Mobile Banking Updates - Sept 15

Digital strategies must pass the ROI test
"Large investments in emerging services like mobile and online do not always translate into higher customer satisfaction or even high financial performance, says Javelin Strategy and Research in a recent report. The firm also released a new competitive benchmark service, Outperform, which is a result of analyzing over 20 leading financial institutions. It provides insights to improve each banks’ return on investment on emerging bank services—mobile and online banking services."

Banking leads on-device conversion
"Banking and finance has the highest level of mobile conversions of any category at 54%, according to new research which also shows that half of US mobile banking and finance activity is transactional, and half search and browsing. The findings form part of the Annual US Mobile Path-to-Purchase Study, from xAd, the mobile advertising platform, and Telmetrics, the call measurement company. This is based on data from an online survey of 2,000 US smartphone and tablet users and observed consumer behaviors from Nielsen's Smartphone Analytics Panel of 6,000 Apple and Android users."

First Hawaiian Bank Now Offering "Mobile Deposit"
"First Hawaiian Bank will begin offering Mobile Deposit, an innovative service that allows customers to deposit checks using their smartphones or iPads, according to an announcement today by Bob Harrison, the bank’s president and chief executive officer. Mobile Deposit is yet another feature of FHB Mobile Banking and represents the latest addition to a long list of electronic banking convenience offerings by the bank. The easy-to-use Mobile Deposit feature lets you take a photo of a check and deposit it directly into your eligible FHB checking account using an iPhone, iPad or Android mobile device."

Consumers Will Use Your Digital Channels, But They Won’t Necessarily Love You
"Large investments in mobile and online services do not always translate into higher customer satisfaction or improved financial performance. There is little correlation between consumers’ adoption of banking technologies and how satisfied they are with their banking provider, according to a bank-by-bank comparison analyzing over 20 leading financial institutions, Javelin Strategy & Research."

Statewide FCU Expands Beyond the Branch with Mobile Branching App
"Statewide Federal Credit Union looks to increase its member reach by launching its first mobile branch. In partnership with Vancouver, BC-based TRG Mobilearth Inc., Statewide is set to go live with the tablet-based MobiBranch app, enabling employees to leave the branch and perform branch functions like new accounts, loan and mortgage applications anywhere their members live, work or play."

Tips to Avoid Online Banking Security Threats - Tip Sheet by SecuritySystemReviews.com
"There’s no doubt about it—online banking is a tremendous convenience. It offers users the opportunity to quickly and easily complete transactions from their home computer, smartphone or mobile device, without having to take the time to visit a bank. Most banks take tremendous precautions to ensure mobile banking programs are as safe and secure as possible, but as a consumer, there are still steps that can be taken to keep financial and personal information secure. In fact, many people don’t realize that even though they may have the best home security systems, the biggest threat of theft often comes from computer-based sources."

Paydiant Banks $15M, Shows Patience in Mobile Payments
"You hear a lot about the Series A funding crunch for startups these days. But just as telling, maybe even more so, is the Series B crunch. And the Series C crunch. For New England tech startups, there’s a fair bit of seed funding going around—and growth capital, too—but less money seems to be flowing to the middle, into the fledgling companies that are trying to become, well, real companies."

Mobile-First Banking App Numbrs Bags Further $3.8M For U.S. Launch
"Numbrs, the mobile-first banking app founded out of Swiss company builder Centralway, has raised a further $3.8 million from its parent — money that will be ring-fenced for a planned U.S. launch early next year. In addition, the young startup is opening a New York office for which it’s hiring a marketing team. The new investment adds to the original $7.7 million put into Numbrs by Centralway to continue making headway in Germany, while I’m told that the previously announced plans to enter the UK market this Fall are still on track, including moving into a London office in the next few weeks, to be shared with Centralway and another of its portfolio companies, Sandbox Network. (In fact, they’ll be based at Summerset House, sharing the newly-developed top floor with hail-a-cab startup Hailo.)"

Mitek Rolls Out Mobile Photo Account Opening
"Mitek Systems (MITK_) is taking another major step in the development of a fully featured mobile banking platform with the Tuesday rollout of its Mobile Photo Account Opening product. Mitek is the leading developer of smartphone camera-based mobile banking applications. The company had 1,059 financial institution customers for its Mobile Deposit product as of June 30, increasing a remarkable 19% from 889 the previous quarter. Among signed customers for Mobile Deposit, 559 had deployed the service as of June 30at the end of the second quarter, include the largest 10 U.S. retail banks."

Millennials Rule in Mobile Banking - According to xAd/Telmetrics Mobile Path-to-Purchase Study
"Proving the strongest on-device conversion category to-date in this year’s xAd/Telmetrics Mobile Path to Purchase Study, Banking & Finance mobile users are heavily ruled by Millennials. Nearly half of all mobile bankers were under the age of 35 and one-third indicated that smartphones were the most important device for their banking needs according to the overall Banking & Finance category findings—conducted by Nielsen."

Has mobile payment bug bitten you yet?
"It looks like more and more people are getting used to making payments using their mobile phones. According to data to National Payment Corp. of India (NPCI), the nodal agency to manage and promote retail electronic payments in India, till August 2013, 846,000 transactions have taken place through immediate payment system (IMPS) compared with 93,715 in September 2012, a jump of at least eight times. And this is only part of the story since it’s only one mode of mobile payment system we have considered here."

Malauzai Software Adds PFM Elements to iPad SmartApps With Launch of Better Mobile
"Malauzai Software Inc., a provider of mobile banking SmartApps for community financial institutions, has enhanced its mobile banking SmartApp for iPad devices with the Better Mobile suite, which includes personal financial management (PFM) functionalities. The Better Mobile addition to the iPad SmartApp gives users access to basic PFM features that are most used by consumers. The Future Cash Calendar displays money movement on a visual calendar and calculates what the balance will be on each date. Transaction history is shown in Cash Flows as a simplified bar chart indicating “money in” and “money out,” providing a visualization of how money is used during a given time period. Scratch Pad notes paper checks and other transactions not yet withdrawn and accounts for them in the balance."