BML introduces AI bot ‘Aaya’ for assistance in banking services

Bank of Maldives (BML), on Wednesday, has introduced ‘Aaya’, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered digital banking assistant, as part of the bank’s commitment to enhance the experience of its customers.

The bank states that Aaya, an intelligent chatbot capable of responding in both Dhivehi and English languages, will be available 24 hours through the bank’s website, Facebook Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp. Aaya will be able to provide answers to customer queries in real-time, and transfer to a customer service agent whenever required.

BML’s CEO, Managing Director Karl Stumke, commenting on the launch of the bot, underscored the customers' want to engage with brands like the bank using a channel of their choice.

“The platform powering ‘Aaya’ uses generative AI and the latest in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to allow for smart conversations across multiple channels. For our customers, this means faster response and resolution times, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction,” he explained.

Stumke, highlighting digitalization as a priority for the bank, said they are committed to delivering fast, relevant, and easy digital experiences to customers.

“We are already seeing the results of our investment with service levels improving almost 40 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year and average waiting time for our services reducing by more than half,” he highlighted.

Nevertheless, Stumke said the bank has a long way to go. He assured the bank’s commitment to partner with innovative partners to introduce additional technology-backed solutions to make a real impact on its customers.

BML, as a leading financial institution in the Maldives, continues to invest heavily in enhancing customer experience, differentiating itself by providing digital, self-service functions that allow customers to manage day-to-day banking online.

At present, the bank’s customers have a wide array of digital offerings from instant bank account opening to online loans and financing, self-service management of debit and credit cards international money transfer and TT services.

Moreover, as a result of the improved services at the bank’s Contact Centre, it now provides interactive call menus with options to receive information via SMS in English or Dhivehi, request for call back while in queue and priority calling for urgent services.

BML currently serves over 325,000 customers with a nationwide network of 38 branches across all 20 atolls, 87 Self Service Banking Centres, 143 ATMs, over 200 agents and a full suite of Digital Banking services.