Farah Bastaki

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) is keen to consolidate its leading position on social media platforms and precedence in keeping pace with them since they emerged. In that context, NBK launched its account on Clubhouse social media platform, making it the first bank in Kuwait to launch an account on the new audio-chat social media app.

NBK is constantly updating the content of its social media pages, with material related to educational and media awareness campaigns. In line with that, and as part of its ongoing support to the Central Bank of Kuwait's campaign "Let's be aware", the bank organized a webinar on Clubhouse platform themed "Credit Cards and Latest Fraud Schemes".

A group of banking executives participated in this webinar including Yousef Al-Majed, Chairman of Banking Cards Committee at Kuwait Banking Association (KBA), Abdul-Mohsen Al-Rushaid, Assistant General Manager of Communications Department at National Bank of Kuwait, Dina Al-Bader, AGM - Card Operations at National Bank of Kuwait, and Bashar Ibrahim, Executive Manager - Cards Operations Department at National Bank of Kuwait. The webinar witnessed remarkable interaction from followers of NBK's social media pages.

On this occasion, Farah Bastaki, Senior Manager - Communications Department at National Bank of Kuwait, said: "Our precedence in presence on Clubhouse platform consolidates the NBK's leading role and our strategy in relying on digital channels to deliver our social responsibilities, especially in view of the prevailing exceptional circumstances."

"Our approach in supporting the Central Bank's "Let's Be Aware" initiative is ongoing through all our digital channels, ranging from publishing educational materials, awareness content to organizing events with the aim of enhancing financial knowledge among different segments of society and highlighting customers' rights," added Bastaki.

Bastaki affirmed that NBK is keen to increase customers' awareness of the innovative fraud schemes and the ways to avoid them, and to provide guidance and advice that enable them to protect their accounts from these suspicious activities. Bastaki called on the bank's customers and other segments of society to follow NBK's social media pages to benefit from the wide-range content provided on these accounts which targets all segments of followers.

The number of followers of all NBK social media pages reached 1.7 million by the end of 2020, up by 13 percent compared to last year, with 200,000 new followers during last year. The content of NBK social media pages witnessed remarkable interaction all year round, as the number of interactions grew by 8 percent annually to reach 4 million, compared to 3.7 million for last year, preserving the bank's dominant share among the social media pages of all banks.

It is worth mentioning that NBK is a key supporter and partner in all the initiatives and campaigns of the Central Bank of Kuwait which aim to raise financial awareness and spread the banking culture among all segments of society. As the leading financial institution in Kuwait and the region, NBK frequently organizes various activities that contribute to raising awareness about all topics related to the banking sector. It also organizes a wide range of training courses for its employees to enhance their expertise in the areas of combating fraud and financial crimes.