Bank of Kigali on Friday launched a digital service centre at Kigali Heights complex in Kimihurara, Kigali. The centre will be the home of two of the bank’s branches previously housed at Kigali City Towers and at the University of Kigali campus.
Bank of Kigali on Friday launched a digital service centre at Kigali Heights complex in Kimihurara, Kigali.
The centre will be the home of two of the bank’s branches previously housed at Kigali City Towers and at the University of Kigali campus.
The new centre will serve as a model branch that the bank will gradually roll out across its extensive network countrywide in a bid to popularize access to finance services through use of self-service internet powered digital devices.
Speaking at the event, Bank of Kigali chief executive officer Dr Diane Karusisi said that there has been an issue of many people not utilising online services, not because they do not know about them but because they do not know and appreciate the advantages of using them.
"We want to harness the government’s investment into the ICT sector and to see more of our customers embrace technology delivered services such as internet banking,” said Dr Karusisi.
She added that with the pilot model they will be using at this centre to offer their services, they hope that in their near future, this system will be extended to other branches countrywide, starting with Musanze and Kicukiro.
"The centre is also aimed at removing the glass barrier which separates the bank tellers and its customers as a way of maintaining eye contact and direct communication between the bank’s staff and customers.
"In a country as secure as ours, security is not a problem. We have removed the glass barriers to foster more communication and to deepen trust between us and our customers,” Karusisi added.
The Minister for Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana, thanked Bank of Kigali for promoting a cashless and paperless banking model in Rwanda and called upon other banks to promote this cause.
"I thank BK for this incredible innovation it has brought in place for the people of Rwanda to learn online banking and actually embrace it,” said Nsengimana.
He added that with this step, Bank of Kigali is telling the public where the banking future lies, as well as promoting a cashless economy as envisioned by the Government.
The minister also noted that with such digital services, theft is eliminated.
"No more making long lines in the bank, no paper work, no carrying cash and service delivery will always be faster since this can be done on one’s mobile phone, tablets or even on an office computer,” he said.
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