“ There ’ s always a lot of talk about everything that ’ s going on in the market . However , I ’ d say , in recent years , technology has been far more ‘ evolutionary ’ than ‘ disruptive ’”
— Stefan Kimmel , Chief Operating Officer , Commercial Bank of Dubai
a sudden , our clients couldn ’ t come into the branches anymore .” In line with this , CBD subsequently announced in a July press release that digital adoption among its customers had risen significantly . Kimmel states that this migration provided the bank with a dual learning opportunity : learning how to optimise functionality and convenience for the online platform , and also finding out how CBD ’ s in-branch experience can be improved to drive engagement .
Customer-centricity and digital transformation go hand-in-hand at CBD : a kind of conceptual möbius strip wherein each simultaneously develops and reinforces the other . With developments already well underway prior to the start of Kimmel ’ s tenure , CBD ’ s digital banking capabilities have received widespread industry praise , including ‘ Most Innovative Bank ’, ‘ Best digital bank ’, and ‘ Best mobile app ’. According to Kimmel , “ the journey started in our digital channels – building capabilities and making them slicker . We will continue to add more and continuously improve our customer experience and improve it . Digital transformation is a never ending journey .” It is by combining a digital interface with its customer-centric ethos that CBD strives to create value , something which , Kimmel admits , is often no easy
185 fintechmagazine . com