Mobile Banking Updates - Jan 6

Mobile Banking Seen Having Crossed Acceptance Threshold
"At the start of 2009, consumers said, almost timidly, that it would be nice to be able to manage their bank accounts with mobile phones. Now, they are demanding such services.

After years of development work by financial companies and vendors, mobile banking is coming of age. Early adopters have quickly come to appreciate the convenience of managing their money anytime, from anywhere, and many observers say that these functions are only the beginning."

Five mobile trends to look out for in 2010
"If 2009 was the year of the smartphones and mobile applications, 2010 will be one where their positions are cemented in the industry. Some "smart" features will trickle down to midrange devices, but most will be offloaded to the "cloud" where data, applications and services can be accessed anywhere from any device with an Internet connection. Basic handsets, on the other hand, will continue to flourish in emerging markets where mobile penetration is increasing. So we may end up with a "dumbbell" effect where the heavyweights are at both ends, with the middle segment providing as a supporting role."

mPayy Launches Free iPhone Mobile Payment App
"mPayy, Inc., an emerging leader in mobile and online alternative payments, today announced the availability of its “mPayy Mobile Payments” application from the iTunes store for free download to all iPhones and iPod Touches. The application extends functionality mPayy recently released on the Android platform to the millions of iPhones and iPods in circulation."

PNC Bank Customers Can Now Send Money Using Email or Mobile Phone Number
"PNC is the first major bank to provide a service that allows customers to send money securely on-line without having to share checking account and routing information. Developed in conjunction with CashEdge, Inc., a leading provider of money transfer capabilities, the service is free for all PNC customers and available as part of PNC’s online banking system."

Mobile Banking: Mobile Security and the Future of Banking Profitability.
"Let there be no mistake about it, we as a global community have a certain lingering bitterness in our mouths for the financial sector. After all, in the end much of this global economic crisis is directly linked to poor management at some of the world’s largest banking institutions. Why then do I care about introducing an out-of-the-box model for generating new revenue structures for these very banks?"

Gemalto increases its investment in Netsize, a leading mobile communications service and commerce enabler
"Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, today confirmed that it has subscribed to a capital increase in Netsize, with an option to potentially acquire the company outright at a later date. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Netsize offers mobile payment solutions based on operator billing (through premium SMS, MMS and WAP for example) for 100 mobile operators in 28 countries, reaching over 1 billion billable subscribers worldwide, and provides mobile messaging, with SMS and MMS delivery to over 200 countries."