Mobile Banking Updates - Jun 26

Mobile Banking is Here to Stay
"If there was one overarching theme that came out of Bank Systems & Technology's Virtual Event "How Mobile Is Transforming Banking's Competitive Landscape" on Thursday it's that mobile is indeed the future. While mobile banking adoption sits in the 10-15 percent or so range -- and even less for tablet banking -- the numbers are increasing every day, as technology continues to rapidly advance. It's not a stretch to say that within five years, most bank customers with access their account via a mobile device. We've collected the top quotes from the BS&T event about all things mobile."

Targeting Underbanked Consumers With Mobile Banking Solutions
"Underbanked consumers — those without a checking account — rely on their mobile phones more so than other segments, making them a prime target for mobile banking services, mobile prepaid, and mobile P2P money transfer solutions. Mobile services and the underbanked are two of the hottest topics in the financial industry today, but few people weave the two issues together. But a new study from Javelin Strategy & Research suggests financial marketers might be missing a huge opportunity by tackling mobile and the underbanked separately."

Forrester/CBA Survey: Retail Banks Increasing Mobile Investment
"Responding to consumers' growing interest in banking from their mobile devices, retail banks plan to invest more money to enhance their mobile offerings, according to the first-ever survey of Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) members conducted by Forrester Research, Inc. FORR +2.15% in collaboration with CBA's Emerging Channels Committee. CBA members reported they will spend one-third of their total digital budget on the mobile channel this year. The joint research project surveyed digital executives at 19 leading US and Canadian banks. The findings -- summarized in a two-part report, "The State Of North American Retail Banking eBusiness 2012" -- enable eBusiness & Channel Strategy professionals in the banking industry to benchmark their priorities, goals, and metrics."

Consumers Seek Specialty Branches and Stewards of Their Digital Footprints
"Mobile banking may get all the attention, but among virtual banking channels, it's online banking that really resonates. And bricks-and-mortar branches still have plenty of room to run. So concludes a survey released Wednesday in which Cisco asked 5,300 consumers in eight countries how they would like to bank."

Seven Notes on Mobile Payments and Mobile Banking
"1) Eleven percent of consumers made a mobile payment in 2011. 2) Demographics say that the future of banking is mobile. People aged 18 to 29 are three and one-half times more likely to use mobile banking as compared to people aged between 45 and 59. Latinos and African-Americans are both more than one and one-half times more likely that non-Hispanic whites to use mobile banking."

Credit unions keeping pace with mobile banking trends
"A rise in mobile banking is prompting area credit unions to revamp some products and offer new services to meet consumer needs. A recent study issued by the Federal Reserve, titled Consumers and Mobile Financial Services and dated March 2012, states that nearly one out of every five Americans with a bank account and mobile phone has used their phone to check account balances and conduct banking."

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International Mobile Banking Updates - Jun 25

HTC to unveil mobile banking phone in Taiwan
"Taiwan's HTC Corp. will announce a partnership in mobile payments with a local bank and card companies this week as it seeks to play a larger role in the promising mobile banking industry. The world's No. 5 smartphone vendor is scheduled to hold a joint news conference on June 19 with Cathay United Bank, EasyCard Corp. and MasterCard International to launch a co-branded card, according to a statement."

Mobile money transfers: Zim drifts towards cashless economy
"ZIMBABWE’s financial transacting public has been presented with a plethora of money transfer options, as the country moves towards a cashless economy. Mobile money products on the market include; Kingdom CellCard, ZB Bank’s e-Wallet and e-Mali, Econet’s EcoCash product, as well as CABS’ TextaCash. FBC has joined the bandwagon with Mobile Moola, a new Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card from which one can send money to anyone with a mobile phone on any network."

Absa attracts 120,000 mobile customers each month
"Absa says it attracts an average of 120,000 new mobile customers each month and boasts in excess of 3.6 million mobile banking clients and 1.35 million online customers. According to Christo Vrey, head of Absa Digital Banking, the group attracted 180,000 new mobile users in March. Absa will not provide a date for the launch of its banking application; however, the group’s new multi-million online platform has been optimised for tablet use."

ASB customers embrace mobile apps
"ASB Bank chief executive Barbara Chapman says consumers are switching on to mobile banking at four times the rate of internet banking when it first took off. However, banks were getting faster at being able to copy each other's technological innovations so any competitive advantages they gained would be more short-lived. 'When we introduced internet banking, I think we had a two- or three-year advantage on every other competitor. There is no way you would expect a two- or three-year advantage on any technology now' she said."

Sybase 365 Enables Allied Bank Limited to Accelerate Adoption of Mobile Banking in Pakistan
"Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc., the global leader in mobile messaging and mobile commerce services, together with AbacusConsulting, one of Pakistan's largest professional services firms, today announced that Allied Bank Limited, one of Pakistan's largest banks, has chosen the Sybase 365 Mobile Commerce solution to offer mobile financial services to its customers."

St. George releases pay-to-mobile app
"St. George has launched a pay-to-mobile app which will allow users to send payments on their smartphones. To make a payment, users need to put in the recipient’s mobile number and hit ‘transfer’. The app then notifies the recipient money has been transferred and they are directed to a secure website where they put in their BSB and account details."

Ethiopia to Regulate Mobile Banking
"The National Bank of Ethiopia is to issue a new directive for mobile banking directives. The central bank regulation officials and presidents of banks had final discussions on the draft regulation last week. The bank circulated the draft regulation to all banks for comments and expects it to come into effect in three weeks time according to sources. The regulation will control the way in which mobile banking is implemented, identifying and protecting users and how much money can be transacted.

UN Calls For Mobile Banking Rules
"The United Nations on Thursday called for rules to coordinate the use of mobile money services in East Africa."

With mobile banking growing rapidly, banks too need to step up their security features
"Mobile banking may still be in its infancy but it is growing at a phenomenal pace, according to Mr Trevor Haeger, Chief Information Officer for Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore. For Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore, the growth rate of active users utilising its Internet banking services was 33 per cent between 2010 and 2012. The growth rate of active users for its mobile banking services was a whopping 92 per cent from 2010 to 2012."

Brazilian Bank Federation sees boom in mobile banking market
"Making financial transactions with mobile devices is not considered new in Brazil. However, the service is far from being heavily used. During this week’s Ciab (check all stories) —a conference and exposition focused on IT for financial institutions held in São Paulo—banks and vendors are trying to show how the connected society (also a central theme of the event) is changing the way banks do business."

Banks to offer mobile banking service by mid-2013
"All banks are expected to participate in mobile banking service by the middle of next year, says e-payment service provider, Malaysian Electronic Clearing Corp Sdn Bhd (MyClear). 'Our objective is to get the entire industry to participate to encourage usage of e-payment gradually,' said MyClear managing director, Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh."

RBS adds ATM cash dispensing to mobile banking app
"Customers are presented with a 'GetCash' option within the RBS and Natwest iOS, Android and BlackBerry apps that lets them request up to £100. A six digit PIN is then generated which can be entered at the banks' ATMs at any point within the next three hours to collect the money. Customers can make as many requests as they want in a day as long as they do not exceed their withdrawal limit."

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Mobile Banking Updates - Jun 24

Bank of America fights to keep top spot in mobile banking
"Bank of America Corp.’s Aditya Bhasin has 10 million reasons to celebrate the Charlotte-based company’s leading position in mobile banking. But industry analysts say the online- and mobile-banking exec also has a growing number of reasons to watch his back. That’s because an arms race is under way in mobile banking."

Mobile Banking Spend on the Rise
"Retail banks are planning to invest heavily in mobile due to increasing customer demand, according to a new report from Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research. Forrester surveyed members of the Consumer Bankers Association (CBA), who reported that they will spend one-third of their total digital budget on the mobile channel this year. The joint research project with the CBA's emerging channels committee surveyed digital executives at 19 leading U.S. and Canadian banks. The findings were summarized in a two-part report, "The State Of North American Retail Banking eBusiness 2012."

Small Business and Mobile Banking: A Growing Imperative?
"Aite Group said its research finds that increasing their business with small businesses is critical to their overall success, in the opinion of 80% of American banks. Reaching a lot of them also will require including mobile banking as offerings to small and medium enterprises, the Boston-based think firm said in a new report. While not yet the preferred banking channel, Aite Group said, its research shows that currently 33% of small businesses currently bank with a mobile device. Another 31% express an interest in doing so, the research and advisory firm said, and 54% will by 2015."

Citi Adds Trade Services to Corporate Mobile Banking
"Trade Advisor is an online banking tool that lets companies conduct crossborder trade transactions, including updates on letters of credit, trade finance loans and documentary collection for import and export. CitiDirect BE Mobile, launched in August as part of Citi's Global Transaction Services, lets corporate treasurers receive alerts and authorize payments pending approvals, release payments for straight-through processing, and check balances and payment statuses, among other things."

Banks layer up on security to protect customers
"What are the odds that the head of a company that tracks financial fraud would have his own bank account breached? James Van Dyke, president of Javelin, certainly found it ironic when Wells Fargo alerted him to a fraudulent transaction six months ago. He was also glad he had signed up for a service that notifies him every time there’s a credit card transaction that occurs in his California business’s name."

Should you fear mobile banking on your cell phone?
"Do you like the ease of banking over the phone? Or do you fear something happening to your personal information? ABC 4 got the results of a recent experiment involving smart phones, and what happens when they are lost, then found by a stranger. But what can you do to protect yourself if you loose your phone? It’s happened to April Tucker a lot."

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Mobile Banking Updates - Jun 21

Mobile, Tablet, Industry Disruptors Among Topics to be Featured at Celent Banking Insight & Innovation Day
"The future of mobile and tablet banking, and disruptors in the financial services space will be among the major topics discussed at Celent's Banking Insight & Innovation Day next week in Charlotte, N.C. This will be the fifth year the Boston-based analyst form will host the event, which will feature Celent analysts as well as representatives from more than 30 banks. Celent will also be issuingits "Model Bank" awards at the event."

PSECU Rolls Out Kindle, Large-Screen Android Banking Apps
"The $4 billion Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union is now offering its 388,000 members two new mobile banking applications. One is a Kindle Fire app available on the Amazon Appstore and the other is for large-screen Android tablets and is available on Google Play, PSECU said. Both were developed for the Harrisburg, Pa., credit union by Vertifi Software LLC of Burlington, Mass."

5 Ways Banking is Changing Fast
"When bank ATMs first started appearing in the U.S. some 40 years ago, they were hard to miss. Recent innovations have been much more stealthy — but just as groundbreaking. In case you’ve missed them, here are five contemporary, cutting-edge technologies that are quickly changing banking:"

Plastyc to Address Mobile Banking for the Unbanked at Clinton Global Initiative
"Plastyc CEO Patrice Peyret will share examples of innovative services and products for the unbanked at the second annual Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) in Chicago June 7th and 8th. As participant in the CGI Financial Inclusion: Building a Path to Financial Security working group, Peyret will discuss leveraging mobile technology to reach traditionally underbanked consumers and using advanced features and analytics to help support financial responsibility."

RBS Citizens Treasury Solutions Experts to Speak On Mobile Banking, Payments Fraud, and Data Connectivity at Windy City Treasury Conference
"Mobile banking, fraud prevention, and the challenges of data connectivity will be the topics of presentations by experts from RBS Citizens' Treasury Solutions group this week at the Windy City Summit. Hosted by the Treasury Management Association of Chicago, the conference is the premier gathering for corporate treasury and finance professionals in the region."

Now Live -- Heartland Bank iPad App and Mobile Browser
"G. Scott McComb, President and CEO of Heartland Bank is pleased to announce an additional service to Heartland Bank's Online Banking. McComb stated, 'In 2011, Heartland launched both its Mobile Banking iPhone and Android App. Today, we are proud to introduce another Heartland Online Banking Solution - the iPad App.'"

ACI Worldwide Shares New Product Plans With Market
"ACI Worldwide ACIW +2.12% , a leading international provider of payment systems, today released details of its product roadmaps to the market, and described how the combination of ACI and S1 adds innovation, new product capabilities and resources around the globe to support the needs of its customers. The roadmaps were released to a gathering of customers at the company's annual ACI Exchange conference in Miami. The event marks the first collaborative exchange of the combined customer bases, and will be followed by ACI Exchange conferences in Monaco, June 12-15, and in Bangkok in November."

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Mobile Banking Security - Jun 19

Mobile Banking: Predicting the Risks
"Mobile security threats can be managed through testing and strategic risk-mitigation strategies, says Keith Gordon, who oversees authentication and security strategies for Bank of America's consumer online and mobile banking units. A mobile banking pioneer, Bank of America has come up with some innovative ways to anticipate mobile threats. This top-tier bank has seen its mobile-user base explode, increasing by nearly 3 million users in the last 12 months. It now has more than 10 million mobile users."

60% of Americans who don't use mobile banking 'think their mobile isn't secure'
"Mobile banking is very popular in America. Research by Infosys indicates that 94% of Americans use some kind of banking app on a mobile device. However, just about half of them think mobile banking has security problems, according to simplysecurity.com. Sandra Braunstein, the director of the Division of Consumer Community Affairs spoke before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - and noted that a high number of Americans who aren't embracing mobile banking technology are choosing not to because of perceived security risks."

5 Top Malware Threats to Online and Mobile Banking
"Hundreds of millions of dollars have been stolen by cyber-criminals from bank and credit union accounts. That is the reality and what it means to credit union executives is that the need for vigilance around online and mobile banking is severe. But then there are the flat-out empty scares that so often percolate in this field. Last week for instance security experts were aflutter over a threat named Flame which, in initial reports, was said to be Stuxnet doubled down. That would be very, very bad indeed because Stuxnet may have the capabilities to cripple nation states. But then on second look, the experts seemed to dismiss Flame as more hype than danger. Which is it? Too early to say."

Mobile Users Want More Security Control
"Consumers are ready to assume more responsibility for the security of their mobile devices, especially when it comes to mobile banking. According to research conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research, consumers want to have the ability to act and respond when they suspect they've been hit by a mobile attack that results in fraud. So what's holding them back? Jim Van Dyke, Javelin's president and founder, says banking institutions are the problem. They've been reluctant to release too much control, he says in an interview with BankInfoSecurity's Tracy Kitten (transcript below)."

Gemalto Discusses Fraud Mitigation at Annual FUNDtech Insights Conference
"Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, will speak and exhibit this week at the FUNDtech Insights Conference 2012 presented by FUNDtech and BankServe. The conference hosts two days of educational sessions, product demonstrations and expert presentations on the financial services industry."

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International Mobile Banking Updates - Jun 17

Mobirl on massive mobile awareness campaign
"With the telecommunication companies ramping up their services to ensure that our mobile devices stay connected, the private sector in Trinidad and Tobago is gradually introducing mobile applications and services to communicate with its customers and more importantly increase operational excellence for the business. Only two of our banks have mobile offerings today—First Citizens Bank and Scotiabank. First Citizens Bank’s mobile banking services allows its customers to access banking information on the go. This service is not only for customers with smartphones but extends to all cellphone owners. Account information is sent via text messages alerting customers of changes to their bank accounts including deposits such as salaries."

The Future of Mobile Banking
"Organised by Marketforce and the Institute of Economic Affairs, London has hosted on May 29 the second annual conference addressing the future of mobile banking. Opening the first session was Aman Narain (Global Head of internet and mobile banking, Standard Charted) who shared that they first began by establishing ‘war rooms’ with a sign reading 'World’s best internet bank.'”

Mobile Banking Helps Africa Advance
"The economic growth rate across sub-Saharan Africa has remained at more than five percent in recent years despite the ongoing global recession. Myriad macroeconomic explanations help explain this progress, but one intriguing element that is both underappreciated and undervalued involves a widget that fits in your pocket: the cell phone. The ability of cheap, easy-to-use cellular technology to connect poverty-stricken populations to the benefits of globalization generally, and banking more specifically, has yielded unprecedented new economic opportunities across the Global South."

ASB named 'New Zealand's best online bank'
"ASB has been honoured as New Zealand's best online bank by independent researcher CANSTAR in its first ever review of the nation's online banking market. ASB was confirmed as the clear winner among New Zealand financial institutions based on a comprehensive review of the bank's internet banking, website and mobile services."

Bangalore-Based Bank Chooses IBM Cloud for Core Banking Solutions
"IBM IBM +0.36% today announced that Sree Charan Souharda Cooperative Bank has selected IBM SmartCloud to help it meet growing demand, add new customer services and to centralize mission-critical operations such as real-time transaction processing across its five branches in Bangalore."

The Hard Sell: NatWest Mobile Banking
"Poor Sarah (well, she was Sarah when she lived in Godalming, but after her gap year she renamed herself Skye; it's just so much more her). She has had to call her dad for money to pay an angry hotel owner after she carelessly dropped an envelope full of Euros in a Moroccan souk while buying a scarf. Well, she was thinking about buying a scarf. But then,–"

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Mobile Banking Updates - Jun 15

Tyfone Inks Mobile Banking Pact With Giant SSFCU
"The wait is over. After a year of deliberation, and sorting through myriad ways to take its 875,000 members mobile, San Antonio-based Security Service Federal Credit Union has announced its selection of Portland, Ore.-based Tyfone as its mobile banking provider. A top 10 credit union – with more than $6 billion in assets – SSFCU had not provided its members with mobile banking but knew this was high on the list of what members wanted in additional services."

CSI Launches PFM Solution for Internet Banking
"Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) (otcqx:CSVI), a provider of end-to-end technology solutions that empower financial institutions to remain competitive, compliant and profitable, released its new Personal Financial Management (PFM) service for its Internet banking customers. The PFM service delivers consumers a one-stop online location to manage all of their personal finances and accounts within their bank's Internet banking application."

mFoundry Launches Mobile Banking Solution for Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union
"mFoundry, North America's largest mobile banking and payments provider, today announced Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union (ELFCU) has launched ELFCUmobile, a full-featured mobile banking solution that includes native mobile applications, mobile Web and SMS/text banking."

Clairmail Awarded 2012 Best Mobile Application or Service
"Clairmail, Inc., the leader in mobile banking and payments solutions, today announced it was named the Best Mobile Application or Service in the 2012 San Francisco Business Times Tech and Innovation Awards. The Tech and Innovation Award winners were chosen across 15 categories for solving challenging problems, all while growing companies and creating jobs in the Bay Area."

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