UBA’s Leo marks 6 years of operation, rolls out new offerings

UBA headquarters in Lagos

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has marked the sixth year of operation of its flagship artificial intelligent Digital Assistant and Chatbot – Leo.

UBA also announced new offerings aimed towards deepening the face of digital banking in Nigeria.

The bank, in a statement on Thursday, January 11, 2024, said since its launch on January 11, 2018, UBA’s Leo has emerged not merely as a technological asset but as an innovative transformative assistant that has had a profound impact on the Nigerian and African financial industry.

The bank added: “It is important to note that UBA remains the first financial institution in Africa that introduced a digital solution to ease customer transactions at the time when it became necessary in a fast-paced world when customers demanded quick-time transactions and response.

“From its inception, Leo’s footprint has been unmistakably impactful, as the Chatbot – which first began operations on, WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Messages and Google Business Chat, and other social media platforms – has positively impacted the lives of millions of users across the continent, driving financial inclusion, modernising banking and bridging the financial gap that existed.

“UBA has promised that LEO’s services will be even broader and better as the bank has again invested in first rate cutting edge technology that will further deepen customer experience on Instagram and Google Business, terrains none of its peers can lay claim to.”

Speaking, the UBA’s Head, Digital Banking, Olukayode Olubiyi, noted that the bank’s customers agreed that Leo is one of the bank’s biggest investments in cutting-edge technology and has been steadily changing the face of banking on the continent.

Olubiyi said: “Six years later, and with over 7 million customers, UBA’s Leo, has without a doubt, remained unequalled as the smartest Banking Chatbot in Nigeria because of its speed and quick learning intelligence and has continued to evolve with so much more to offer its constantly growing customer base”.

“While other financial institutions are still trying to find their feet as regards Artificial Intelligence, at UBA, we can proudly say that Leo has become a massive success as it continues to consolidate on its successes and accolades winning several awards as testament to its unparalleled qualities and effectiveness.”

Reeling off Leo’s achievements in the last six years, Olubiyi said Chatbot has been enhancing the digital customer experience in banking and also achieving a range of other benefits like 24/7 availability as it stays available round the clock to assist customers and handle the common financial queries asked by the customers.

He added that the AI BoT activities have spanned across the bank’s operations in 20 African countries, garnering huge accolades and over 17 prestigious awards globally.

“With this in mind, we have ensured that, Leo continues to enjoy periodic and systematic upgrade with special emphasis on enhanced advancements and specialised unique features where necessary,” he stated.

The Star