Commercial Bank of Dubai launches region’s first-of-its-kind revolutionary online banking

• Customers to experience the next level of personalized banking at the new CBD.ae. with the new online banking platform, they can now manage their money, plan their budgets and achieve long-term financial goals
• CBD’s new Personal Financial Management Tool helps customers analyze their spending patterns, putting them in total control of their finances
• CBD’s interactive virtual assistant, Sara, an avatar that chats intelligently and guides customers every step of the way, round the clock

It’s virtually real – and really virtual. Commercial Bank of Dubai has unveiled its new website, bringing the next generation of online banking to its customers’ smartphones, laptops and desktops. 

As part of its aspiration to become a leader in providing innovative and personalised customer experience, CBD’s new online banking platform is much more personal and much less, well, traditional bank-like.

Commercial Bank of Dubai today launches region’s first online banking revolutionary features, which include Sara, the first Virtual Banking Assistant and Personal Financial Management Tool, the most revolutionary way to analyse your spending patterns and make smarter choices.

Sara, an avatar that works like Siri, chats intelligently and guides customers every step of the way, round the clock. Through Sara, CBD will be able to engage its visitors with a conversational and engaging customer experience. While increasing customer engagement and overall satisfaction, Sara can also help bridge a real-time live dialogue with CBD call-centre in a live web chat. 

On the other hand, CBD’s new Personal Financial Management Tool helps customers analyse their spending patterns, putting them in total control of their finances, thereby helping them achieve long-term financial goals.

Murray Sims, General Manager, Personal Banking Group commented: “CBD has unveiled a forward-thinking banking website, delivering the power of its branch network in the palm of your hand. The new website sets a new standard for online banking, with a host of creative and innovative features packed into its refreshing and refined design.” 

“The Bank’s offering is first-of-its-kind in the region, and CBD is proud to help its customers get a complete handle on their financial destiny through one of its many trendy yet sophisticated features like ‘Budget and Track’, which gives them complete visibility of their spending, income and budget through various graphs and reports.”

The new features are easy and worry-free and help CBD customers categorise spending, create budget, and set their life goals.

“We are committed to providing total transparency and convenience to our customers. Every feature on our new banking platform has been added keeping in mind our customers’ needs and after listening to what they have to say about their traditional online experience,” Sims added. 

Among the host of outstanding new features that CBD has added to its online banking platform is the personal financial management tool that gives the Bank’s customers the complete freedom and ability to monitor their spending habits and set their life goals – like saving for a new car or planning a vacation.

Frans Jan Burkens, Deputy General Manager, Personal Banking Group said: “These are breakthrough features that really matter to people. CBD’s Budget and Track service, for instance, offers a convenient, transparent and secure way to manage your finances and keep you in control of your income and expenditure without having to remember a thousand things. CBD’s new online platform offers features that are highly user-friendly and can be customised by users as they wish.” 

In one online dashboard, for instance, CBD customers can find a snapshot of all their expenses, transactions and life goals. It allows users to identify items that they tend to overspend on so they can keep a close eye on their budget. They can set a limit for, say, their monthly spend on eating out. Once done, they can clearly see if they’ve spent more than their monthly budget for that particular category (red bar), spent more than they should have considering the day of the month (yellow bar) or if they’re on track (green bar).

And there’s more – if you just want to know how you’re doing for the month (or any given period of time), in terms of earning and spending, the online tools allow you to do just that with the click of a mouse.

Jassim Al Tamimi, Head of Alternate Channels at CBD, added: “CBD listened to its customers and has developed, designed and delivered the next frontier in online banking that is not limited to your run-of-the-mill balance-checking and credit-card-bill-payment transactions. It goes much, much beyond that.” 

And not just that – the Bank’s exciting new features let you plan for not just the current month, but also for the months ahead. So, for instance, if your rent cheque is due a few months down the line, the new feature will prompt you to start saving an amount pre-determined by you every month until then so you don’t have to scramble for cash when the payment becomes due.