BRAC and City Bank launch new service, what does ‘Digibox’ offer

BRAC Bank and City Bank have started rolling out smart courier lockers known as ‘Digibox’ to make banking service more convenient for the customers.

These boxes have been installed in front of the bank branches for now. Both banks also plan to introduce these smart lockers at metro rail stations in the future.

Customers applying for ATM cards, chequebooks or bank account statements at branches can now collect them from these lockers at any time after receiving an SMS notification. This service has eased customer crowds at bank branches while allowing clients to pick up their cards and cheques at a time convenient for them.

BRAC Bank first introduced Digibox at its Gulshan North branch in June. Since then, the bank has set up these lockers at its Gulshan, Motijheel, Karwan Bazar, Elephant Road and Sat Masjid branches.

City Bank recently rolled out a similar service at its Gulshan branch, branding it as Access Plus.

Digibox is an automated, smart locker system. When a customer applies for a service at a branch, bank officials deposit the requested card or chequebook inside the locker. As soon as the package is placed inside, an SMS containing an OTP (one-time password) or security code is sent to the customer’s mobile phone.

The customer can then visit at a convenient time and use the code to retrieve the parcel. This eliminates the need to visit the branch during traditional banking hours.

Officials from BRAC Bank and City Bank explained that chequebooks and ATM cards are usually not handed over without a customer's physical signature, nor are they delivered to personal addresses via courier due to security reasons.

Previously, clients had to visit a branch to apply and return a few days later once the cards or chequebooks arrived, requiring two separate visits.

With Digibox, retrieving an item using OTP verification is treated as an official signature. Bank officials noted that this newly launched service is quickly gaining popularity.

They added that once installed across all branches, customers will be able to access the service 24/7, with OTP-based verification ensuring complete package security.

Mahiul Islam, Deputy Managing Director and Head of Retail Banking at BRAC Bank, told Prothom Alo, "We first installed this box at our North Gulshan branch in June. We observed that many customers were using it even late at night. We have since expanded the service to several other branches and plan to roll it out across the network even faster."

Arup Haider, Deputy Managing Director and Head of Retail Banking at City Bank, told Prothom Alo, "We will install these boxes across 15 branches this year. This will provide 24-hour service to our customers, meaning they will no longer have to wait for standard banking hours."