking adoption curve by eliminating the business and operational overhead required to roll out convenience banking across popular communication channels and in different countries.

Nigeria, according to the statement, is ground zero for global financial inclusion with a rapid move from the informal economy to the formal sector. The company said 46.9 million, equivalent of 48.6 percent, Nigerian adults are formally served by banks.

“Clickatell’s mission is to help its clients be on the forefront with not just innovative services, but also operationally reliable and scalable products which offers convenient services for their customers,” Jeppe Dorff, Managing Director and Executive Vice President of Clickatell’s Transact division said. “We are building on the exceptional momentum we have seen in Africa and have an exciting roster of banks going live with the Transact platform across Africa in the coming quarters.”



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