The assistant will also point people in the direction of ATMs close to them.

Among other services like payment of bills, managing savings, investing funds and trading stocks, fintech has completely revolutionised banking in the region, with AI being integrated into platforms for assisting people with all the afore-mentioned tasks, while they can focus on other day to day activities. Smart tech has even been roped in for serving customers that have specific issues, by sensing how they feel to come up with appropriate responses in order to deliver a more personalised service to each client.

Banks in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia are rapidly embracing digitisation and the region is already home to fully online Islamic banks, along with platforms which are making investment in stocks and mutual funds a lot simpler to suit the requirements of a tech-savvy generation. In line with the demand for swift, speedy and insightful banking services round the clock from the comfort of one's home, the Dukhan bank in Qatar has introduced a virtual assistant which is backed by AI to address customer queries, among other services.

Named as Rashid, which means a guide in Arabic, the digital bot has been designed to take questions from different channels, before improvising and adapting to the situation for effective interactions with users. The solution also uses geolocation, to tell people where their nearest ATM is, or to point out discounts and other offers in their vicinity, while it relays info about different services offered by the bank.

Dukhan bank's virtual guide also goes on to connect people with customer care execs if the situation calls for a human touch, and can also perform simple yet essential tasks like calculating currency exchange rates. It does all of this in English as well as Arabic to serve local consumers in an efficient manner.

Available for customers via Dukhan's smartphone app or website and on call, the virtual assistant Rashid is also accessible for employees of the bank through a separate platform.