The Egyptian Intellectual Property Office granted the National Bank of Egypt (NBE) Utility Model Patent No. (30868) for its innovation, the "Mobile Banking Unit," in an achievement reflecting the importance of protecting national innovations and deploying them to develop services and enhance sustainable economic development.
This took place during a ceremony held at the headquarters of the National Bank of Egypt, attended by Dr. Hisham Azmi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Intellectual Property Office, Dr. Mona Yehia, Vice President of the Office, and Mohamed El-Etreby, CEO of the National Bank of Egypt, alongside specialized work teams from both sides. The event witnessed awarding the Bank the shield of the Egyptian Intellectual Property Office in appreciation of its excellence in this field.
Dr. Hisham Azmi praised the pioneering role of the National Bank of Egypt in developing banking services and adopting innovative initiatives that positively impact citizens' lives, noting that the Bank's interest in intellectual property reflects an awareness of its investment importance and its role in supporting the national economy.
Azmi pointed out that the Egyptian Intellectual Property Office pays great attention to enhancing the benefit from the intellectual property system as a key pillar for supporting innovation and stimulating investment in knowledge, stressing the Office's keenness to encourage national institutions across various sectors to protect their innovations and leverage intellectual property rights to transform innovative ideas into added economic value.
He added that the National Bank of Egypt obtaining the utility model patent represents an important model for integrating intellectual property protection efforts with corporate innovation, aligning with the objectives of the National Intellectual Property Strategy and the State's directions toward building a knowledge-based economy and enhancing the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Office also called upon various Egyptian institutions and trademarks to benefit from the services provided by the Office in protecting intellectual property rights, thereby contributing to supporting national industry, encouraging innovation and local products, and maximizing the economic return on knowledge assets.
For his part, Mohamed El-Etreby, CEO of NBE, explained that this achievement reflects the National Bank of Egypt's orientation toward investing in intellectual property as a strategic asset, and its keenness to develop innovative banking solutions aligned with Egypt Vision 2030, contributing to enhancing financial inclusion and expanding access to banking services across all governorates of the Republic.
El-Etreby noted that the mobile banking units align with the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) directives toward expanding service delivery beyond traditional branches, thereby enhancing the geographical reach of banking services, supporting digital transformation and financial inclusion efforts, and making services accessible to various segments of society, including persons with disabilities, through innovative facilities tailored to their needs.
It is noteworthy that the National Bank of Egypt launched its mobile banking units in 2021 from the New Administrative Capital to provide banking services to its workers before opening its branch in the Government District in 2022. These units provide various services, including account opening, executing financial transactions, providing banking consultations, and financial literacy, while enhancing access to remote areas that are difficult to serve through traditional branches.
The Bank also launched a modern model of mobile banking units under the name "Midi Bus," which roams governorates, villages, and remote areas to deliver banking services, thereby enhancing reach to new customer segments and supporting financial inclusion and digital transformation efforts.
