'Cafe-Style' On-Line Banking Arrives In Dubai

Lorys Charambolous, Tax-news.com, Cyprus

15 March 2001

Emirates Bank Group has launched an Internet-based banking service, based in the Dubai Internet City (DIC), which offers online banking in a cafe-style environment. The new service, called MeBank, is effectively a cyber-branch of the bank based on a clicks-and-mortar model.

MeBank was unveiled this week by Emirates Bank managing director and chief executive, Anis Al Jallaf, who said: 'Online banking is the future. Our idea was to offer customers a way to conduct their banking themselves in a relaxed atmosphere, while sipping coffee, through MeBank. It has multiple hi-tech outlets featuring ATMs, PCs with telephones, and touchscreen Internet machines to carry out a range of operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week.'

Customers will have online access to products and services of Emirates Bank International and Middle East Bank, including account opening and enquiries, fund transfers, bill payments, remittances, foreign exchange and deposit rate information. John Critchley, head of retail banking and group operations, said more outlets would be opened in the future.

All services are free, as is the coffee, said Anis Al Jallaf. He added: 'These services can actually be accessed through the Internet from anywhere in the world by any Net-connected device, but not everyone may have ready access to the Web, hence the MeBank outlets.'

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