AU Bank launches account opening on WhatsApp

AU Small Finance Bank has announced the rollout of their Savings Bank Account opening process initiated with WhatsApp. This service is powered by Karix Mobile using an advanced multi-channel conversational and compute platform. Using Karix’s versatile platform, AU Bank’s interested customers will be able to initiate the opening of their savings account in less than 5 minutes using an interactive chat-like interface on WhatsApp.

This service is an extension of AU Bank’s brand values that revolve around financial inclusion and offering an uncomplicated banking experience to its customers. This will be one of the many interactive services that the Bank is planning to launch on WhatsApp. Powered by Karix Mobile’s Actionable Messaging Compute platform, AU Bank will now be able to drive two-way conversations, automate and enhance customer experience processes and create micro engagements with their customers using the WhatsApp Business solution.

Speaking on the launch of this service, Sanjay Agarwal, MD and CEO, AU Small Finance Bank, said: “WhatsApp has become a part of the day-to-day life of people all over the world in a very short span. It offers a host of features through its user-friendly interface. Considering the huge impact it has created in people’s lives, we at AU Bank, decided to use this platform for people to engage with our potential audience. While it is an important step in our mission to simplify banking through digital solutions, we are optimistic this will enhance the way people see banking in India.”

Deepak Goyal, COO at Karix Mobile explains: “Partnering with AU Bank to deliver this disruptive WhatsApp banking service was a privilege. Introducing banking services on a messaging app is always a challenging task, given that there are various applications and processes in the backend that need to be connected and automated securely. We take great pride in this deployment and are very excited to see how this service is received.”

WhatsApp as a platform has been accepted widely by India (and more importantly by ‘Bharat’) to communicate and interact for their daily needs. The Bank believes that there is still a lot of potential for businesses to use technology to connect with the Indian masses, especially in tier 2-4 locations, where WhatsApp plays an important role in removing hurdles of digital adoption. By allowing customers to initiate banking services on a messaging app that has 200 million monthly active users in India, AU Small Finance Bank is transforming the banking industry by taking the bank to where the customer is.

“Keeping customers at the core, AU Bank is continuously exploring means to make banking simple and convenient. A vast percentage of our savings accounts are already being opened through our tab-based application. By adopting newer technologies in our daily operations, the endeavor is to make our Bank a preferred choice for customers. WhatsApp is a widely used messaging app across all segments of the country. This initiative helps in providing a safe, seamless and contextual customer experience for inclusive banking,” concluded Mr. Uttam Tibrewal, Executive Director, AU Small Finance Bank.