AAIB optimises retail offerings

AAIB optimises retail offerings

New savings products and wider digital access have helped lift customer take-up across Arab African International Bank’s retail business in Egypt

In retail banking, product breadth matters less when customers cannot quickly find, open or use the products that suit them. The stronger model connects customer needs with product design and delivery, while showing that the resulting services are being adopted.

Egypt’s Arab African International Bank (AAIB) moved in that direction during 2025, reshaping its retail offer around different customer groups and widening access through mobile and self-service channels.

The bank enhanced its customer segmentation approach to support more tailored offerings and deeper customer engagement. Age, behaviour, engagement and financial needs became more prominent in the development of products and services for younger customers, families, senior customers and higher-value segments.

Tailored products

The E-Day Today account is one outcome of this shift. Launched in April 2025, the savings product can be opened through the AAIB mobile app using an automated, paperless journey, with interest credited daily. More than 4,800 accounts were opened within nine months.

AAIB has also introduced a savings proposition for customers aged 15 to 21, which combines a low minimum balance and no account fees with digital payment options, education-related benefits and access to career development opportunities. The product attracted about 6,000 customers within six months.

Both products address specific customer needs. E-Day Today combines daily returns with ready access to savings, while the youth account gives customers aged 15 to 21 a low-cost entry point into banking.

The product changes have been supported by a wider shift in distribution. Savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money-market fund transactions are now available through digital channels, reducing the need for branch processing for routine activities.

Tangible results

AAIB ended 2025 with 340,000 mobile app users. Mobile transactions reached 2.35 million during the year, with a value of £E145bn ($2.8bn). Digital penetration increased to 60% from below 40% the previous year.

The numbers matter because they connect product strategy with customer behaviour. The bank did not rely on a single digital launch or an increase in app registrations to make its case. New propositions gained traction, more products became available remotely and a larger share of customer activity moved into digital channels.

AAIB has continued to use branches and relationship managers for customers who need advice or more complex support. As routine transactions move online, branch teams can focus more on service and relationship management.

That combination has given the retail strategy its coherence. Segmentation has shaped the products, digital channels have widened access and customer adoption has provided evidence the model is working.

For AAIB, the result has been a retail franchise that has become more targeted without becoming narrower, and more digital without losing the value of its physical network.