Absa unveils innovative service channels to deepen regional banking access
Absa Bank Kenya Consumer Banking Director Moses Muthui serving Edmund Vuko, a customer, at the newly commissioned Absa Branch on the Move - a cashless moving truck designed to offer consumers with every day, round-the-clock banking services. PHOTO| COURTESY
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The new service formats - a mobile “Branch on the Move” unit and a lounge-style Service Pod - form part of the bank’s plan to grow its national distribution network and increase access to financial services. They come alongside six new branches opened this year, bringing Absa’s footprint to 91 branches and service centres.
The Branch on the Move is a cashless mobile truck offering services such as on-the-spot debit card issuance, digital onboarding for account opening and real-time activation of banking services. Designed to operate beyond traditional branch hours, it is intended to serve remote or high-traffic areas where access to physical banking infrastructure is limited.
The Absa Service Pod, installed within shopping malls, provides fast and personalised over-the-counter services during mall operating hours, extending access beyond normal branch schedules.
Absa’s Consumer Banking Director, Moses Muthui, said the new formats respond to customers’ demand for more accessible and flexible banking options.
In addition to the two innovations, Absa has this year opened or refreshed branches in Gilgil, Kawangware, Kisumu, Mtwapa and Wajir, where it also introduced Shariah-compliant services. The bank has expanded its agency banking network to over 8,000 agents nationwide to support service continuity during periods of high demand.
Both the mobile branch and service pod incorporate accessibility features for persons with disabilities and are designed to support customers with varying levels of digital literacy. The mobile unit is solar-powered, allowing it to operate in regions with limited infrastructure.
Absa plans to deploy seven additional mobile banking trucks and install more pods in high-traffic malls as it deepens its presence across the country. The bank currently operates in 38 counties and has previously introduced several market-first initiatives, including Kenya’s first ATM, Sharia-compliant banking and unsecured consumer lending.
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