Meem by GIB, a progressive retail banking service provided by Gulf International Bank (GIB), was officially launched on Friday at an event in Al-Khobar. Over 200 meem customers attended the event who all had the opportunity to experience the innovative and unique products and services on offer by meem. meem offers innovative, non-traditional Shariah- compliant banking services such as ‘the-One-Pack' account which combines the benefits of both current and savings accounts, online flexible term deposits, multi-currency debt cards and digital communication channels such as email, web chat and social media such as Twitter. meem offers their customers a broad range of channels through which to open and manage their meem accounts using e-banking and contact center or stores. The bank is particularly proud of the innovative and unique in-store experience where meem has deployed and used state of the art technology that is both simple to use and enhances the customer's experience. meem has opened stores in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran that enable customers to complete the account opening process and receive their debit cards immediately as well as withdraw and deposit cash, make transfers and do their own account maintenance. Dr. Yahya Alyahya, GIB's Chief Executive Officer, said “the launch of our retail banking service capitalizes on the immense potential in the GCC, focusing on an audience that values and relies on technology for the benefit it offers – convenience and simplicity. Our retail proposition is built on technological innovation and harnesses the advantage to provide a unique customer experience. Our aim is to be ‘ahead-of-the-curve' in providing clear and simple products and professional services to customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and eventually across the GCC.” Over the past three years, meem was uniquely designed and created by employing the concept of “co-creation” which involved a large group of target customers (meemers) who were engaged using various social media channels. This co-creation experience is considered to be the first of its kind in the banking sector regionally, which not only helped shape the business model of meem, but also the services and products on offer, as well as the brand identity and the values of meem. — SG
