What UAE Bank Customers Want From Digital Onboarding – Survey 

In May 2022, ID now commissioned You Gov to run a consumer survey of 1,000 UAE respondents. The objective of the vote was to locate accurately what a customer wishes throughout the beginning phases of bank onboarding.

A representative array of people reflecting the demographics found in the country were polled, from different income brackets, gender, nationalities, age, marital status, and residential spots. The more increased revenue, the more powerful the passion for digital onboarding. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they wanted banking procedures to be digital.

Intriguingly, for wealth managers and banks managing great net value and great value customers, the great income, the stronger the intention for digital onboarding. In fact, among those gaining 25,000 Dh per month or more, 85% prefer a completely digital onboarding procedure. That represents upwards of 20% of the population in the United Arab Emirates, with remarkable acquisition and consumption power.

Digital identity verification is favored over physical branch attendance. More than 50 percent of those polled are unlikely to open a bank account if they need to visit a branch to give physical paperwork or ID cards.

Banks that have digital identity verification procedures in location can achieve a remarkable economic benefit over organizations that demand attendance to a branch. 54% of people polled didn’t wish to need to give physical paperwork or ID verification in-branch, but would instead like a digital option. Based on demographics, this view was robust among Western nationality migrants, with 7 in 10 stating a choice of not going into a branch to hand over ID papers. Probably it can be as digital identity verification and onboarding are the norm in several Western nations, so there are greater anticipations among this demographic for digital procedures.

A powerful gap between banks and their capability to help customers online. 86 percent of UAE non-bank account holders stated they had begun an application but gave up as the procedure was very difficult.

Of 1,000 people polled, 116 people stated that they had begun a digital bank account application but quite the procedure because it standing very lengthy and complex. That is an excellent measure and demonstrates a serious gap between banks and their online capabilities. Currently, banks are probably missing out on up to 12% of the country’s population as their onboarding technology and procedures are very complicated and don’t complete needs pace and convenience. Amongst the country’s non-bank account owners, 86% were accused of deficient onboarding for them not meeting their application.

Customers choose immediate onboarding findings from banks. 75 percent of applicants prefer to apply for a bank account that gives immediate account opening, instead of waiting hours or days for a determination.

Banks that can give immediate or near-immediate decisions on customer onboarding found favor among the customers surveyed. Generally, the UAE banks can take from some hours to many days to approve a customer application – which seems like a long time to the public. Once again, great earning makers felt robust, with 83% keen on immediate account opening.

Banks are missing out on young people. 29% of young people don’t have a bank account of any type. 

Looking at the outcomes, the survey showed that banks are missing out on come demographics. Majorly, young people were the major age unit without a bank account. Almost three in ten of this age group didn’t have a bank account of any kind. While this can be partially related to continued support on family accounts, the relative shortage of financial freedom in the UAE youth population in comparison to Western economics can be down to several aspects.

The OECD highlighted several reasons throughout the MENA region. Young people in the UAE are also greatly connected through mobile internet access, so they can also utilize other sorts of digital payments without the requirement for a formal bank account. The other remarkable finding among unbanked participants was a sizable approach of Emiratis who didn’t have a formal bank account. 21% of Emiratis canvassed in the survey had abandoned the banking systems for other kinds of finance.

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