Garanti BBVA Advances Digital Banking with Generative AI Upgrade to Smart Assistant Ugi

Garanti BBVA Advances Digital Banking with Generative AI Upgrade to Smart Assistant Ugi

(IN BRIEF) Garanti BBVA has enhanced its mobile smart assistant Ugi with generative AI technology, enabling more natural, context-aware, and personalized interactions for customers. Ugi now supports a broader range of banking services, anticipates user needs, and continues to evolve through customer feedback. Executive VP Ceren Acer Kezik highlighted how generative AI is transforming both customer experiences and internal operations, reinforcing Garanti BBVA’s role as a leader in digital banking. This upgrade follows the bank’s launch of Türkiye’s first biometric credit card.

(PRESS RELEASE) TURKEY, 17-Apr-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Garanti BBVA has significantly enhanced its mobile banking experience by integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) into its smart assistant, Ugi. Leveraging large language models, the AI-powered upgrade introduces a more intuitive and personalized experience for users, transforming customer interactions with the bank into fluid, natural conversations.

With over five million users and more than 60 million interactions recorded in the past year, Ugi has already played a pivotal role in Garanti BBVA’s digital banking ecosystem. Now, with improved contextual understanding, Ugi is capable of providing hyperpersonalized financial solutions across a range of services including credit and debit card applications, card payments, password management, wire transfers, and more. The smart assistant can proactively anticipate user needs, delivering timely and relevant support.

Ceren Acer Kezik, Executive Vice President at Garanti BBVA, emphasized the transformative potential of generative AI, stating: “Generative AI does not simply digitize banking, it adds an entirely new dimension to it. With Ugi, our customers feel like they are speaking to an empathetic, human financial advisor.” She highlighted the importance of Ugi’s ability to understand intent and provide insightful responses tailored to individual needs.

Looking ahead, Garanti BBVA aims to continue expanding Ugi’s capabilities and apply generative AI across broader functions. Internally, the bank is also adopting generative AI to optimize operations in marketing, fraud detection, pricing strategies, credit evaluations, and customer service. This includes automating tasks like document processing, data summarization, and reporting—freeing up employees for more strategic initiatives.

In parallel with Ugi’s upgrade, Garanti BBVA also introduced Türkiye’s first biometric credit card, the Bonus Platinum Biometric Card, allowing users to make secure contactless payments using fingerprint verification—setting a new benchmark for innovation in digital payments.

Media Contact:

Tel.: 944 875 555

SOURCE: BBVA