National Bank of Oman introduces first-of-its kind interactive robot

Marking an exciting milestone on its digital leadership journey, National Bank of Oman (NBO) has launched an interactive robot, the first of its kind in the Sultanate’s banking industry. The intelligent humanoid robot will perform a range of functions including greeting and recognising customers, assisting them in using the services of the bank, and providing answers to queries, it is set to showcase the bank’s forward-thinking approach, complementing its expanding digital portfolio.
“Innovation has always been our driving force and as such we have welcomed the disruptive potential of new technology and the changes it brings with open arms,” said Faizal Mohamed Eledath, Chief Transformation Officer, at NBO. “We are now introducing an artificial intelligence based humanoid robot to augment the branch experience for our customers, to appeal to the tech-savvy nature of the next generation, and to ensure our products and services are in keeping with a bank fit for the future. Of course, at the same time, it brings a little bit of fun to our branches.”
The robot is the latest in a string of technological innovations NBO has introduced including contactless cards, digital on-boarding, and Badeel pre-paid cards for non-NBO customers. As a digital leader, the bank has also been recognised through a number of awards for innovation. In the last couple of weeks, the bank has been recognised as a finalist for the coveted Gartner Eye on Innovation EMEA Awards, and won the Best Innovation Centre by the Asian Banker Awards. The bank was also awarded the Best Prepaid Card of the Year, Best Prepaid Product of the Year, and Card Innovation of the Year from the Middle East Card and Payments Leadership Awards, in addition to the Best Mobile Banking Application — Oman 2019 from International Business Magazine.