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BlogsBanks today face a persistent structural challenge. While most everyday transactions have shifted to mobile applications, the physical branch remains essential for trust, onboarding, and high-value customer relationships.
Yet many branches still operate with outdated service models that depend heavily on manual processes, staff-assisted transactions, and long waiting times. This gap has driven rising operational costs and declining in-branch satisfaction—particularly when customers visit branches for routine services that could be completed instantly through automation.
In 2026, leading banks are addressing this challenge by redesigning their branches around self-service automation. Beyond card issuance and collection, automated banking services such as cheque printing, bank statement printing, and other transactional services are handled directly by self-service machines—available 24/7. At the center of this transformation sits instant card issuance, enabling faster service delivery while significantly reducing dependency on branch staff.
A modern Smart Bank Branch is no longer built around counters and queues. Instead, it is designed to migrate high-volume transactions away from staff and into secure, automated self-service environments.
At the heart of this transformation is a simple but powerful principle: If a transaction can be completed instantly and securely, it should not require human intervention.
Such as instant debit card issuance, card replacement, PIN reset, KYC updates, document verification, and basic account services are handled through advanced self-service kiosks.
Bank branch employees are no longer occupied with repetitive operational tasks. Instead, they focus on advisory services, relationship management, and complex financial consultations.
Bank customers no longer visit the branch to “wait their turn.” They visit to complete a task—often within minutes.
Card issuance and collection remain among the most common reasons customers visit bank branches. Traditionally, this process required multiple in-branch steps, back-office dependency, and long turnaround times—often forcing customers to return more than once.
In a smart self-service branch, card issuance and collection become fully automated and customer-driven. Customers can apply for a new card through the bank’s mobile banking application or website, then visit the branch at their convenience to collect the card from a self-service machine—without waiting or staff assistance.
Customers authenticate themselves at the self-service machine using secure identity verification (biometric or ID-based). The machine instantly prints, encodes, and dispenses a personalized debit or prepaid card. PIN setup and activation are completed on the spot.
The entire collection and issuance process takes only minutes—delivering true anytime access while eliminating operational strain on branch staff.
While self-service remains the foundation of the smart bank branch, AI plays a supportive—yet essential—role by orchestrating interactions across the bank’s mobile app and in-branch self-service kiosks. Embedded AI assistants understand user intent from the first interaction, guiding customers step by step through available services and clearly identifying which requests can be completed instantly via self-service and which require human assistance.
Based on this understanding, the AI seamlessly triggers actions across enterprise systems—such as initiating instant card issuance, booking a service flow, or preparing customer context in advance. When human support is needed, AI ensures a smooth and uninterrupted handoff to live staff—either on-site or remotely—without forcing customers to repeat information.
This approach preserves human expertise where it matters most, while eliminating unnecessary dependency on staff for routine tasks. The result is a smart bank branch experience that feels intuitive, efficient, and purpose-driven—powered by AI, yet centered on simplicity and speed.
Banks adopting self-service-centric branch models see immediate operational benefits:
Unlike vendors that offer isolated kiosks or standalone machines, SEDCO delivers fully integrated self-service banking solutions designed specifically for high-volume branch environments. SEDCO’s Smart Branch approach places instant card issuance and self-service automation at the center of branch operations—supported by intelligent queue orchestration and optional AI assistance when needed. This model is already deployed across major financial institutions, including Al Rajhi Bank, enabling scalable, secure, and future-ready banking experiences.
Key Self-Service Capabilities
Contact us and discover how SEDCO’s Smart Self-Service Branch solutions can transform your banking network.