Suncorp Mobile Banking

On March 19th it was announced that Suncorp (Australia) launched an internally developed browser based solution (mobile.suncorp.com.au). The article titled "Suncorp dives into mobile banking" was written by Mahesh Sharma and can be accessed at this link.

However, there are two reasons that I would also encourage you to view their product demo.

First, I really like that their homepage offers the client the ability to navigate to the PC site (see below).

Second, this is the first browser site that I have seen where they have incorporated "hints" into the page. If a client doesn't have an unlimited data plan this could actually be a negative; however, I feel that it's an effective way of educating client and could translate into more return visitors (see below).

Denise Senecal - Demographics Matter to Mobile Banking Strategies

Today I found an article written by Denise Senecal (Research Manager - Callahan & Associates) titled "Demographics Matter to Mobile Banking Strategies."

Ms. Denecal writes, "The online survey of more than 11,000 credit union members examined needs and preferences among online members—the segment of your membership most likely to be the early adopters of mobile banking technology."

The article continues to cover topics including:
* Comfort with Mobile Features Varies with Age
* Understand Your Membership's Demographic Profile
* Consider Your Target Segments

Click here to read the full article >>

Mobile Banking from Capital One - mShift

I am pleased to have the opportunity to share some very big news that surprisingly did not make the mainstream media.

On Friday, Capital One launched their mShift powered mobile banking solution.

Below I have included the full press release and two additional screen shots, but for a number of reasons this story is much more than just another headline.

First, this announcement propels mShift to the "Elite Provider" status. Now, some will argue they've been a top-tier provider for sometime since they have quietly amassed 62 clients. However, in the minds of many you need at least one nationally recognized mega-bank. For mShift that client is Capital One - they have now arrived.

Next, the Capital One product brings to market a handful of components that are new to the mobile banking offer. If you read the copy in the first image below you will see that Capital one is offering a $50 bill pay guarantee. Then, please refer to the second image below and notice that Capital One is also offering Bank-to-Bank money transfers. For security purposes they must be accounts that have existing linkages, but this is a very powerful feature for a mobile banking product.

Finally, I will offer that this further validates the browser-based solution as a significant contender in the mobile banking space. Critics will scoff at the notion, but the fact is that many institutions are launching browser solutions because they are secure, convenient, and provide a familiar banking experience.




Capital One Selects MShift Mobile Banking Platform.

Santa Clara, CA. January 11th, 2008. MShift announces that Capital One has chosen its Mobile Banking platform. Capital One joins more than 60 US financial institutions who have selected MShift Inc. to provide a customized Mobile Banking Solution.

MShift is the leading provider of Mobile Banking in the US, providing secure mobile solutions in the financial and retail markets since 1999. MShift currently powers over 80% of the mobile banking solutions deployed in the US today.

The MShift Mobile Banking solutions work with all types of mobile devices, across all carriers. Account access is very secure, as all account information data is encrypted with a minimum of 128 bits TLS, and no user data is stored on the mobile device.

"We are pleased to partner with Capital One in this venture,” says Awele Ndili, President and CEO of MShift. “Mobile Banking has become a key differentiator for financial institutions. Capital One continues to demonstrate innovation and leadership by choosing to offer mobile banking to their 50 million customers in the Americas.

About MShift

MShift®, Inc. is the leading provider of Mobile Banking solutions. The MShift® Mobile Banking Solutions offer the widest array of features, including Bill Payment, Presentment, Transfers, Account Summaries, History, ATM locators, and much more. MShift Mobile Banking can be accessed from all carriers and device types, including cell phones, iPhone, Blackberry, Palm® and Pocket-PC PDAs, pagers, WAP, SMS, and voice devices. MShift also provides the only available Facebook Banking application – online banking directly tied into the Facebook environment. MShift’s Facebook banking application won the Online Banking Report’s “Best of the Web” award for 2007.

MShift (www.mshift.com) is headquartered in San Jose, California and can be reached via (408)437-2740 or via email at info@mshift.com.

Browser Based Mobile Banking for Businesses

To date Wells Fargo has methodically begun to build a comprehensive mobile banking solution including:
Retail Clients -
* Browser based site at http://www.wf.com/

Business Clients -
* SMS based solution via Clairmail
(For a full recap of the offerings of the top ten institutions click here.)

To further improve their offering, Wells Fargo has now announced a browser based solution for business clients. The press release states, "Mobile banking is ideal for our small business customers, who benefit from the convenience of checking their account balances or making money transfers easily and quickly while on the go,” says Jim Smith, executive vice president and managing head of Wells Fargo's Internet Services Group. “The Wells Fargo Mobile service gives small businesses an ‘extended office’ with access to account information through their mobile devices."