Akbank introduces self-service ‘loan machine’
Turkey’s leading financial institution for individual loans, Akbank, has introduced its latest service, the “Loan Machine,” to Turkish customers.
Customers will now easily be able to obtain a credit card or individual loan without having to pay a visit to a bank office. Every step required in a loan or credit card application, from providing documentation and personal information to picture taking, can be conducted through the new device. Akbank is planning to put 10 such machines into service by the year’s end and to increase this number to 100 in two years. The machine will be placed in airports, Akbank Credit Express offices and some Akbank business associates’ sale points.
The machine was introduced in a press conference yesterday by Hakan Binbaþgil, Akbank vice general manager for retail banking, at the CeBÝT Biliþim Eurasia fair in Ýstanbul. The machine is the first of its kind in the world and is the product of purely Turkish ingenuity and one-and-a-half years of team effort. The software and hardware for the machine was devised and manufactured at Ýstanbul Technical University’s (ÝTÜ) Arý (bee) industrial complex.
“Akbank is a bank that uses technology at the highest level possible in the world,” Binbaþgil said. A customer will be able to obtain cash immediately using this machine, particularly for their urgent needs; the machines will also render it possible to obtain preliminary approval for housing and vehicle loans. The application information and loan amount requested are entered into the system via the machine’s keyboard or phone receiver. A Customer Relations Manager (MÝY) appears on the screen to help the customer proceed with the application steps.
