Capitec’s new banking app has reached the number 1 spot on both the South African Google Play and Apple app store charts. It currently trends on the charts ahead of Zoom, Whatsapp Messenger, Tik Tok and Facebook.
“Our digital banking services are the most widely used in the country, with over 7.5 million active users,” Gerrie Fourie, CEO of Capitec Bank, says.
“We’ve also noted a significant increase between January and July 2020, with the bank welcoming almost 600 000 new digital banking clients.”
This success comes at a time when bank’s traditional service channels are taking a back seat to its digital offerings; a trend, which was been significantly augmented by the COVID-19 crisis. Clients are seeking safer, more convenient and affordable ways to bank and digital channels provide the answer.
Fourie says, “A bank’s ability to keep clients satisfied through client-centric digital solutions will set it apart in this fast-changing environment. I believe that in future years, bank branches will continue to be an important point of personalised service, but will also serve as digital service centres, able to help clients across the country in real-time.”
Capitec recently announced that it has taken the final step in its paperless journey with the introduction of an e-signature capability, by means of a biometric fingerprint. This makes it the first South African bank to introduce a legally compliant e-signature. The bank will extend this capability to facial biometrics later this year, allowing their clients to eSign documents from anywhere, 24/7 on their banking app.
“Our use of AI technology has allowed us to continuously improve our processes and efficiencies, while giving us a better understanding of our clients’ needs on an individual level,” says Fourie.
“Not only has this allowed us to offer our clients more personalised service, but we’ve also passed the efficiencies onto them through cost and time savings across our digital channels and branches. This allows us to offer affordable digital fees that challenge the norm, such as immediate payments for only R8, compared to an industry norm of around R50.”
