ila News

Manama, Bahrain: ila Bank, Bahrain’s fast growing digital mobile-only bank, powered by Bank ABC, wins two top honours, ‘Best Consumer Digital Bank’ and ‘Best Mobile Banking App’ in Bahrain, in Round One of the World’s Best Consumer Digital Bank Awards in the Middle East in 2021 by Global Finance. The awards stand testament to ila’s customer driven, digital-first strategy which revolutionized the retail banking landscape in Bahrain and the region.

Less than two years since its launch in November 2019, the digital, mobile-only bank has been recognised for the strength of its innovative banking model, attracting and servicing a substantial market share, the breadth of its product offering, user friendly app design and functionality, superior customer service and success of its digital initiatives such as its social media engagement and AI powered, digital assistant, ‘Fatema.

Now in its 22nd year, the Global Finance award platform has become a trusted standard of excellence for the global financial community. This year’s entries were assessed by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing. The final winners were selected by the editors of Global Finance.

On this achievement, Mr. Sael Al Waary, Bank ABC’s Deputy Group CEO and Chairman of ila Bank’s Advisory Board remarked: “We are delighted to receive this remarkable recognition from one of the global financial community’s most trusted platforms. I attribute this honour to the sincere dedication and hard work of those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make ila the innovative and dynamic brand that has strategically disrupted banking as we knew it. “

“ila’s digital mobile-only banking offering was very well-received right from its inception, and its uptake amongst the local community has been further fuelled by the demands of a new lifestyle the global pandemic has enforced. I would like to congratulate the entire ila team on winning these accolades, which reaffirm that we have transformed banking for the new world. I also thank the panel at Global Finance for recognising ila Bank as a leading digital banking player in the Middle East,” added Mr. Al Waary.

Mohamed Al Maraj, CEO, ila Bank said: “ila has made a profound impact on the community, providing the optimal solution for Bahrain’s contactless banking needs. Not only does it offer consumers an array of financial tools at their fingertips, but it has spurred financial inclusion in Bahrain. Winning two awards on the Global Finance stage is a significant achievement which we are proud of. It stands testament to our teamwork and commitment to our purpose of elevating the banking experience in Bahrain.”

To accommodate its customers’ ever-evolving banking needs, ila has continuously released app upgrades inspired by customer feedback. Most recently, it introduced “Transfer by mobile number”, enabling seamless payment transfers by entering the recipient’s mobile number and connected to the national E-KYC platform, enabling a seamless account opening experience using only one ID and a selfie.

ila has maintained strong app ratings of 4.5/5 in the Apple Store and 4.6/5 in Google Play over the past year, ranking 2nd amongst finance apps and 1st amongst purely banking apps in Bahrain. This reinforces its commitment to consistently design tailored solutions to meet customer needs, thereby creating a superior banking experience in a fast-paced, ‘contactless’ environment.