In a major move, Abu Dhabi-based Al Hilal Bank said it will start permitting its customers to use their Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA) identity cards for withdrawals and transfers at all its ATMs across the country.

This unique ‘Your Emirates ID... Your New Debit Card’ scheme marks the first time that EIDA cards are being used for ATM transactions in the country, said a statement from the UAE lender.

The pioneering initiative is the result of a strategic partnership agreement signed by Al Hilal Bank and EIDA in January last year.

As per the deal, Al Hilal has been authorised to access information from the authority’s Identity Cards such as name, passport number and nationality to automatically populate its core systems, said the statement.

This enables swift, efficient and secure processing of cardholder information for key banking transactions. Al Hilal Bank’s latest achievement underscores its emphasis on smart banking and its commitment to constant innovation, it added.

Group CEO Mohamed Jamil Berro said: "We value the role of technology in ensuring convenience and quality services to our clients, which is why we eagerly pursued our partnership with EIDA to come up with the ‘Your Emirates ID... Your New Debit Card’ project."

"We are also proud of how our latest technology-enabled service complements the UAE’s broader vision of transforming itself into a digital society. We encourage our customers to avail of the benefits of using their Identity Cards in our national ATM network," he added.

Al Hilal, said Berro, is recognized for various technology-themed innovations such as the UAE’s first thumb verification system for banking transactions, the first integration of digital pens for banking transactions in the Middle East, and the world’s first ‘Qibla Locator’ credit card.

These reflect the bank’s corporate philosophy of constantly being ‘fresher, smarter and brighter,’ he added.-TradeArabia News Service