United Bank for Africa (UBA) is now on WhatsApp with this number +234 903 000 2455 and I was able to chat with its virtual customer care robot known as Leo on WhatsApp. Here is my experience using the UBA WhatsApp Number and WhatsApp banking platform.
This morning, I received an SMS from UBA which goes like this:
You can now carry out banking transactions with ease and convenience with Leo on WhatsApp. Get started: https://goo.gl/GNdo68
I decided to finally give the WhatsApp banking service a try but wasn’t really satisfied with the final result after a promising chatting with the bank robot called Leo.
Anyway, before going into details of my experience using UBA Whatsapp banking service, let me explain some relevant stuffs to carry both aspiring, new and existing customers of the Pan African Bank along.
Leo of UBA
About UBA
UBA stands for United Bank for Africa and it’s one of the popular financial institutions in Africa with over 20 nations in Africa already banking with it. The Bank has offices in three global financial centers including London, Paris and New York.
As at the time of this publication, the CEO/MD of UBA is Mr. Johnson Agoreyo who hails from Uganda and an M. Sc degree Holder in Finance from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. It has numerous branches spread across cites in Nigeria, little wonder it’s sometimes tagged as the “market people’s bank”.
Who Is Leo of UBA?
Leo is the name given to UBA online robot that controls its social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and now whatsapp. With Leo on WhatsApp, customers can now can perform basic banking transactions including checking their balances on the go, transferring funds, paying bills, Airtime topup among other services.
Before now, I had a wonderful and stress-free experience using UBA Leo services on Facebook and Twitter but my whatsapp experience didn’t end with full satisfaction.
Don’t worry, you will know why by the time you finish reading my article but before then, here is the statement released by the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, UBA, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka last month concerning this innovation.
He said: “This only goes to show that our resolve in continuing to deploy innovative solutions that place customers first, using cutting edge technology for their collective satisfaction and excellent banking experience is important to us.
This recognition will further spur us to do more in meeting the needs of our customers with unrivalled services.”
“Our recent launch of Leo in 13 other African countries is evidence that UBA has on its agenda, the objective of digital creativity especially in service for our trusted customer base across the African continent.”
Also speaking on the new service, the Group Head of UBA’s Online Banking, Mr Austine Abolusoro, stated “United Bank for Africa is a technology-driven institution with vast knowledge in the business that we do and Leo, being a tested dependable and intelligent personality, will replicate on WhatsApp, the success it has experienced on the Facebook Messenger platform.
It is a solution that is from the customer’s standpoint, easy to use by anyone regardless of your demography.” “Leo is ready and waiting to help with any form of banking services,” continued Abolusoro.
Things Needed To Get Started
- Latest Whatsapp application
- Your Android or ios device
- The phone number connected to your UBA bank account
- Your banking security PIN
- A web browser (preferably Chrome and UC Browser)
- Internet data (about 6mb)
My Experience Using UBA WhatsApp Number Banking Services
At first, I was very excited how the chatting was going smoothly and was expecting a positive outcome until the last message which dropped like a bomb and shattered all that I wanted to get. Below is the procedure on how to get started with UBA WhatsApp banking services in Nigeria and any other part of the world;
- To activate WhatsApp banking services, first add this UBA WhatsApp Number +234 903 000 2455 by saving it in your phone
- Then open your WhatsApp application and search for “UBA Leo WhatsApp” or any other name you used to save it
- Now tap on the contact and text “Hi Leo“
- It will respond to your chat immediately with this message below
“Hi I am Leo, welcome to UBA ChatBanking. You can now transact and receive updates via WhatsApp!
Before we continue, we’ll need you to opt-in by accepting the terms and conditions detailed here: https://www.ubagroup.com/countries/ng/terms-and-conditions
1. Accept
2. Decline”
- You have to read the terms and conditions by clicking the link which opens in a web browser and if it’s okay by you, you can then return to whatsapp and enter ‘1′ to accept the terms otherwise just enter ‘2′ to exit from the service.
- After accepting, Leo will reply you with this message for account security purposes
- After that, UBA Leo will send a One Time Password (OTP) as an SMS to your mobile number. Please enter the OTP to complete your transaction. Note that this OTP expires after just 4 minutes for security purposes.
- After entering the OTP, Leo will welcome you once again and present you with menu and bank services you can enjoy via whatsapp as follows;
Welcome UGOCHUKWU to my world of Virtual Banking
You are just about to experience unrivalled banking services!
There are exciting ways I can help make your banking easier and I’ll keep unveiling new features all the time:
✔️ Check Balance
✔️ Send Money
✔️ Airtime Topup
✔️ Pay Bills
✔️ And many more
So feel free to engage me anytime, I’ll always be here to assist.
Thanks.
LEO
Enter 1 for main menu or 0 to exit.
After entering 1 for MENU, you get another message like the one below
Hi, I am LEO.
I can help you with the following, please type/enter a number from the list below to begin with:
1. Check Balance
2. Airtime Top Up
3. Send Money – UBA to UBA
4. Send Money to Other Banks
5. Bill Payments
6. Create Pin
7. Customer Care
In my case, I wanted to check my bank account balance so I simply entered ‘1′, then I was asked to provide a security method to complete the transactions. There are 3 security options including PIN, OTP and secure pass as you can see below;
Please select any of the options below to authorize this transaction
1. PIN
2. One Time Password(OTP)
3. Secure Pass
I selected the first option which is PIN and was anxiously expecting the final result but to my greatest surprise, I saw this;
CT51: An error occurred, please try again later
I didn’t bother to try again.
Screenshots of my personal chat with Leo of UBA on whatsapp.
UBA WhatsApp Banking Information
- Virtual Staff: Leo
- Platform: WhatsApp
- Charges: Free but network providers charges apply
- Eligibility: All UBA bank customers
- Services: Checking Balance, Buy Airtime, Pay Bills, Money Transfer, Create PIN, Customer Care
- Time of Service: 24/7
- Rating: 3.5/5
Conclusion
The WhatsApp banking service by UBA is a welcomed innovation and will undoubtedly make banking more easier and this is the early stages so I believe this bug will be fixed and addressed as time goes on. Remember that First Bank, GTBank and Access bank are the other financial institutions that introduced whatsapp banking this year.
References:
More Banking Resources
- Bank Sort Codes In Nigeria
- Receive Money From Abroad in Nigeria
- Currency Exchange Rate of All Banks
Let us know if you have used this service before.
