United Bank for Africa (UBA) has launched its chat banker, Leo, in pilot mode on WhatsApp, a social media platform.The pan-African financial institution, which recently clinched the Euromoney ‘Best Digital Bank in Africa’ award, said Leo would be available to customers by September 1, 2018.
With Leo now on WhatsApp, customers will be able to open new accounts, check their balances and carry out basic banking services on the go.Speaking about the launch, Group Managing Director of the bank, Kennedy Uzoka, said: “Our customers are at the heart of our business and we, as a bank, are never relenting in matching our words with 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.”
Group Head, Online Banking, Austine Abolusoro, added: “United Bank for Africa is a technology-driven institution with vast knowledge in the business that we do, and Leo, being a tested, dependable and intelligent personality, will replicate on WhatsApp the success it has recorded on the Facebook Messenger platform.“It is a solution that is from the customer’s standpoint, easy to use by anyone regardless of demography.“Leo is ready and waiting to help with any form of banking service.”
Noting that WhatsApp has been in existence for over nine years, reaching more than 1.5 billion people in over 180 countries, Abolusoro said “the premium private chat platform has assured that there will be no spam messages, as the development is to enable businesses serve their customers with useful information.”
Leo, who is already present in over 12 African countries, including Nigeria in three languages, will be fully rolled out to customers on WhatsApp in September with all its regular features and extended attributes.
