Kasisto makes key organizational hires within the African market as the firm experiences significant growth and selection of KAI by 3 of the top 5 financial institutions within this important region
NEW YORK, JOHANNESBURG — May 18, 2021 – Kasisto, creators of KAI, the leading digital experience platform for the financial services industry, announced today that 3 of the top 5 financial institutions within the African market; Absa, Nedbank and Standard Bank, have now selected KAI and its conversational AI technology to power their Intelligent Digital Assistant experiences.
This important milestone reflects the growing need for digital assistants across the financial services industry and the accelerated adoption of these experiences on the African continent.
In fact, in a recent McKinsey report, Africa emerged as the world’s second fastest growing banking market, with the banked population in the region expected to swell by more than 150 million people, from nearly 300 million in recent years to 450 million by 2022 – with demand for digital banking surging.
“Our KAI-powered intelligent digital assistant, Abby, has transformed the ways we engage and service our customers. We have experienced significant digital engagement with our clients and we continue to see an increase in usage month over month.” said Johan Viljoen, Head of Channel Design – Africa Regional Office. “Kasisto has become a critical partner in our journey to provide our customers the best digital experience within our banking markets.”
With nearly 30 million customers collectively, Absa, Nedbank and Standard Bank are setting the gold standard for digital engagement within the South African banking market and the African continent. By choosing Kasisto’s KAI and newly launched solution, Enlighten; the ultimate intelligent digital assistant solution, to power their digital engagement strategies these banking leaders are redefining the banking digital experience in their operating environments, with banks across the region following suit.
To support the growing demand, Kasisto is establishing a corporate presence in South Africa that will be led by Justin Arnoldi, Managing Director, Africa and Middle East. In addition to this key hire, Byron Wolff will also be joining the Kasisto team as Customer Strategy Manager and will be responsible for leading Kasisto’s customer strategy and success in the region.
“The African banking market is transforming the way digital banking is experienced by customers on the continent. Kasisto has emerged as a leading partner for transformation within the top African banks, including financial institutions in the Middle East. This is an exciting time for both financial organizations and Kasisto in the region, and I am honored and excited to lead Kasisto’s African and Middle East operations and continue our success!” said Justin Arnoldi, Managing Director, Kasisto.
“The need for intelligent digital assistants, especially in areas of the world where banking customers have a “digital first” expectation presents a great growth opportunity for Kasisto. Our early success with Absa has now led us to establishing Kasisto as a leader within Africa,” says Zor Gorelov, chief executive officer for Kasisto. “We are establishing an organization on the ground to ensure the ongoing success of our current and new customers and to drive expansion across the entire region.”
About Kasisto
Kasisto was founded in 2013 with a mission to humanize digital experiences across the financial services industry. KAI, our industry leading digital experience platform, is chosen by financial institutions across the globe, such as DBS Bank, J.P. Morgan, Emirates NBD, Standard Chartered, TD Bank, and Manulife Bank among others, for its proven out of the box virtual assistants, and track record to drive business results while improving customer experiences. The platform is engaging with millions of banking customers around the world, all the time, across multiple channels, in different languages, and is optimized for performance, scalability, security, and compliance. KAI is built with the deepest Conversational AI portfolio in the industry.
