As the famous saying goes, “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step,” well, the banking sector has had an interesting one, it has had to traverse miles to finally reach the digital banking era we are all enjoying with ease today. 

Imagine having to move with a passbook where your banking records are kept with the aid of a banking officer, well this would not be a scenario that a Gen Z would want to be part of as they prefer real-time activity thanks to the 21^st Century technological advancements,  because one can now open an online account and the onboarding process can be independently conducted without stepping into a banking hall.

Not having to walk to the bank would be an ideal plot for our young population who are tech savvy, hence, filling the digital banking puzzle couldn’t be more interesting at such a time where one can remotely open a bank account within a few minutes. 

Today, people crave convenience in everything they do. Whether it is shopping, paying bills, ordering lunch, or buying groceries, they are always looking out for the easiest and fastest way to get things done, thus, this necessitates businesses to rejig their service offering to not only serve their ever-changing customer base, but also, stay ahead of competition while retaining and growing their customer base.  

One industry where the demand for convenience is particularly high is banking. Access to financial services anytime and anywhere is of utmost importance to customers. 

In the past, banking in Uganda was characterized by traveling long distances to find a branch, long queues, and tedious paperwork for something as basic as withdrawing cash; one needed a passbook which made the transaction process lengthy.  

As the banking sector is on the quest to fill the missing puzzle in the banking journey so that more people are lured into formal banking which in the long run will close the financial inclusion divide of the banked versus the unbanked, deliberate efforts and investments must be made to enable these advancements. 

According to the 2023 FinScope Uganda survey, financial inclusion stood at 81 percent compared to 77 percent in 2018 due to people accessing financial services through alternative banking channels like mobile banking. 

Digitization or automation banking process is one area where the final puzzle piece in the banking space can be added. With the growth of internet users and an increase in smartphone penetration, among other developments in the banking industry more people can be ushered into the money economy. 

Players in the banking space have made a resolve to have ATMs, Banking Agents or mobile money agents almost everywhere which means timely access funds for individuals, and for business owners who prefer bulk transactions at bank premises, they have the option of physical banking which still comes in handy for customers who prefer interaction with banking officers. 

Coupling the human aspect and the automation in the service range offered by the banking sector, is not only crucial in attracting new customers but also providing a much better customer experience for existing customers. 

From where I stand, innovations in Marketing and Communications are integral in delivering results, however, it is important that while you evolve as a brand, you must pay keen attention to how you communicate the development and the new products you are rolling out, and these should be in sync with the overall business direction because as we design messages for both internal and external consumption, we must factor in what we aim to achieve, consequently, affiliating our purpose to all that we set out to do. 

Recently we embarked on a journey with a new tagline of Grow Prosper to foster prosperity for Ugandans so that we remain relevant to our dynamic customers whose needs change from time to time in pursuit of convenience as they access affordable financial services that will enable them to participate in the country’s social economic activities. 

In light of the new purpose on our product portfolio side, we introduced the ZeroFlex account, which entails a self-registration process conducted online where a customer independently fills in the required information, which includes their biodata, uploading photos of a valid national identity card for nationals, and passports for non-citizens. Once the process is complete, a customer is assigned an account within 5 minutes. 

Beyond the products and services, we are putting in place initiatives that will enable the business to grow and prosper together with the PostBank Uganda customers and the rest of the country. 

Looking ahead, the evolution of banking and financial technologies is likely to be shaped by ongoing technological advancements and evolving consumer behaviors. As mentioned earlier, physical banking halls or branches will still play the central role of maintaining human interaction with customers and could take on a more advisory role while other facets of the bank are conducted outside the bank premises.  

As artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain continue to redefine industry standards, the potential for innovation in financial services remains immense. These technologies not only enhance operational efficiencies but also enable personalized customer experiences through data-driven insights and predictive analytics, thus exciting times are ahead of us as we add the last puzzle piece to scaling the numbers of financially included people through alternative banking channels that can be accessed digitally. 

The author is Priscilla Akora, Head of Marketing and Communications at PostBank Uganda.