National Bank of Bahrain launches breakthrough digital banking platform

Manama, Bahrain: The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has proudly launched its new and improved mobile app designed to transform and elevate the customers’ digital banking experience, making remote banking both faster and simpler. The app enables seamless account opening, whereby new customers will be able to join the NBB family within minutes anywhere, anytime. The launch took place at an NBB Group internal virtual event hosted yesterday, and falls in line with NBB’s digital strategy that focuses on connecting with customers to provide solutions for a ‘smarter way of life’ through improved accessibility, state-of-the-art technologies, enhanced banking services and lifestyle propositions.

The new NBB digital App, developed in collaboration with NBB’s team of internal qualified professionals and leading technology partners Backbase & Bring, and in partnership with Lenium, a local Fintech company, is a breakthrough in digital banking. The developers created a journey consolidating all digitally available services offered via NBB’s branches into an enhanced one-stop-digital-shop with dynamic features and options designed to simplify the customer banking journey and make banking a part of their lives.

Commenting on the launch, Yaser Alsharifi, Chief Strategy Officer at NBB, said, “With ever evolving customer needs, the continued advancements in digital technologies and the proliferation and adoption of FinTech solutions, financial services have never been more accessible and the need to expand to lifestyle and other demands in an integrated fashion more acute. Our digital strategy focused our attention on developing a platform that can readily address our customers’ needs throughout their life journeys in the most intuitive way possible. In partnering with Backbase, NBB welcomes this fantastic opportunity and our commitment remains to provide our customers with innovative banking and finance solutions.”

The dual-language app was developed using the latest technologies and boasts key differentiators in product diversity - be it accounts, cards, loans and finances, card promotions and reward system - and best-in-class user experience. Its competitive advantage lies in the speed, simplicity and convenience of executing transactions, such as digital onboarding and account opening, which meet globally recognised standards.

Chief Executive of Retail Banking, Subah Abdullatif Al-Zayani, explained, “Customer-centricity remains our key pillar and before designing this new platform, we made it our priority to gather customer feedback and deliver a smart, flexible and adaptive digital tool that would not only solve pain points and eliminate obstacles, but serve to elevate the banking experience of our existing customers beyond traditional banking. We also invite new customers to join NBB seamlessly and securely with simple state-of-the-art onboarding where they can benefit from the vast array of products and services NBB has to offer. Our primary focus has been on new digital propositions that work towards digitalising existing traditional banking products, as well as introducing new digital products as part of the overall eco-system with a primary impact on each customer‘s lifestyle based on their personal needs, offering the right financial solutions to the right customers at the right time. Rewarding our customers digitally is the first step towards becoming more than just a Bank; looking to the future, we see our app heading towards becoming our customer’s financial advisor, rather than simply a banking service.”

“NBB has invested heavily in this application to maintain our position as a sector leader in agile development and future Fintech partnerships. We believe that taking advantage of the latest technologies and combining them with the right ideas and mechanisms will have a positive impact on the financial sector’s digital transformation within the Kingdom, and, subsequently, contribute towards modernising every aspect of the banking experience, in keeping with NBB’s profile as a leading institution in the new digital era of the sector. ” he added.

The integration of a robust digital ecosystem within the Bank’s technology infrastructure has given NBB a leading edge in competitive offerings and digital innovation to empower and fulfill customers’ needs in a fast-paced digital era. For example, one of the features of the application is that, upon download, users will not have to create a new account to log in, but will be able to use their existing details from the current app. Same goes for beneficiaries; customers will not have to update their beneficiary details or re-enter them, all details will simply migrate from the current app into the new one upon login.

NBB’s new comprehensive platform provides the necessary flexibility and agility required to meet the rapidly changing digital requirements with expedited releases.  In the existing release, customers will benefit from an improved registration journey; reduced clicks and speedier results; digital onboarding within minutes (anywhere, anytime) which constitutes the fastest onboarding journey; provision of biometric login access option as well as a password request for added security for returning users; diverse product opening options; instant issuance of debit cards with the option of pick up or direct delivery; easy money transfers; Al Watani rewards and increased chances of winning; full management of debit, credit, prepaid cards; and many more features.

© Press Release 2021