Kuwait Finance House Collaborates with NCR Atleos to Revolutionize In-Branch Banking Experience Using Conversational AI Avatar

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NCR Atleos Corporation (NYSE: NATL) (“Atleos”), a leader in expanding self-service financial access for financial institutions, retailers and consumers, has collaborated with Kuwait Finance House (KFH) to transform the in-branch customer experience through the deployment of a hyper-realistic conversational AI-powered avatar.

This groundbreaking initiative introduces AI-driven video avatars at account service kiosks across KFH branches, offering customers real-time, personalized assistance. These avatars are designed to answer frequently asked questions about KFH services, provide branch-specific information, and—beginning in the second phase of the collaboration—guide users through transactions directly on the kiosk. When needed, the avatar can seamlessly escalate the interaction to a live agent, ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality support.

“Our collaboration with Atleos marks a significant milestone in the evolution of banking,” said Meshal Mandani, Executive Manager Digital Channels at KFH. “By integrating conversational AI into the branch environment, we’re enabling a more intuitive, accessible, and customer-centric experience that aligns with the demands of modern-day life.”

Mr. Mandani further stated that KFH is advancing its digital transformation strategy, reinforcing its leadership in AI adoption to deliver an exceptional customer experience. KFH has named its avatar "Fahad," Kuwait’s first AI-powered virtual employee. Additionally, KFH will collaborate with Atleos to implement AI-driven speech analytics and an automated quality management system, enabling precise insights into customer interactions by evaluating keywords, categorizing topics, and analyzing the sentiment and tone of customer communications. This underscores that KFH is moving forward in leading Kuwait’s banking sector in digital transformation and AI innovation, setting new standards for customer experience.

“This initiative reflects the commitment of KFH to digital transformation and customer-first innovation, positioning the bank at the forefront of AI adoption in the financial services industry,” said Samer Zeyadeh, Middle East Sales Leader at Atleos. “We look forward to working closely with KFH as they empower customers to access financial services with conversational avatars.”

The avatars leverage advanced natural language processing and AI technologies to deliver human-like interactions, effectively blurring the boundaries between traditional branch services and digital engagement.

“While this solution is not yet available as a commercial product, our field test with Kuwait Finance House demonstrates the potential of conversational AI to transform customer engagement," said Sean Mallean, Head of Global Innovation at NCR Atleos. "The Innovation Lab at NCR Atleos continues to advance this technology, reinforcing our commitment to enhanced customer experience through frictionless, inclusive interaction.”

Key benefits of the solution include:

• Operational Efficiency: Enables leaner, more innovative branch formats with significant cost savings.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Delivers personalized, conversational support that adapts to individual needs.
• Scalable Support: Frees up human agents to focus on complex inquiries while AI handles routine tasks.

About Kuwait Finance House (KFH)

Kuwait Finance House (KFH) is recognized as a pioneer in the Islamic banking industry, having been the first Islamic bank founded in Kuwait in 1977. KFH has grown to be the largest Bank in Kuwait by market value and ranks as the second largest Islamic Bank globally in terms of assets.

KFH Group leads the global Islamic finance industry, offering a wide array of Islamic financial products and services across retail banking, corporate banking, treasury services, private banking and wealth management. KFH Group is committed to delivering exceptional innovation and customer service while promoting sustainability and digital transformation in all its operations and activities.

KFH Group has a presence in 10 countries, which encompass the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Arab Republic of Egypt, among others, supported by an extensive international business network. KFH runs over 600 branches, around 3000 automated teller machines (ATMs), and employs nearly 17,500 individuals.

KFH's mission is to achieve unparalleled standards of innovation and customer service excellence, all while safeguarding and nurturing the shared interests of stakeholders. Its vision is to spearhead the global advancement of Sharia-compliant financial services, striving to become the most trustworthy and sustainably profitable Islamic bank worldwide.

About Atleos

Atleos (NYSE: NATL) is the leader in expanding self-service financial access, with industry-leading ATM expertise and experience, unrivalled operational scale including the largest independently-owned ATM network, always-on global services and constant innovation. Atleos improves operational efficiency for financial institutions, drives footfall for retailers and enables digital-first financial self-service experiences for consumers. Atleos is ranked #12 in Newsweek’s prestigious 2025 Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces® list. Atleos is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with approximately 20,000 employees globally. For more information, visit www.ncratleos.com.