WhatsApp Banking: Services Customers Prefer Over Apps or Calls

For a routine banking question, customers don't always want to open an app, search through menus or wait on a customer care call. Sometimes, they just want to send a message and get the information they need.

Banks in India are responding by expanding the services available through WhatsApp banking, from account information and card services to deposits, loans and service requests.

The scale is significant. In its FY2025–26 annual report, State Bank of India reported more than 2.12 crore registered WhatsApp banking users and over 93 customer journeys. Bank of Baroda reported 2.27 crore WhatsApp banking users and 11.15 crore transactions during the same financial year.

These figures show that messaging has become an established banking channel. But which services are customers using it for, and what can banks learn from that behaviour?

1. Account balances and transaction information

Checking an account balance or reviewing recent transactions is a simple, recurring need. Customers want a quick answer, not necessarily a full banking session.

Historical disclosures from ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank identified balance enquiries and recent transactions among their most-requested WhatsApp banking services. Although these disclosures date back to 2020, they provide an early, specific example of how customers used messaging for routine banking information.

Banks continue to offer account information through messaging. SBI's current service includes informational and non-financial customer journeys that can be accessed without logging into its mobile application.

What banks should take away: Routine information that customers need frequently is a practical candidate for messaging-based service. The opportunity is to make it easy to access while maintaining appropriate authentication and privacy controls.

2. Credit card information and selected card services

Customers often need specific information about a card: its limit, recent activity or what to do if it is lost.

Axis Bank's FY2023–24 annual report showed that its WhatsApp banking service had grown to more than 20 million registered users and supported 70 product journeys. The bank reported ₹83 crore in fixed deposits booked and renewed through WhatsApp that year, alongside services covering cards, deposits and loans.

Axis Bank's FY2024–25 annual report subsequently reported more than 30 million registered WhatsApp banking users, ₹191 crore in fixed deposits booked through the channel and 40 product journeys fully digitised. Its published services include card services, loan requests, balance checks and real-time transactions.

These disclosures demonstrate that messaging can support more than simple questions. Customers can also use it to access selected product journeys and transactions.

What banks should take away: Card-related information and straightforward actions may fit messaging well. More sensitive or complex requests still need the right security checks and a clear route to additional support.

3. Fixed deposits and other deposit-related services

Messaging is also being used for services that go beyond account enquiries.

Axis Bank reported ₹191 crore in fixed deposits booked through WhatsApp in FY2024–25, up from ₹83 crore in FY2023–24.

This is one of the more useful examples in the research because it measures a financial product outcome, rather than registrations alone.

The channel isn't just helping customers find information. It can also help them move forward with a banking decision.

What banks should take away: Where a product journey is suitable for digital completion, messaging can provide a convenient starting point and, where supported, a way to complete the transaction.

4. Loan information and loan-related requests

Loan journeys often involve several questions: What products are available? Am I eligible? What documents do I need? How much will I have to repay?

Banks are making some of these services accessible through messaging. Axis Bank lists loan requests among its WhatsApp banking capabilities, while SBI's service has expanded to cover more than 93 customer journeys across informational and non-financial services.

However, public disclosures don't provide enough recent, comparable data to say that loan enquiries are among the most-used messaging services today.

The opportunity is nevertheless clear: messaging can make it easier for customers to ask initial questions, receive relevant information and understand the next step in a loan journey.

What banks should take away: Identify the parts of a loan journey that can be handled through a conversation, while keeping eligibility decisions, sensitive information and more complex cases within appropriate secure workflows.

5. Routine service requests and customer support

Customers also need help with everyday requests, from accessing documents to understanding a transaction or checking the status of a request.

SBI's FY2025–26 annual report highlights the expansion of its WhatsApp banking service to 93-plus customer journeys, including informational and non-financial services. Bank of Baroda reported 11.15 crore transactions through WhatsApp banking during FY2025–26.

These figures show the scale of activity, but neither disclosure gives a detailed breakdown of which service requests contribute the most transactions.

That distinction matters. A large number of transactions tells banks that a channel is being used; service-level data tells them what customers actually need from it.

What banks should take away: Track which requests customers initiate through messaging, how often those requests are resolved, and how frequently customers have to switch to a call, app or branch to finish the job.

What the latest research tells us about digital banking expectations

The wider customer experience picture matters, too.

In May 2026, EY India published findings from a survey of 2,030 banking customers. The report is titled "Customer Experience Reimagined: The New Frontier for Indian Banking in 2026" and the press release is dated 20 May 2026. The report found that 55% wanted better digital support across apps, websites and chatbots. It also noted that chatbots remained underused and less trusted despite strong mobile adoption.

This doesn't prove that customers prefer messaging to apps or calls. It does, however, point to a challenge for banks: providing digital access is not enough if customers struggle to get clear answers or resolve their needs.

Messaging should therefore be evaluated on how well it serves a particular customer need, not simply on how many services a bank has added to the channel.

How banks can identify the right services for messaging

The research points to several useful areas to investigate: account information, card services, deposits, loan-related queries and routine service requests.

But banks need their own channel-level data to understand where messaging genuinely makes a difference.

A useful assessment should examine:

• Service demand: Which requests are customers initiating through messaging?
• Channel choice: Are customers using messaging instead of an app or call, or using it alongside those channels?
• Resolution: Can customers complete the task in the conversation, or do they need to switch channels?
• Customer effort: Does messaging reduce the steps needed to get an answer?
• Security and suitability: Which requests can be handled safely through messaging, and which require stronger verification or human assistance?

Measuring banking communication? The CPaaS KPI Handbook covers 50+ WhatsApp, SMS and RCS metrics, with formulas and worked examples.

These measures help distinguish a channel that attracts registrations from one that meaningfully improves banking service.

The takeaway

Customers are already using messaging for banking information, card-related services and other digital journeys. Recent disclosures from SBI, Bank of Baroda and Axis Bank show that banks are expanding these capabilities and processing substantial activity through messaging.

The next question for banks isn't simply which services they can add to WhatsApp. It's which services customers find easier to access there, which ones they can complete successfully, and where another channel remains the better choice.

That is where connected customer communication becomes relevant. Platforms such as Helo.ai can help businesses bring messaging, AI-powered conversations and voice into their customer communication strategy, with the aim of making information and support easier to access.

The goal isn't to move every banking service into a chat. It's to make the right service available through the right channel, at the moment the customer needs it.

Want to see how this could work for your bank? Talk to the Helo.ai team.

Frequently asked questions

Which banking services do customers use through WhatsApp?

Public disclosures point to account balances and recent transactions, card services, fixed deposits, loan-related requests and routine service requests. Banks have not published a recent, comparable breakdown showing which of these is used most.

Is WhatsApp banking replacing mobile apps and customer care calls?

Not on the evidence available. EY India's 2026 survey of 2,030 banking customers found 55% want better digital support across apps, websites and chatbots. It does not show that customers prefer messaging to apps or calls.

How can a bank decide which services to offer on WhatsApp?

Start with the bank's own channel data: which requests start in messaging, whether customers finish the task, and how much effort it saves. Keep sensitive requests behind stronger verification or human help.