The Digital banking landscape keeps evolving with increased consumer demand for more convenient and efficient ways of accessing banking services and managing their finances anywhere anytime outside of bank branches. 

This has created a need for increased investment in technologies that enhance productivity and increase operational efficiency in order to offer reliable and more secure digital banking solutions to customers.

Equity has been at the forefront of innovation to ensure that it provides customers with tailored solutions that simplify lifestyles and meet their needs.

In line with the Bank’s innovation strategy, the Bank has introduced a new single sign-on digital banking platform that enables customers to access digital banking services via the platform as an App, Web or USSD service.

These platforms offer the Bank’s customers a seamless experience – simplified customer journeys and enhanced security.

The latest addition to the Bank’s self-service digital banking is Equity Virtual Assistant (EVA), a chat banking platform that takes financial services to the next level by presenting banking transactions as virtual conversations on social media platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram. The platform can be accessed via:

• WhatsApp – Save the number 0763 000 000 on your phone and start chatting with EVA or Click https://bit.ly/EquityVirtualAssistant
• Facebook Messenger – Search EquityEva or Click https://facebook.com/EquityEva
• Telegram – Search @Equitychatbot or Click https://bit.ly/EvaTelegramChatbot

EVA chatbot extends digital banking and customer support services to existing and new customers and can simulate a conversation (or a chat) with a user. The experience is as easy and natural as having a conversation with a friend.

Customers can now manage their accounts on EVA and engage with the virtual assistant to make transactions like buying airtime, sending money, buying goods and services, paying bills, viewing account balances, and getting a statement anytime anywhere within their social media platform of choice.

Customers who wish to access services through the App can download the new Equity Mobile App on Play Store: http://bit.ly/EquitymobileAndroid or App Store: http://bit.ly/EquityMobileIOS.

The App, which is highly scalable, versatile, and efficient now provides Financial, Saving and Borrowing services. Those that wish to access services via the web can sign up on the Bank’s online banking platform Equity Online: https://equityonline.equitygroupholdings.com/en/access/login, previously known as EazzyNet.

Equity’s newly updated USSD service (*247#) accessible by dialing *247# on any mobile network also offers customers a unified service offering across mobile networks and an enhanced customer experience with simpler customer journeys. Customers in Kenya can now easily access the USSD service on Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom and Equitel. Some of the new features on the platform include:

• Access to instant loans that range between Kes.100 and Kes.3million
• Loans that can be rapaid for upto 12 months
• Self-registration or onboarding of both existing Equity and non-Equity customers on the service
• Ability to save or maintain recipient’s bank details which makes it easy and convenient to do repeat transactions.

The *247# USSD service also enables customers with any mobile device, to access bank services regardless of the device’s make – feature phones (Kabambe) or smartphones.

Customers can conveniently send money, transfer funds, borrow loans, print statements among many other services on these platforms at the comfort of their mobile phones, laptops, desktops etc at home, office or anywhere else.

As the banking sector transforms due to technology advances, Equity has leveraged this to offer customers digital solutions that are tailored to conveniently meet their needs. This has progressively led to consumers preferring to carry out most of their transactions digitally as opposed to going to the branches.

The Bank’s transactions on mobile, internet, and third-party channels rose to 97.1%, in the first quarter of 2022, as compared to only 2.9% of transactions happening in physical branches and ATM outlets over the same period last year.