BOA to shut down 12 branches, lay off staff in digital shift
The BoA Kenya head office at Reinsurance Plaza in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
Nairobi County, which has the most branches, will now have 17 - down from the current 25.
Bank of Africa (BOA) has announced Friday that it plans to digitise most of its services in a move that will leave only 30 braches across the country.
Nairobi County, which has the most branches, will now have 17 - down from the current 25.
The other 13 will be distributed throughout other parts of Kenya.
Consequently, there will be staff cuts along with the move although it was not immediately clear how many would be affected.
BOA becomes the latest lender to close the traditional brick-and-mortar outlets to focus on pushing services through digital channels.
Equity Bank announced in October that it was freezing branch expansion to move away from the traditional across-the-counter branches to online platforms.
Diamond Trust Bank and Ecobank have also made similar moves, underlining the impact of technology that is bringing an end to the days when interaction your lender meant spending time in banking halls.
New channels such as mobile banking, agents and online banking have also made basic functions such as withdrawals, deposits, payment of bills, loan applications and fund transfers easier for customers.
