Citadele Bank in Latvia is now offering a new way to become a client of the bank and receive an X Smart payment card without visiting a branch. This remote application is now possible with a smartphone, using the Citadele app to send a selfie along with a passport or ID card picture. Citadele is the first bank in the Baltics to offer this service, which is available to Latvian residents using Android and iOS smart devices.
Latvian residents can apply to open a bank account and receive a card 24 hours a day through the app. This can be done in any place with a mobile connection and internet. The application includes three simple steps: download the mobile app, take a selfie and a photo of your passport or ID card, and enter your personal information. The application process takes 5-7 minutes. The client does not have to go to a branch afterwards, as the card and documents are delivered personally by a bank employee at a time and place of the client’s choosing. The client will show their ID card, and the employee will identify the client and issue their X Smart payment card.
Citadele Bank Chairman of the Board Guntis Beļavskis: “With this service, we are continuing to fulfil our innovation promise: ‘From a branch visit to a bank in your pocket.’ Until now, our mobile app innovations have only been available to Citadele clients: the use of FaceID and other biometrics, the option to fully manage card settings, and chatting with the bank. These barriers have now been broken down. Anyone can receive modern banking services without leaving their home, as we use modern biometric methods to verify the selfie.”
The new service became available on February 1st, and it can be used immediately by downloading the Citadele mobile app and following the instructions.
Development of the new app function took 10 months and an investment of over one million Euro. The Citadele Bank mobile app can be downloaded from the App Store and GooglePlay.