The Coronavirus pandemic thrust the banking industry into embracing a digital-first mindset globally. With consumers forced to use online banking alternatives, as part of the efforts to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, the use of such solutions has increased dramatically.

This, among other reasons, triggered Bank of Kigali to launch a new and upgraded Internet Banking platform that provides additional features and advantages to its clients. Officials have described the development as one of the pieces of the lender’s digitization journey.

The New Times’ reporter Edwin Ashimwe spoke to Obinna J. Ukwuani, Chief Digital Officer at Bank of Kigali, to cover insights on the new platform, the ongoing migration process, as well as other future digital prospects at the Bank of Kigali.

Excerpts:

How would you explain the difference between changes in the new and old Internet Banking platform?

Our upgraded Internet Banking was entirely built in-house at Bank of Kigali and it offers a superior banking experience to both our Retail and Corporate customers with the ability to timely fix any customer complaints or add more features on demand.

The new platforms have an intuitively designed interface that provides a better customer experience, the ability to perform new transactions like buying foreign currency and processing bulk payments, it provides enhanced security features such as the time-based one-time password (TOTP) and our corporate customers have the ability to execute flexible and complex mandates. Customers will be able to make international funds transfers in the near future.

Customers can also continue to process transactions like bill/utility payments, funds and wallet transfers, bank statements and much more.

Briefly tell us why BK customers should be encouraged to adopt the new platform

The ongoing pandemic gives a better answer. With the current situation, it is important that people maintain their distance. DigitaI platforms such as our upgraded Internet Banking ensure convenience and security. Our customers do not have to leave the comfort of their homes or offices to get access to bank services. In addition to that, our upgraded Internet Banking platform provides more features that will overcome gaps identified in the old platform and the ones identified on the market.

What are some of the strides that support this growth?

Nothing happens overnight, I believe that the Government is making a lot of right steps.

For instance, my team at BK recently complied with the Central Bank’s RIPPS upgrade, a payment processing system geared to make local inter-banks payments more efficient and reliable. What people want is convenience, something they can trust and which is fast. At Bank of Kigali we work tirelessly to provide products and services that address our customers’ needs, thus the upgrade recently done on our Internet Banking platform.

How can customers get on-boarded into the new platform?

Our existing and new Internet Banking users are required to visit their nearest Bank of Kigali branch or call our 24/7 Call Centre for support to get on-boarded. In addition to that, corporate customers can also reach out to their existing Relationship Managers for support.

Customers active on legacy BK Internet Banking platform can attempt to use their current login credentials for the new Internet Banking and when in need of assistance, they can reach out to us through our Call Centre accessible on 4455.

We invite all our existing Internet Banking users to get on-boarded before July 31, 2021 and our dedicated teams are available to facilitate a swift on-boarding process.

What is the next big development Rwandans should expect from BK’s digitization journey?

We are working night and day to improve the services. There is a day where there will be almost no reason for a customer to visit a branch with customers processing all their banking needs online. Such upgrades are on the roadmap and we are just setting a foundation.