Mobile Banking Updates - Mar 29

Tigo Helps Remittances Go Mobile
"Every week or so, Nehemias Navas-Perez, 32, a Long Island, New York, landscaper, trudges over to the local Western Union or Intermex to send a couple hundred dollars to his family in the jungle-covered outpost of El Peten, Guatemala. Remittances from folks like Navas-Perez, who emigrated from El Peten 11 years ago, can account for 11% of GDP in small countries like Guatemala, and create huge international money flows each year: In 2011, World Bank figures indicate that there were $483 billion in such remittances worldwide."

Bank transactions made easy through Mobile Apps for smartphones
"The country’s largest foreign bank recently unveiled a suite of Mobile Banking Applications for three platforms – Android, BlackBerry and iPhone. Citibank’s latest move enables both its credit card and bank clients to access their accounts and complete a range of banking transactions using their preferred smartphones."

Citi launches mobile banking platform
"Citibank, the largest foreign bank in the country, yesterday launched its newest product on mobile banking which will run on Android, BlackBerry and iPhone. According to Sergio Zanatti, consumer business manager for Citibank in the Philippines, the newly developed technology will allow its depositors and credit card users to access their accounts on their preferred mobile phones."

Juniper Research says mobile banking is moving from Push to Pull
"A new ’Mobile Banking for Developed & Developing Markets’report from Juniper Research has found that mobile phone banking is gaining considerable traction. It’s mainly thanks to the exploitation of advanced functionalities such as banks bundling MBPP (Mobile Bill Presentment and Payment) services within their overall mobile banking platform. Plus there’s been additional momentum from easy-to-use smartphone apps. The report has also discovered that there’s a growing user acceptance of ‘push’ mobile banking. "

Mobile banking and payments set to take off in the UK, say industry big hitters
"The mobile banking and mobile payments battleground in the UK is heating up as industry players manoeuvre into position to take advantage of the opportunities. This is according to a report commissioned by digital banking provider Intelligent Environments (IE), which investigated the views of mobile strategists within companies at the forefront of mobile banking and payments services, such as O2, Microsoft and Lloyds Banking Group."