Dutch bank ABN sets up branch in Second Life
By Adam Reuters
AMSTERDAM, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Dutch bank ABN AMRO NV became the latest enterprise to tap into the growing popularity of Second Life, by opening a branch on Friday inside the Internet-based virtual world.
ABN AMRO, the Netherlands’ biggest bank, said it will create a virtual bank resembling ABN’s real-life outlets, offering financial advice.
ABN said it won’t be offering banking services at first. An ABN spokeswoman said that such services may be available in the future.
“Communicating with customers via the Internet can become more personal and more direct,” Wietze Reehoorn, a member of ABN’s executive board, said in a statement. “Competition between Dutch banks will be determined to a significant degree by finding the best way to establish personal contact with customers.”
(Reporting by Reed Stevenson)
