Digital money transfer provider SimbaPay has launched an AI-powered chatbot service which enables its customers to make international money transfers with just a text.

With the service, which has been developed in partnership with Nigerian payment processing company Interswitch, users of the SimbaPay platform will only require the recipient’s phone number to transfer money over to them – with the chatbot automatically obtaining the bank account or mobile money details of the person.

“We’re thrilled at the prospect of the chatbot service resolving most customer enquiries instantly at any time of day or night” said Daniel Howard, CTO for SimbaPay. “Another major objective we achieved with the chatbot service is that it also works without internet. This means customers with a mobile phone, even a basic phone without internet access, can access the SimbaPay chatbot using SMS.”

In addition to being available via SMS, the SimbaPay chatbot service is also available through the London-based company’s social channels, including Facebook. The bot can also resolve issues queries surrounding exchange rates, instructions on how to send money, and questions about coverage.