Emirates NBD has announced that it will soon launch customised banking services via WhatsApp in the UAE.

Dubai's biggest bank said in a statement that it is the first in the region to integrate its core systems with the WhatsApp Business solution.

It will allow customers to carry out their daily banking activities such as checking account balances and temporarily blocking or unblocking an existing card, enhancing its suite of digital channels.

The initial phase of services are being piloted currently for the bank's employees and will be rolled out to customers shortly following successful trials.

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Abdulla Qassem, group chief operating officer, Emirates NBD said: "Following the launch of the initial phase, we look forward to progressively expanding our range of WhatsApp based services to deliver a unified, digital experience for our customers. In doing so, the new offering will complement our existing digital and social media channels in a secure and convenient way."

Suvo Sarkar, senior EVP & group head, Retail Banking and Wealth Management at Emirates NBD added: "Our integration with the WhatsApp Business solution builds on our commitment to make banking easy and intuitive. WhatsApp is a simple, reliable and private way to talk to anyone in the world, which will lend further simplicity and ease to banking with Emirates NBD."

All messages on Emirates NBD's verified WhatsApp Business account are encrypted, ensuring safety and security, the statement said, adding that the bank's digital transactions are growing 30 percent year on year with over half of the bank's customers actively using mobile and online banking regularly.