Johnson Idesoh, group chief information and technology officer, Absa Group. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo)
Absa Group says its agentic artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot handles over 100 000 queries per month from approximately 1.6 million users.
This, as the banking group continues to modernise its core platforms, positioning technology as a strategic lever for growth across the continent.
The bank’s agentic AI chatbot understands natural language, asks clarifying questions and delivers personalised data-driven answers, it reveals.
The JSE-listed financial services institution this week announced its interim financial results for the six months ended 30 June (H1 2026).
Absa notes the group’s H1 2026 technology performance shows a clear shift from digital investment to measurable business and customer outcomes.
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“Technology only matters when it changes the experience of customers and the performance of the business,” says Johnson Idesoh, Absa Group chief information and technology officer.
“In H1 2026, we saw that impact clearly: SMEs can open accounts in minutes, customers are receiving faster credit decisions, digital lending is growing strongly, service channels are becoming more responsive, and our platforms continue to operate with resilience.”
ITWeb recently reported that after years of testing machine learning and data-driven tools, banks are now accelerating investment and integration of AI into fraud detection, customer service, risk management and digital platforms, signalling the technology is becoming central to competitiveness in the financial sector.
Like rival Standard Bank Group, which revealed the majority of its workforce is actively using generative AI tools, Absa says it is also empowering employees with AI capabilities.
The bank points out that over 30 000 employees use Microsoft Copilot every month, while more than 4 400 employees with access to Copilot Pro are building personal automation agents, with over 3 800 agents now live in production.
“Technology teams are equally empowered with more than 1 400 developers leveraging AI-assisted coding tools, including GitHub Copilot and Claude Code, accelerating development cycles and enabling us to bring new products to market with greater speed.”
In addition to South Africa, Absa operates in 11 other African markets: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
As a result, the group says it is scaling digital capability across its African footprint in ways that respond to local customer needs.
“The Ghana Pay platform has 18 064 active wallet holders (90 day active) and has processed approximately GHS6.6 million through its funds transfer functionality, with 217 293 customers using the service as of July 2026.”
According to Absa, Amazon Connect has also enabled contact centre response times up to 21% faster, handling time improved by 14% per call and reduced call holding time by 44%.
