Emirates NBD to launch Voice Banking through Amazon Alexa

Dubai: Emirates NBD customers in the UAE will soon be able to get banking updates, track spends as well as listen to daily market briefings on their Amazon Alexa devices, as the bank continues to lead digital innovation in the MENA region with new Voice Banking solutions powered by “Amazon Web Services” (AWS).

Using the Emirates NBD skill for Amazon Alexa, customers will be able to ask for their account and credit card balances, as well as details of their recent transactions using conversational language through an Amazon,  Echo smart speaker from the comfort of their home or office. The service can also be accessed on the go with Amazon Alexa enabled headsets or through the mobile phone using the Amazon Alexa App. A daily curated summary of investments related news and global market updates from the bank’s Chief Investment Officer will also be available. Further, customers would be able to obtain information on signing up for new products such as a loan or a card instalment plan as well as on other general programs and initiatives the bank is engaged in. To get started, customers can just say ‘Alexa, open Emirates NBD’.

Emirates NBD Voice Banking has been co-created along with customers under the bank’s Better Together program whereby selected patrons were engaged to assist with developing and beta testing the innovation.  The service utilises Application Program Interfaces (APIs) built-in line with established open banking standards, allowing the exchange of financial information while upholding strict guidelines of security and privacy for users.

“Emirates NBD has always been at the forefront of banking innovations and Voice Banking is another step in this direction as we utilize new technologies to enhance overall customer experiences”, said Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President and Group Head – Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD.  “Customers are increasingly looking to connect with banks using natural speech as it provides significantly enhanced convenience and our introduction of Voice Banking is a step towards building an AI-based conversational ecosystem for our customers across all touchpoints”.

The new service builds on Emirates NBD’s collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), announced earlier this year, to leverage AWS’ artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and other technologies as well as cloud computing services to better engage with customers and simplify banking.