"Unmanned bank" makes debut in Shanghai

A China Construction Bank branch on Kiukiang Road, Shanghai, is being touted as the first "unmanned bank" on the Chinese mainland with its opening on April 9, 2018, reports the Shanghai Observer.

The robot that serves as bank lobby manager in the Chinese mainland's first "unmanned bank" at a China Construction Bank branch on Kiukiang Road, Shanghai. [Photo: Shanghai Observer]

Instead of being approached by human personnel, the bank foyer is staffed by a robot, which serves as the bank lobby manager, and is able to communicate with customers to meet their needs and solve their problems.

The difference between a traditional self-service bank and the unmanned bank is the intelligent self-service equipment which is able to access various banking services within the branch.

Customers at the Kiukiang CCB branch have access to video teller machines, currency exchange machines, as well as interactive services including Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. The self-service equipment can handle over 90% of the cash and cashless services of a traditional bank.

However, despite the term "unmanned bank," the Kiukiang CCB branch does still maintain a human staff.