Kuwait Finance House Partners with NCR Atleos to Redefine the In-Branch Banking Experience Using Conversational AI Avatar Technology
Kuwait Finance House (KFH), one of the region’s leading Islamic financial institutions, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Atleos Corporation (NYSE: NATL) (“Atleos”), a global provider of self-service financial technology solutions. The partnership marks a major step in the advancement of intelligent in-branch customer support by introducing a highly realistic conversational AI-powered avatar to KFH’s branch network. This initiative reflects KFH’s commitment to digital transformation, customer-centric innovation, and reimagining the role of brick-and-mortar banking in an increasingly digital world.
Under this collaboration, KFH will deploy AI-driven video avatars at self-service account kiosks located in its branches. These digital avatars are designed not only to simulate natural human conversation but also to understand customer requests and provide real-time information related to products, services, and branch-specific procedures. In the initial phase, the avatar will answer frequently asked questions regarding KFH’s offerings and guide customers through simple inquiries. In later phases, the capability will expand to include step-by-step assistance in completing a variety of self-service transactions directly through the kiosk interface. If a customer requires further clarification or support, the system will seamlessly transition the conversation to a live customer service representative—ensuring continuity, convenience, and personalized support.
Meshal Mandani, Executive Manager of Digital Channels at KFH, emphasized that this collaboration represents a pivotal advancement in the bank’s service model. “Our collaboration with Atleos marks a significant milestone in the evolution of banking,” Mandani stated. “By integrating conversational AI into our branch environment, we are creating a more intuitive, accessible, and customer-centric experience that aligns with the expectations of modern customers. This step forward allows us to serve our clients faster while maintaining the high standards of care that define KFH.”
As part of this initiative, KFH has introduced Kuwait’s first-ever AI-powered virtual banking employee, named “Fahad.” Fahad has been designed as a friendly, culturally relevant digital persona who acts as a guide, support specialist, and service companion for visitors in KFH branches. The introduction of Fahad symbolizes KFH’s broader strategic push to embrace automation and AI-driven engagement, helping redefine how customers interact with financial institutions.
In addition to the avatar deployment, KFH will also be implementing AI-powered speech analytics and automated quality monitoring systems in partnership with Atleos. These tools will assess voice interactions by identifying keywords, conversation topics, customer sentiment, tone, and emotional nuance. The resulting insights will enable the bank to refine service delivery, identify customer needs more accurately, and improve training processes for human support teams. According to Mandani, these analytical capabilities are essential to maintaining a superior customer experience as digital and physical banking services continue to merge.
The implementation of conversational AI avatars is underpinned by advanced natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and video rendering technologies. These tools allow the avatar to interpret spoken language accurately, respond in a human-like conversational cadence, and adjust its tone based on contextual cues. The result is an interaction model that feels personal, responsive, and far less mechanical than traditional automated systems. Unlike conventional chatbots, which often rely on rigid scripts, the avatar system is dynamic and adaptive—designed to make interactions feel natural and comfortable.
Samer Zeyadeh, Middle East Sales Leader at Atleos, highlighted the partnership’s significance within the broader financial services landscape. “This initiative reflects KFH’s ongoing commitment to digital transformation and customer-first innovation,” Zeyadeh said. “They are positioning themselves at the forefront of AI adoption in the global financial sector. We are proud to collaborate with KFH as they empower customers to access financial services more efficiently and intuitively through conversational AI.”
While the AI avatar initiative is still in its pilot and optimization stage, the technology has already demonstrated enormous potential to reshape customer engagement within financial institutions. The deployment aligns with a worldwide trend in banking toward hybrid service models that blend automated support with human oversight. It allows branches to maintain personal service while reducing strain on staff and streamlining operations.
Sean Mallean, Head of Global Innovation at NCR Atleos, noted that the solution represents years of technological advancement and research. “While this solution is not yet available as a commercial product, our field test with Kuwait Finance House demonstrates the potential of conversational AI to transform customer engagement,” Mallean said. He added that the NCR Atleos Innovation Lab continues to refine the platform, reinforcing the company’s mission to deliver seamless and inclusive customer interaction capabilities.
By shifting routine inquiries and simple transactional guidance to the avatar system, branches can optimize staff allocation and reduce wait times. This allows human employees to focus on complex and high-value customer service interactions. The solution supports leaner and more innovative branch formats, which can significantly lower operational costs.
The AI avatar provides a consistent and highly responsive customer interaction, with the ability to personalize guidance based on the individual’s needs. Customers receive help immediately without waiting in queues, leading to greater satisfaction and engagement. The conversational tone also makes the experience more welcoming than traditional automated systems.
With AI handling repetitive inquiries, KFH’s human service agents are freed up to concentrate on specialized assistance, relationship-building, and advisory services. As the avatar’s capabilities expand to include transactional tasks, it can support broader service volumes without additional staffing.
Overall, the partnership between Kuwait Finance House and Atleos represents a forward-looking shift in the banking industry—one that embraces AI not as a replacement for human service, but as an extension of it. By introducing Kuwait’s first AI-powered virtual banking employee, KFH is redefining how branch-based financial services can function in a digital era where convenience, personalization, and technological sophistication are increasingly expected.
As the pilot progresses, this initiative may serve as a transformative model for financial institutions across the Middle East and beyond, demonstrating how AI can enhance the customer journey while maintaining the warmth, trust, and personal touch that define human banking relationships.
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