Backbase, the enabler of AI-powered banking, announces a strategic partnership with Unblu, a key player in conversational engagement for financial institutions. Together, they’re solving a pressing challenge: transforming digital banking from a self-service utility into a more “human-connected” user experience.
The partnership addresses a fundamental tension in modern banking. Customers “expect seamless digital experiences, yet they value personal guidance for key financial moments.”
Banks that deliver only self-service lose relationships, while those that deliver both “efficiency and human connection win loyalty.”
The joint solution brings Unblu’s Conversational Engagement Platform – live chat, voice and video calling, co-browsing, and AI-powered chatbots – natively into Backbase’s banking platform.
The result: customers move from digital self-service to more human-assisted interactions “within a single journey, while relationship managers, case workers, and frontline service agents gain complete customer context to serve them better.”
Meanwhile, banks maintain “compliance and security standards across every channel.”
Mayank Somaiya, Global VP of Marketplace at Backbase has said that digital banking should never come “at the expense of human connection,”
Somaiya added that by embedding Unblu’s collaboration tools into their ecosystem, banks can deliver transitions from “automated service to expert guidance, helping customers feel supported throughout their digital journey.”
Jens Rabe, the Co-CEO at Unblu said that they are pleased to partner with Backbase in order to help FIs deliver the kind of personal customer experiences today’s users expect.
Rabe also mentioned that by bringing their digital interaction tools directly into the Backbase platform, they’re enabling banks “to build deeper relationships while maintaining the compliance and security standards they can’t compromise on.”
The partnership delivers a unified employee workbench that “connects previously isolated capabilities across the bank’s tech stack.”
Whether serving customers through “case management, relationship management, or frontline service, bank employees get:”
Customers complete digital journeys independently or “connect instantly with bank employees via live chat, voice, video, or co-browsing” – all within the Backbase platform.
The partnership allows employees to automate routine tasks and “surface real-time insights, freeing up time to focus “on meaningful conversations.”
Built on Backbase’s unified data foundation, advisors see “complete customer context for every interaction.”
Whether online, mobile, or in-branch, customers experience “the same seamless service.”
Banks maintain regulatory compliance with “encrypted communications, audit trails, and data residency controls built in.”
The partnership unlocks value across use-cases:
- Onboarding and account opening: Customers complete digital applications and connect instantly with bank employees for verification or guidance via live chat, video, or co-browsing.
- Wealth management: Relationship managers conduct video consultations and collaborative financial planning sessions directly within the banking experience.
- Customer service: AI chatbots handle common questions and route complex cases to human agents without losing context.
- Hybrid branch experience: Transform branches into digital-enabled service hubs where advisors interact with clients remotely and in person.
The pre-integrated solution will reportedly be available “early in 2026 to Backbase customers worldwide.”
FIs can deploy the complete suite or select specific Unblu “capabilities based on their priorities.”
As noted in the update, Unblu enables financial institutions to offer improved customer experiences and become the partner in the lives of their customers.
The Digital Client Interaction platform connects retail banks, private banks, and credit unions with clients in a compliant, authentic, meaningful way.
The product portfolio reportedly offers a AI capabilities, collaborative digital tools, and better in-branch experiences.