GAME of BOTS: UBA Social Media Superheroes !

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All over the world, the rise of bots and Artificial Intelligence
has been likened to a revolution.

With 1 million subscribers and presence in 16 countries, UBA’s
LEO has taken its place as the leading Artificial Intelligence bot
in the financial services sector in Africa.

Now LEO can do even more with cool new features including Budget
analysis and Spend limit. Learn more about LEO and the new features
tomorrow Monday, Feb. 4th – 9:30am at the Social Media Week.
#LEOatOne #UBAxSMW

Leo at #UBAxSMW
Leo has just turned one and we are celebrating it in a big way at
#SMWLagos. Like any good birthday party, there are lots of freebies
and events to look out for.
Some of the things to look out for include:

Day 1: Meet Leo:
Get to know how Leo has made banking simpler and easier and his
plans for Artificial intelligence in Africa.

Day 2: Spin the Wheel and Win:
Take a selfie with Leo, post and use the #UBAxSMW and spin the
wheel to get a gift.

Day 3: The Leo Treasure Hunt
You could win an iPhone XS! Join the scavenger hunt and follow the
clues to win.

Day 4: Birthdays Make for Great Game Day
Leo likes to play, join him and play all the games you want all day
long.

Day 5: Better You
Stay fit with Leo. A year of greatness done, a future of innovative
banking to go with Leo. Are you fit enough for what’s ahead? Get a
free health check with Leo and win amazing fitness gifts

Alternate Option For Any Of the Days:
Financial Clinic – Share your money problems and he will give you
the best financial advice.

#UBAxSMW
From the 4th – 8th of February, Leo will make a week-long
appearance at the #UBAXSMW, shaping and leading the conversations
on Artificial Intelligence in Africa’s financial services. Leo,
your virtual banking buddy, will be taking you through a week of
remarkable activities.

One year after it was launched, UBA’s Leo has helped
in revolutionising the use of artificial intelligence across
digital banking platforms in Africa, writes Sunday
Ehigiator

It only used to be available on Facebook Messenger, but Leo,
United Bank for Africa’s (UBA) chatbot for banking, was launched
for Whatsapp in September 2018. It was another win for Leo, who has
constantly evolved, since its birth in January 2018, to become one
of the most radical pieces of banking intelligence in the
world.

Features

Versatile and intuitive, Leo has the ability to do a wide range
of things, including funds transfer, call card top-up, checking of
the account balance, retrieval of bank statements and even open an
account for new customers.

For customers who have engaged with Leo, they credit it for
automatically extracting account details without hassle and
generally easier to use than its counterparts. For example, Leo
automatically detects account numbers via a customer’s Whatsapp
mobile number and goes ahead to seamlessly help customers check
their account balance and top-up airtime.

Customers say Leo is more personable, more human, and it feels
like talking to an experienced customer representative. It also has
the ability to help customers easily lodge and process complaints
with adequate and timely feedback. All that is needed is a Whatsapp
or Messenger account and Leo is just a message away.

Pioneering AI for African banks

UBA changed the face of e-banking when it created Leo to enable
customers make use of their social media accounts to carry out key
banking transactions.

At the official launch of Leo, which took place in Lagos,
customers of the bank were given a step by step demonstration on
the novel way of delivering lifestyle and quality banking through
the Facebook Messenger chat platform.

It was the first time that a financial institution in Africa had
come up with such a solution to simplify the way customers
transact, a technology that has now become necessary in today’s
fast-paced world with demands for quick-time transactions and
response.

With the launch of Leo, customers have been able to open new
accounts, receive instant transaction notifications, check their
balances on the go, transfer funds and airtime top up. They have
also been able to confirm cheques, pay bills, apply for loans,
freeze accounts, request for mini statements, amongst other
things.

At the occasion, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer, UBA, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, had said that the launch of Leo is
part of initiatives aimed at putting the bank’s customers first
with UBA continuously developing strategies aimed at easing
transactions for the bank’s numerous users, while ensuring utmost
safety of their transactions.

Uzoka had said, “The formulation of this product, is consistent
with the bank’s customer-first philosophy, where we are doing
things not the way we like, but focusing on what the customers
want, where they want it, and in the exact platform they want
it.

“At UBA, we have been working with technology giants that have
the global capacity to ensure not only seamless but also effortless
banking for millions of our customers across Africa. We at UBA,
have collaborated with Facebook to come up with this innovation
that is capable of revolutionising the way banking is done in
Africa.”

Uzoka noted that Leo will, in the nearest future, show up on
other social platforms and added that all it takes to enjoy the
services is simply to have a Facebook account.

As he unveiled the character of Leo, Uzoka stated: “Leo being an
intelligent personality will give you feedback instantaneously as
you transact your business on the platform. A solution that is from
the customer’s standpoint and is easy to use by anyone.”

Also speaking at the launch of Leo, the Group Head of Online
Banking at UBA, Mr. Austine Abolusoro, who conducted a step by step
demonstration on the working of Leo, reiterated that Leo is not
just a chat machine, but an artificial intelligence personality
meant to address any type of banking concerns raised by
customers.

“Leo is ready and waiting to help with most transactions and to
deliver any form of banking services. Leo is operating a lifestyle
banking platform on Facebook Messenger to assist with your
transactions while chatting with your friends and business
partners. The security with this platform is that for every
transaction, an OTP (One Time Password) is generated to the phone
number that is registered on your account.”

He explained that with Leo, your banking needs become easy and
simple, as simple as chatting up a friend.

Available across the continent

Leo, like its creators, isn’t confined to Nigeria, but has
spread across Africa, changing the face of e-banking in Cameroon,
Zambia, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Congo DRC, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda,
Sierra Leone, Gabon, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Benin, Mozambique,
Zambia, Guinea, Burkina Faso.

Just as it did in the Nigerian market, Leo crossed borders and
brought ease to customers in each country it was launched,
providing them with the comfort of conducting financial
transactions from the comfort of their social media accounts.

Apart from helping customers conduct financial transactions, Leo
also evolved to add extra value to its users, such as providing
them with the names of global personalities around key markets, the
current time in any city and weather conditions.

UBA Executives said Leo’s continental launch was part of the
bank’s efforts to remain the leading financial institution in
Africa

Accolades for excellence

The birth of Leo has seen UBA add to its ever-growing list of
laurels, especially as it relates to digital banking across the
continent. In 2018, UBA emerged as the best bank in the digital
category at the prestigious Euromoney awards in London

This further lends credence to UBA’s dominance in the digital
banking space.

The Euromoney awards cover more than 20 global product
categories, best-in-class awards and the best Banks in over 100
countries around the world. It recognises institutions that have
demonstrated leadership, innovation and momentum in the markets in
which they operate.

In selecting its recipients, Euro money’s principle is hinged
both on quantitative and qualitative data to honor institutions
that have brought the highest levels of service, innovation and
expertise to their customers. So when UBA emerged as the winner in
the digital banking category, beating all other banks in Africa, it
was a sign of its investment in cutting-edge technologies, one of
which gave birth to Leo.

The bank’s Chief Executive, Uzoka, who received the award in
London, noted that it was an affirmation of the bank’s unmatched
commitment to service excellence.

“This only goes to show that our resolve in continuing to deploy
innovative solutions that place customers first, using cutting edge
technology for their collective satisfaction and excellent banking
experience is important to us,” he said. “This recognition will
further spur us to do more in meeting the needs of our customers
with unrivalled services.”

He also pointed out that the award was a reminder for the bank
not “to relent in our pursuit of excellence and to continue to lead
the new digital age in Africa, within the financial services
industry.”

Euromoney Magazine’s Editor, Clive Horwood, explained that:
“Despite fierce competition, one bank stood out in the last year
for the inventiveness of its efforts in digital banking: United
Bank for Africa. One of its signature launches in Nigeria was Leo,
an e-chat service using artificial intelligence to help customers
execute transactions on Facebook.”

Also, at the International Finance Awards, which is organised by
the International Finance Magazine, UBA won the ‘Most Innovative
Digital Bank’ award.

Speaking on the feat, UBA’s Abolusoro noted that it was an
affirmation that “Leo”, one of the bank’s investments in
cutting-edge technology, was disrupting the continent’s banking
behaviour.

“UBA’s vision has always been and will remain, dominating
Africa’s digital banking space. Our resolve is to provide
unparalleled experience across all its channels,” Abolusoro
said.

International Finance Magazine, is a premium financial and
business analysis magazine published by UK’s International Finance
Publications Ltd.

Bank profile

UBA was incorporated in Nigeria as a limited liability company
after taking over the assets of the British and French Bank Limited
who had been operating in Nigeria since 1949.

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc merged with Standard Trust
Bank in 2005 and from a single country operation founded in 1949 in
Nigeria – Africa’s largest economy – UBA has become one of the
leading providers of banking and other financial services on the
African continent.

The Bank provides services to over 14 million customers
globally, through one of the most diverse service channels in
sub-Saharan Africa, with over 1,000 branches and customer touch
points and robust online and mobile banking platforms.

UBA was the first Nigerian bank to make an Initial Public
Offering, following its listing on the NSE in1970. It was also the
first Nigerian bank to issue Global Depository Receipts.

The shares of UBA are publicly traded on the Nigerian Stock
Exchange and the Bank has a well-diversified shareholder base,
which includes foreign and local institutional investors.

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