"Brandon McGee, Industry Insider, Mobile Banking Guru...He is not only the real deal, a genuine industry insider, but also knows exactly what's on the minds of financial service pros as they contemplate the various mobile options." - Jim Bruene, Publisher & Founder, Online Financial Innovations

"Going Mobile. Local executive carves niche as national expert on fast-growing banking-industry technology trend" - Scott Olson, Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ)

"Brandon McGee, the industry's unofficial ambassador for mobile banking" 

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 29


A brand-new way to bank. ANZ goMoney.
"There’s now a new way to bank with ANZ. Anytime. Anywhere. ANZ goMoney is designed specifically for your iPhone so that it’s easy to use, secure and friendly on your mobile data plan."

Mobile Banking: It's Not About ROI
"Tommy Sanderson, manager of electronic delivery for Miss.-based Renasant Bank, says when it comes to mobile banking, 'We just want to keep on talking about it.' Making a move toward mobile banking has to be strategic. While some institutions jumped in as early adopters, others opted for a more planned approach. What strategies and targets should small- to mid-sized financial institutions consider before deploying their mobile banking offers?"

mFoundry Platform Crosses One Million User Mark
"'While there are some reports indicating that mobile banking growth is slowing, our experience is the complete opposite,' commented Sievers. 'Over the past nine months, we've seen an average of 10 to 15 new customer signings per month across our direct and channel sales efforts. User adoption is also scaling rapidly with average sequential monthly growth of more than 10%, or nearly 300% annual growth.'"

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 25

Mobile Payment Systems Could Leave Consumers at Risk
"Recent news stories have highlighted how consumers in the U.S. soon will be able to pay for products and services with a wave of their smart phones. But while mobile payment technologies may offer a convenient new way to pay for goods and services, consumers could be at risk of losing money when mistakes are made by merchants and processors or as a result of fraud, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports."

Mobile Banking Grows Slowly
"Mobile technology - it offers new opportunities for financial institutions to expand banking services and enhance the user experience. But the U.S. financial industry's adoption of mobile has been relatively slow.

Estimates for the number of U.S. banks and credit unions currently offering mobile banking -- via SMS/text, WAP/browser-based, downloadable applications or a "triple-play" combination of the three -- are hard to nail down. IDC Financial Insights in July reported that U.S. consumer adoption of mobile banking nearly doubled from 2008 to 2009, with SMS/text banking being the most popular. The (unspecified) number of institutions offering mobile banking also had increased, according to IDC, which based its data on a 2009 survey of 1,008 U.S. adults."

Bank of the West Launches Mobile Banking
"Bank of the West today introduced its mobile banking platform – providing customers access to the bank’s award-winning service through nearly any mobile device. The new mobile services give customers the ability to receive account alerts through text messages, perform transfers between accounts, and check account balances while on the go. A dedicated application for the Apple iPhone will be available next month."

Wells Fargo’s Mobile Banking Scores Pair of Independent Awards
"The Future Mobile Awards are given to companies that have made a significant contribution to their sector and are poised to make considerable market impact in the future. According to Juniper Research, 'Wells Fargo was chosen based on its multiple platform strategy and continued service innovation such as the recent near real-time warning of potentially fraudulent activity'”

Arah Erickson, senior vice president, Wells Fargo Retail Mobile Banking, commented, 'Wells Fargo is an internet banking pioneer and we have extended this commitment to providing innovative mobile banking services. We are proud of our ‘anytime, anywhere’ banking capabilities and are honored to have our commitment recognized with this award.'”

Fiserv Launches Mobile Source Capture, Bringing Convenience of Check Capture to Smartphones
"Fiserv, Inc., the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced the launch of Mobile Source CaptureTM, a new remote deposit capture solution that extends the convenience of remote check capture to camera-equipped mobile phones. Mobile Source Capture leverages best of breed Mobile Deposit® technologies from Mitek Systems, Inc."

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 22

BofA and Visa to test cell phone payments
"Bank of America Corp, the largest U.S. consumer bank, and Visa Inc, the world's largest payment processor, plan to begin a test program next month that lets customers use smartphones to pay for purchases in stores.

The program, to run from September through the end of the year in the New York area, is the biggest step yet by the two companies toward creating a 'digital wallet' with a host of financial capabilities built into the latest, most sophisticated mobile phones."

Challenges are mobile opportunities: GoMo News Interviews Kazi Islam of Grameenphone
"GoMo News recently had the opportunity to meet innovative and exciting movers and shakers at the MLove conference in Berlin. One of the most notable in a sea of notables was the keynote speaker, Mr. Kazi Islam, CEO of Grameenphone IT. Until recently, Grameenphone IT was an internal division of Grameenphone, Bangladesh’s largest mobile phone company, whose innovations in using mobile phones to improve the lives of Bangladeshis have won praise and awards from around the globe."

USAA Federal Savings Bank Ranked Best in Class in Mobile Banking for Second Year in a Row
"A new Javelin Strategy & Research report issued today – '2010 Mobile Banking Scorecard – Shift in Smartphone Ownership Calls for a Shift in Focus: How 19 Top Financial Institutions Compare on Mobile Channel Retail Delivery' – has rated USAA Federal Savings Bank 'Best in Class' in mobile banking for the second year in a row. USAA excels in meeting the needs of its customers – current or retired Armed Forces personnel – who, because of the nature of their profession, lead a mobile lifestyle."

ClairMail Expands International Mobile Banking Effort With New Product Capabilities
"ClairMail, Inc., the leader in mobile banking and payments solutions, today announced a new suite of international mobile banking capabilities designed to facilitate transactions across global markets and multiple currencies. The new international features include..."

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 18

ATMmarketplace.com Releases Study on Mobile Banking
"Mobile banking is the technology and services that enable consumers to move funds between accounts, receive text messages about activity and pay bills via cell phone. In a world where smartphones are everywhere and people are increasingly accustomed to having instant access to data, it is one of the most significant changes occurring in the financial industry today."

First Tennessee Bank Introduces Mobile Banking to Put Convenience in the Palm of a Customer's Hand
"First Tennessee Bank, a subsidiary of First Horizon National Corp., is mobilizing to serve customers better with the launch of mobile banking. The bank now offers customers access to their accounts any time, any place through their mobile phones. Mobile banking is easy, convenient, secure and free. Customers can choose the connection that works best for them -- text, a mobile web browser or First Tennessee's downloadable app. Customers use the same ID and password as with online banking."

Bank-to-customer mobile messaging rates set to treble - Juniper
"The research house says moves by banks and vendors to expand the range of mobile banking messaging beyond alert functionality to encompass product and account application updates will boost bank-to-customer SMS volumes significantly.

Juniper analyst Howard Wilcox says: 'Our research found that messaging is a 'win-win' for banks. They can improve customer service significantly, whilst simultaneously eliminating the cost of servicing customer enquiries placed with call centres.'"

Compuware Gomez Launches New U.S. Retail Banking Web and Mobile Benchmarks
"Gomez, the web performance division of Compuware Corporation, today launched new U.S. Retail Banking Web and mobile industry benchmarks that provide the most comprehensive and unbiased view of the state of web and mobile site performance.

Gomez's U.S. Retail Banking web and mobile performance benchmarks--recognized as an industry standard for measuring web and mobile performance against key competitors and industry leaders--have been expanded to include metrics from more dimensions to provide a more comprehensive and insightful view of web and mobile performance."

Payment via Mobile Device? There's An App for That
"Virtually everybody carries a mobile phone these days. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could lighten our loads by using these wireless devices as virtual wallets to make payments at various retail locations?

Right, we’ve all by now heard about the prospects of mobile payments. But despite years of talk, this concept has yet to materialize in a significant way in the U.S. That may soon change, however, given new momentum in this space as important companies like Apple, eBay, MasterCard and Visa have announced, or delivered tools to help enable, new initiatives on this front."

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 15


Bank of China Hong Kong launches BOCHK Mobile Banking services
"Bank of China Hong Kong, or BOCHK, has launched BOCHK Mobile Banking services, which allows customers to access the market information and manage their finance and investment. BOCHK Mobile Banking offers a banking service solutions, including securities trading, stock quote, fund transfer, credit card payment and account balance enquiry. Customers can seize investment opportunity with the market information via the mobile banking services."

KeyBank Launches Mobile Money from Fiserv to Entire Customer Base
"Fiserv, Inc., the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced that Cleveland, Ohio-based KeyBank, with assets of approximately $94 billion, is now providing customers with mobile banking services through Mobile Money(TM) from Fiserv. KeyBank is one of the first financial institutions in the U.S. to offer mobile banking to their entire customer base - it's available to those who use online banking as well as offline clients who use the branch channel."

Mobile Money Canada 2010, Canada's Only Mobile Banking, Payments, And Money Transfer Conference, Is Less Than 6 Weeks Away
"The second annual Mobile Money Canada Conference will be held on September 21st, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mobile Money Canada is the only conference in Canada that is focused entirely on showcasing and building the country’s rapidly growing mobile money industry. Mobile Money Canada is hosted and organized by DonRiver Inc, a leading telecommunications and mobile financial services consulting firm."

Making sense of mobile payment
"There's been a lot of talk recently about mobile payment, from casual money transfers over PayPal mobile apps to using a mobile phone to physically kick-start a payment, as we observed during our field test with the Bling Nation tag.
These examples both fall under the category of mobile payments, but their technology differs as much as their goal."

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Dell Streak Pre-Sale. Sign Up Today.


* Orders for the Dell Streak Tablet open up for U.S. priority pre-sale registrants at www.dell.com/mobile this Thursday, August 12.

* The Dell Streak is available for $299.99 with new two-year AT&T contract†, and $549.99 without. Customers who purchase the Streak, and signed up during the pre-sale program, will receive a free second-day shipping upgrade. Customers who redeem their pre-sale coupon can purchase a Plantronics Bluetooth earpiece for 99 cents while supplies last.

HITTING A SWEET SPOT
The Dell Streak, a carbon black Android-based tablet with a 5-inch display, is designed to provide an excellent "on-the-go" entertainment, social connection, and navigation experience. The spacious 5-inch screen is ideal for experiencing thousands of Android Market widgets, games and applications, all without squinting or compromising portability. Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth capability and available 3G connectivity brings easy access for downloading and listening to music, updating social networking status in real-time, and staying connected to friends and family through e-mail, text, IM, and voice calls.

On-the-go students, mobile professionals, and active families will find Streak's web-browsing capabilities as natural as a laptop. The 5-inch screen is large enough to present Web pages in their natural form, create a comfortable viewing experience, and make turn-by-turn navigation simple.

The Dell Streak is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon solution with integrated 1GHz processor to combine basic functionality and benefits of a laptop in a pocket friendly size.
The Dell Streak was designed with the future in mind to support future software, application and platform upgrades.

DELL STREAK FEATURES:
* Integrated Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
* A full screen browsing experience with a 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA display
* Easily integrated social media apps: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
* High resolution 5 MP camera, VGA front facing camera, removable battery, built-in Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity options
* 2GB* of internal storage provides plenty of space to access and download Google Android Market's many options
* Packaged with cushions made from 100 percent sustainable, compostable bamboo

DELL STREAK SPECIFICATIONS:
* Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements
* Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon solution with integrated 1GHz processor
* 3G + Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
* UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps*
* 5 MP Autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easily point, shoot, and upload to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
* User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32GB*. Store up to 42 movies* or 32,000 photos*, or 16,000 songs* with a 32GB* Micro SD upgrade

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 11

How to Protect Your Smartphone's Valuable Data
"So you just lost your smartphone. It isn't the end of the world, but it sure feels like it. In addition to the specter of shelling out another couple hundred dollars to replace the hardware, you're facing the loss of all your contacts, your schedule, your to-do lists, your passwords (if you really weren't careful and stored them on the phone), and, oh yeah, the dicey photos you took at the bar last Friday.

All of that is gone, at least for the moment, but if your Apple iPhone, Google Android phone, RIM BlackBerry, or any other smartphone falls into the wrong hands, that vast archive of your personal information won't just be forgotten--it could be cashed in."

App Surge and Smartphone Growth Set Stage for Mobile Banking Uptick
"While an estimated 90% of U.S. consumers use mobile phones, far fewer use them for banking. In fact, a Gartner report released in June said that out of the group studied, only 15% had used mobile banking in the past month. This adoption rate might seem small compared to the overall use of smartphones and other mobile devices and in light of the buzz the channel has generated. However, industry participants say the potential is there."

M-Com Announces World First Plug-And-Play SaaS Platform For Mobile Banking, Alerting And Payments
"International mobile banking solution provider, M-Com, announced today the launch of a complete ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) version of its globally deployed mobile banking and payment platform – BankAnywhere. The new product has been labeled BankAnywhere ASP Edition.

'Having run ASP and multi-tenant mobile financial services since 2006, we have been focused on trying to create a full and complete ASP version of our award-winning product – BankAnywhere,' states M-Com CEO and Founder, Adam Clark. 'The team has worked very hard and the initiative has given our coffee machine a solid workout, but I can categorically say that M-Com now has the best mobile software-as-a-service platform in the world for banks and payment processors.'"

Apple's iOS Security Challenges and Opportunities
"One of the most controversial debates in the security world has long been the role of market share. Are Macs safer because there are fewer users, making them less attractive to serious cyber-criminals? Although Mac market share continues to increase slowly, the answer remains elusive. But it's more likely that we'll see the answer in our pockets, not on our desktops."

Sybase 365 Innovation Ensures Fastest Deployment, Increased Functionality and Widest Device Support for Retail and Corporate Banks
"Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc., the global leader in mobile messaging and mobile commerce services, today announced the expansion of its mobile commerce offering with version 3.0 of Sybase(R) mBanking 365(R) -- the recognised market leading and award winning mobile banking platform. The latest offering significantly enhances functionalities and simplifies the deployment process, enabling financial institutions to more quickly create a richer mobile banking experience and increase customer satisfaction."

Banking on M-banking
"More than half our population lives in rural and semi-urban areas and falls in the category of 'unbanked and under-banked' people. These people are mostly financially excluded, leading insecure lives, without any access to basic banking services. The central government and the Reserve Bank of India have therefore been promoting the idea of 'Financial Inclusion' (FI) for large segments of our population through the use of IT-based, e-governance initiatives since a few years now."

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 8

Jailbreaking Joins the List of Security Issues For Mobile Banking Developers to Ponder
"Mobile banking program developers have a lot of security issues to think about, the latest of which is iPhone jailbreaking. Last week, the Librarian of Congress and the U.S. Copyright Office said that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a law that forbids anyone from breaking through encryption technology to copy or modify copyrighted works, does not apply to the copyrighted encryption built into the bootloader that starts up the iPhone OS operating system, as Apple claimed it did."

A glimpse of the future of mobile banking
"Mobile banking in the United States has been making impressive gains in usage, reflected by the launch of higher-end services by top banks. JPMorgan Chase's new remote deposit app falls into that category. But the rest of the world seems a little farther down the adoption curve. We're seeing top banks roll out some impressive services in countries where mobile banking is more established. The latest example: Taiwan."

Banking With State Farm Bank® as Easy as Point-and-Shoot
"With the newest version of the State Farm® Pocket Agent™ iPhone® app, State Farm Bank customers can deposit checks into their State Farm Bank deposit account directly from their phones.
The process is simple: Just endorse the check, enter the amount and take its picture. Mobile Check Deposit supports scanning of unlimited checks per day, up to $10,000. State Farm Bank is making banking easier with secure check deposits whenever – and wherever – it's convenient for people."

Survey: Consumers Warming Up to Mobile Devices for Banking
"Mobile banking through mobile devices such as cellular phones, smart phones and personal digital assistants has more than doubled globally since 2008, with consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, Central and Eastern Europe and the United States at the forefront, new research from KPMG International suggests.

The New York-based audit, tax and advisory firm in late July released results from its Global Consumers and Convergence survey. KPMG conducted the research earlier this year through an online and telephone survey of 5,627 consumers in 22 countries including as Australia, Germany, France, Japan and India. Respondents on average were 35 years old; in the U.S. respondents on average were 37."

Concern rise over smartphone security
"Alarms are ringing on the security flaws of smartphones that hackers could exploit to tamper with users’ personal data. But experts say the gadgets are not much more vulnerable to intrusion than other computing devices. They may be secured through caution, and programs now used to protect personal computers and mobile devices. A multitude of warnings on the safety of mobile operation systems from Apple and Google were issued last week by both government and private watchdogs."

Why Smart Crooks Don't Use Smartphones
"How does the modern criminal plan out a caper? Not on a cellphone -- if he's smart, that is. Smartphones can take pictures tagged to a particular location and time, provide turn-by-turn directions, find the closest gas station or the best nearby Italian restaurant, and communicate via voice, texting, e-mail and even videoconferencing. They can also store all that information, yielding everything the cops need to capture a bad guy. The iPhone is particularly popular with cops, because it's so popular with consumers."

Public Adapting Quickly to Mobile Banking
"With everything from music to shopping to chatting with friends going digital these days, an increase in the prevalence of online and mobile banking should come as no surprise. According to a Lafferty Group study, smart phones will be the banking portals of choice by 2020. By 2029, bank branches will be an afterthought, responsible for one-twentieth of transactions."

Tell us about your visit to Washington DC?
"The State Department had a half day event for employees and guests about Mobile Money. Well attended and great interest in mobile money for “development” (improving political, economic, and human conditions around the world).

The group was diverse in experience – which is a challenge for a presenter. Since I co-presented the first session my goal was to create a common understanding of mobile money, how it is successfully implemented, and what are the benefits. I wanted to make sure the audience came up to speed quickly and got beyond the simplistic view."

Europe’s First Launch of microSD-based Contactless Mobile Payments
"Visa Europe recently announced that it is launching Europe’s first microSD-based mobile payment systems in Turkey with its technology partner, DeviceFidelity, and Akbank, one of Turkey’s leading retail banks."

Mobile Banking Offers USAA a New Road to Cross-Sales
"USAA Federal Savings Bank is shifting mobile banking into high gear by offering auto loans through customers' phones.

While most mobile financial services mimic banks' online bill-payment and account-management offerings, the San Antonio banking company may be the first to embrace handheld devices as a sales channel. USAA has emerged as a mobile banking technology leader, largely because it recognizes that phones offer much more than just a small Web browser.

Mobile Banking – the shape of things to come?
"Every now and then innovation disrupts the existing status quo. There is probably no better recent example than Apple, with iTunes and iPod, the introduction of the product revolutionised the music industry.

Twelve years ago the Retail Banking industry thought the end of ‘bricks and mortar banking’ era was nigh with the introduction of main stream internet banking. This however did not materialise as Banks in their quest to differentiate, realised the value of the Branch in the selling process and its necessity for customer acquisition and authentication. The internet became a convenience channel and every customer with access to a PC expected their Bank to provide an internet enabled banking service. Also without a clear integrated multi-channel approach Banks have in general not realised the expected cost savings and revenue opportunities of introducing an internet channel. Will mobile banking change the Banking landscape in SA?"

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 3

CSCU Expands Electronic Payment Offerings With Mobile Banking Partnership
"Card Services for Credit Unions (CSCU) has expanded its portfolio of electronic payment products to include mobile banking, through a partnership with MShift, Inc., adding more value to the member cardholder experience.

CSCU is committed to providing more than 3,000 member credit unions with the latest industry trends and services that keep them on the leading edge. As a part of that commitment, CSCU has partnered with MShift, leveraging their exclusive patented technology to bring member credit unions a holistic solution that's carrier and content agnostic. By leveraging this new strategic partnership and CSCU's pooled volumes, member credit unions will be eligible for significant savings and superior value."

Carriers move to supplant credit cards with smart phones
"Three of the nation's largest wireless carriers are working on a joint venture that should give mobile banking and contactless forms of payment a major boost.

According to Bloomberg though, AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. are all working on a smart-phone payment system using near field communications (NFC) that would displace credit and debit cards.

While the new service would reportedly keep Visa Inc., MasterCard Inc. and American Express Company out of the mix, Discover Financial Services would be the payments network that processes all of the transactions. Barclays Plc is lined up to manage the accounts, according to Bloomberg, which cited three anonymous sources for the story."

Mobile Carrier and Bank Convergence
"Yesterday’s report about AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Discover and Barclays potentially working together on a mobile payment service in the U.S. brings up a a topic (banking and mobile industry convergence) that Bart Narter has blogged about, and about which I have added my two cents’ worth."

Plastyc Launches Full-featured Mobile Banking Service for Prepaid Account Holders
"Plastyc, Inc. launched today a new service enabling anyone with a browser-enabled cell phone to manage money on the go -- including writing checks, sending money to friends and locating the nearest retail location to add cash to their cards -- using Plastyc's iBankUP and UPside prepaid Visa services. While viewing balances and receiving alerts by cell phone is becoming common, people who rely the most on their cell phones and the least on personal computers have not had complete mobile access to their money until now."

Why mobile phones can transform banking
"70 per cent of the BRIC population don’t have bank accounts. But what many of them - and an estimated billion people in all emerging markets - do have are mobile phones.

So investors are eyeing big growth in “mobile payments”, where people use their phones to perform transactions. Last week Actis bought out Egyptian chip-maker MSCC to get in on the action.

Now Arthur D Little is forecasting the market in mobile payments will be worth $60bn by 2015. It predicts that, within five years, the number of people using mobile banking will rise from 32m people today to 290m. That’s more than a million new users each week."

Comerica Bank Introduces Mobile Banking Services
"Comerica Bank has introduced Comerica Mobile Banking(SM), a new service that allows customers to utilize their mobile phones to securely view balances, check recent account activity, perform funds transfers, pay bills and locate Comerica ATMs and banking centers. With Comerica Mobile Banking, Comerica Web Banking(SM) customers can typically bank everywhere they have cell phone service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week."