Digital banking: Personal banking has become more intuitive, thanks to technology

In a recent report, consulting firm KPMG noted that financial institutions that leverage technology and data will be best positioned to grow in the UAE's financial market. It is no secret and if you have your ears to the ground, you would have noticed how a number of banks in the UAE have been constantly integrating digital features to their traditional banking channels and upping the ante with more advanced technology, making banking more efficient. 
Artificial intelligence is changing customer experience and even though bank branches are still popular and in operation, a majority of banking services are just a click away.

Technological innovation, after all, has become vital when it comes to acquiring market share and developing flexible, cost-effective solutions. The last few years have brought a significant change in how large banks in the UAE conduct their business. Huge investments have been made, and banks are following each other's lead in setting the bar higher.

What's making this change more meaningful on the retail front is the way data is being analysed and compiled for consumers. Mobile applications allow users to view their spending and saving behaviour. They help suggest ways for users to better manage their money.

Payments for e-commerce, ride-hailing services, food deliveries and online music have mostly been made available through credit and debit cards. Customers, whether retail, corporate or SME, are at the heart of the changes that are taking place. Rising use of digital payments and mobile banking are driving the shake-up in the industry that has known to put brick and mortar branches above anything else.

Now, all these changes have been well completed with an array of mobile payment options that have been introduced in the UAE. From Beam and smartphone payment options to direct transfers from banking apps, there are a slew of choices for digital payments. Even though payment apps haven't attained the same popularity as in some other Asian countries, it surely is on the rise.

Digital and mobile banking has eased the transition for consumers. So, are they finally ready to leave the branch behind and fully embrace digital banking in the UAE? Will banks stop launching new branches all together? Will we see a digital revolution wherein smartphone trotting population will flash their gadgets at tills rather than take cash out of their wallets?

Probably not, and that's largely due to the nature of population in the emirates. It has a mix of people from across the world and is largely transient. Cash is still widely in circulation, and cheque is the preferred mode of payments for personal and commercial purposes.

The UAE is different from the rest of the world. For a place that has emerged as a banking hub for the region, digital banking needs and trends would vary from the West and it would be wrong to compare. Banks in the emirates are charting their own course and defining their own trends. We as consumers will benefit by having an open mind and eagerness to try new features.