Nam A Bank officially launches Vietnam’s first banking robot

Nam A Bank becomes Vietnam’s first commercial bank to use robots to provide products and services to customers

Nam A Bank has become the first Vietnamese bank to adopt robots in retail banking services to save time and better serve new-age customers. Its digital transaction space also boasts a number of modern equipment integrated with an open banking application to provide the perfect experience for customers.

The launch of robots at Nam A Bank marks an important step in applying AI in banking transactions. Robot OPBA, as it is called in the bank, will stand at the bank counters to welcome customers. As customers step inside Nam A Bank, the AI-powered robot will come to greet customers and identify their faces through its Face ID feature.

The robots will not only engage customers in conversation but also guide them to fill in their information and data to complete transactions. The robots will provide the latest digital experience for customers and are expected to save a great deal of time when performing transactions. Robot OPBA will record the information of first-time customers so that they will no longer need to waste time by filling in their information in the future.

When customers need to talk directly with bank staff, Robot OPBA will guide customers to the counter. The robot will also answer generic banking-related questions and queries from customers while they are waiting at the counter.

Khanh Mai, a resident in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, visited Nam A Bank to take her deposit book. As she entered the bank lobby, she was surprised when Robot OPBA came to greet her.

“It is really strange and interesting. This is the first time I saw robots at the counter of a domestic bank. The robots are very cute. A number of banks have applied technology in banking transactions but Nam A Bank is the first to introduce robots,” she said.

Many customers also took pictures with the robot and said they would bring friends to the bank to “make friends” with the robots.

Indeed, some banks in Japan, Taiwan, and India have started deploying robots in their branches. These intelligent robots can understand customers' emotions by recognising their facial features and body language. A number of other banks in developed countries have also piloted smart robots that can remember millions of customer transactions, speak different languages, and chat with customers on banking-related topics.

Nam A Bank is Vietnam’s first commercial bank to use robots to provide products and services to customers. According to financial experts, the robots will reduce operating costs and improve productivity for the bank thanks to their high accuracy in performing transactions, as well as capacity to collect and process large amounts of information.

Besides Robot OPBA, Nam A Bank's digital transaction space also boasts several modern equipment to catch up to 4.0 technology trends such as tablets, LCD touch screens, and the VTM OPBA digital banking branch. This ecosystem is integrated with Nam A Bank's open banking application to reduce hassles for customers.

Accordingly, the bank can meet all the financial needs of customers 24/7 by performing multichannel transactions thanks to comprehensive features integrated into Nam A Bank's devices. VTM OPBA is deemed as the "virtual banking branches" to meet customer demand for banking transactions at all times. Customers can withdraw money, print and view sub-accounts, as well as issue cards without going to the bank. The 24/7 staff will support customers via a video system on the VTM OPBA machine.

In the Industry 4.0 era, commercial banks are racing towards digital transformation by investing in new technology to improve customer experience. Thus, banks can gain a competitive edge in the race to gain market share, especially in the retail banking segment. It is worth noting that the deployment of robots can be seen asa step forward for the Vietnamese banking industry to apply state-of-the-art technology in retail banking services.