CIBC's Virtual Assistant, the first of its kind among major Canadian banks, is now available 24/7 through CIBC Online Banking® and will be launched on CIBC Mobile Banking® in 2021. Clients can use it to send an Interac e-Transfer, pay and schedule a bill, lock and unlock their credit card or transfer money between accounts. The Virtual Assistant can also transfer a client to a CIBC financial expert if needed.

"CIBC's Virtual Assistant helps clients get answers quickly, and complete transactions with ease. Clients who would normally call in can now also find answers at their fingertips through a virtual agent chat online," said Aayaz Pira, Senior Vice-President, Digital Banking & Innovation, CIBC.

The questions a client could ask the new Virtual Assistant include:

• How do I send money to my sister?
• I lost my credit card, what do I do?
• Can you help me pay my cell phone bill?
• How do I convert to eStatements?
• Can you assist with updating my contact information?

CIBC's Digital and Technology teams have worked closely with IBM to develop and fully integrate the Virtual Assistant into CIBC's Online Banking platform. Clients are able to type their questions into the Virtual Assistant and receive an instant written response, along with links and widgets to help further assist them. It also provides button prompts to aid in an efficient conversational experience. Built using IBM's hybrid cloud strategy, the platform is highly scalable, allowing for rapid innovation across CIBC's digital platforms.

"Adding these capabilities is part of our focus on leveraging digital to make our clients' banking experience even better, and we'll continue to build on this new technology to deliver more interactive services, and make it easier for clients to bank with us remotely or from the comfort and safety of their homes," added Mr. Pira.