With its recently launched digital bank, ALAT, Wema Bank has pulled what can be said to be a revolution in digital banking in Nigeria. ALAT, a fully digital bank of it’s own, is no doubt, a mile apart from typical banking apps, as it comes with so many firsts. For instance, being the first bank that enables a customer carry out ALL banking transactions without having to enter a bank, which makes it very appealing to the large percentage of people with aversion to banking halls, right from account opening and verification. In addition, smart phones mainly drive ALAT and you needn’t have a PC. Anybody with a smart phone can fulfill transactions from the sanctuary of their homes.
Once you open an account via the ALAT app or website, you can upload the requested documents (a valid ID and utility bill), and request for a debit card right away. True to the promise, your debit card gets delivered to you within 2-3 days so that you have no reason to visit a branch. Well, there’s actually no branch to visit, just one head office in VI, Lagos. However, if you need to make cash deposits, you can do so at any Wema Bank branch nationwide. ALAT operate a 24 hours customer service system that can be reached via email, phone or social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). According to a post on social media post by ALAT Speaking on why all Nigerians should adopt digital banking with ALAT, The Chief Digital Officer of Wema Bank and MD of ALAT, Mr Dele Adeyinka, told Vanguard in a chat that ALAT is set to digitally transform financial transactions in the country and also complement its cashless policy. He said: ”Ever thought you could open a bank account in minutes? Yes, with ALAT, that’s possible. You can sign up and open an account in just 5 minutes on your phone or personal computer, from the comfort of your home or office and we will deliver your debit card to you, which you can immediately activate with your ALAT app, without going to an ATM to change your pin as with other banks.” Within its first 2 weeks, ALAT attracted over 10,000 new customers and has been growing at a pretty fast pace since then, according to it’s Product Owner, Philip Ese. When Vanguard went to town to feel the pulse of customers on ALAT, Miss Funke Michaels, a Sales Executive with one of the GSM companies said: ”After hearing of ALAT from a friend, I went to Google play-store to download the App and the product’s rave reviews was what caught my attention first. I went ahead, and in not more than 5 minutes, I had the App up and running. I was simply stunned. This is so unbelievably good. Thumbs up Wema Bank. Edgar Chukwuemeka, an Alaba market-based businessman had this to say: ”I was told of a new banking app by Wema Bank that makes it possible to transact without visiting the bank. After a little probing, I logged on to the internet on my phone to download the app and in a jiffy, I was already a customer! I was signed up in a matter of minutes and I even chatted with the customer service on Facebook after following them on Facebook, all under 10 minutes.
Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/wema-banks-alat-paving-way-100-digital-banking-nigeria/