International Mobile Banking Updates - Aug 6

More payments via mobile devices in 2015: report
"Online payment transactions handled by Chinese mobile payment service providers will exceed 9 trillion yuan in 2015, according to an industry report published on Monday. In 2012, the country's mobile banking sector handled 800 billion yuan in online payment transactions, an increase of 265.3 percent from a year earlier, according to a report published by the Internet Society of China, Xinhua news agency reports."

VIPERA PLC : Vipera – KPMG Commercial Partnership Agreement
"Vipera announces today that it has concluded an agreement with KPMG Advisory Spa ("KPMG"), a leading consulting and IT services company in Italy. Under this agreement KPMG, who are looking to expand their business in the area of mobile services and mobile financial services, have become a commercial partner and system integrator of Vipera's mobile financial services and solutions based on Motif."

Knocking on the M-commerce Door
"The past few months have seen more telcos inserting themselves into the mobile money and mobile commerce value chains. In Spain, Telefónica SA announced partnerships with financial institutions CaixaBank and Santander to create a new business in mobile banking, including a mobile wallet. (See Telefónica Brokers Mobile Money Alliance.)"

Surprising FNB mobile device stats
"FNB recently revealed that 76% of their clients visiting their online banking services are using an iPhone or iPad – much higher than all other brands put together. FNB launched its new website on Sunday 14 July, aimed at creating a consistent experience across all devices. The focus on a mobile friendly experience is very evident in the new design. Around 10% of FNB’s banking clients are currently accessing the website via a mobile device – up from 4% a year ago."

Software quality problems show need to “shift left”
 "In the private sector, software errors are causing both financial and reputational damage. A study by software quality specialist SQS identified private sector businesses in the banking, retail and mobile sectors, more likely to suffer software malfunctions than public sector organisations."

Bank of Kigali launches mVISA-Rwanda
"The Bank of Kigali, in partnership with Visa, has launched a new mobile banking platform, mVISA, an interoperable mobile branchless banking solution. BK mVISA is a digital wallet that targets 55 per cent of the country’s population of 10.5 million that currently have mobile phones."

ANZ Extends Mobile Financial Services to Unbanked and Underbanked Consumers with Mobiliti Reach from Fiserv
"Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced that Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), a $642.12 billion asset banking group, has launched an extensive mobile banking and payment service in several nations in the Pacific."

Aussie Bank Crowdsources Product Ideas in Mobile App Challenge
"Westpac will invest $50,000 to develop two concept apps from the public. The bank already has an aggressive mobile strategy, and is threatening to shake things up further with more bold moves like this before year’s end."

Kenya: Press Releases: Barclays Bank Offers Bulk Mobile Payment Solution
"Barclays Bank has partnered with mobile telephony service provider Safaricom to offer a mobile banking service that enables corporate clients to disburse bulk payments such as salaries, dividend payments, per diem allowances and pension payments to various beneficiaries through their mobile phones."

Canadians growing increasingly comfortable with mobile payments
"Mobile payments have gone mainstream in Canada. According to a report a by Technology Strategies International, more than half of smartphone owners in the country have used their phones to make payments this year. The bad news, according to the report titled "Canadian Payments Forecast — 2013," is that most of these mobile payment transactions have been for e-commerce purchases or bill payments via mobile banking apps and mobile banking websites. In other words, they're not happening in brick-and-mortar stores."

Updated: Westpac Australia online, mobile banking services still down
"Westpac Australia has confirmed that its online and mobile banking services are experiencing intermittent issues today. Westpac said its services were restored at 7pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on Thursday night after being down for most of yesterday."

International Mobile Banking Updates - July 15

BPI sees mobile banking transactions rising rapidly
"THE Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) anticipates a sharp rise in mobile banking transactions this year. In a statement sent by e-mail, BPI executives said that since the first launching of their mobile banking application in 2011, more than half of mobile banking enrollees transact with the bank using their mobile apps. According to BPI executives, the number may rise further in the wake of the adoption of the latest version of the BPI Express Mobile App."

Mashreq Qatar launches smart banking with Snapp mobile banking app
"In its efforts to continue leading the banking space, the region's leading financial institution, Mashreq Qatar has officially launched state-of-the-art mobile banking app 'Snapp'. The fully-functional mobile banking service can be downloaded free of cost and is available to customers on Android and iOS platforms throughout Qatar."

Citi PH's mobile banking app offers 'one-time PIN'
"Citi Philippines has launched a "one-time personal identification number" (PIN) feature in the Citi Mobile banking app. Citi clients can now get a "one-time PIN" via SMS or on the online security device, offering greater convenience when making online banking transactions. The "one-time PIN" is a unique six-digit PIN that serves as a dynamic second-level authentication and allows users to access their account details and complete online transactions on their computers, tablets or mobile phones."

Polish banks unveil mobile payments standard
"Mobile payments looks set to receive a boost in Poland after six banks announced they will collaborate to create a new standard in the country. Alior Bank, Bank Millennium, Bank Zachodni WBK, BRE Bank, ING Bank and PKO Bank Polski intend to build a common infrastructure including standard authorisation and settlement. The system will be open to all market participants, including other banks, and will support abilities such as mobile cash withdrawal from ATMs and mobile money transfer."

Westpac launches home loan approval via mobile
"In a first for New Zealand and Australia, Westpac NZ customers can apply and secure approval for a home loan within minutes via their mobile phone. The new capability is part of the latest update for Westpac’s mobile banking app and is available now. Customers can fill out a home loan application, submit it and receive approval all via their phone. The entire process, including receiving the approval, takes just minutes and adds a new dimension to weekend house hunting, participating in auctions and the planning process in buying a home."

Africa's first Bitcoin wallet launches in Kenya
"Africa's first Bitcoin transfer service has launched in Kenya, piggybacking on M-Pesa, the country's highly successful mobile banking platform. The service, called Kipochi, will allow Kenyans to move money abroad while dodging the hefty transaction fees charged by companies like Western Union and MoneyGram. Kipochi -- which means purse in Swahili -- describes itself as a lightweight, easy-to-use Bitcoin wallet. Users only need an email address, phone number and passport or national identity number to sign up and can currently transfer up to one bitcoin a day using the service -- although this is expected to increase soon."

FNB revamps online banking
"First National Bank has given its online banking portal an overhaul. The new site is more minimalist and allows clients to use the full, online service on smartphones and tablet computers, in addition to laptops and desktops. The new website will be available to consumers on Sunday."

Santander unveils mobile banking service for small business customers
"Santander Business Banking has rolled out a new mobile banking service for small business customers, in a bid to offer convenient online payment channel to execute various banking services through their mobile phones. In order to access banking services through mobile phones and handheld devices with internet access, customers will have to register to Santander Online Business Banking, prior to sign up for the mobile banking service."

Kenya: CIO 100 - Old Mutual's Mobile Based Unit Trust Proves to Be a Hit in Kenya
"The last seven years have seen the mobile phone become quite a useful tool in East Africa, and especially in Kenya, where M-Pesa has become a global case study of the impact of mobile money. On Twitter, Carole Kimutai, editor - Management Magazine says "I am so amused watching bank CEOs brag about mobile banking. I remember how scared they were of M-Pesa. Times really change!" Mobile also emerged also prominently featured at the third CIO East Africa CIO 100 Annual awards and Symposium in Kigali, Rwanda."

International Mobile Banking Updates - Mar 20

Commercialbank names winners of online, mobile banking campaign
"Some eight lucky Commercialbank customers have been named as the winners of the bank’s recent online and mobile banking campaign. The eight week promotion, which was open to all new and existing customers registered for Commercialbank’s online banking and mobile services, highlighted the 'flexibility, security and range of banking services' that the bank’s customers have access to from their mobile phone or computers. Commercialbank’s mobile banking platform is compatible with iPad, Android and all smartphones, in addition to the iPhone, BlackBerry and mobile web."

RBS launch mobile banking app days after second card network crash
"From today, customers using the RBS/NatWest mobile phone app will be able to send a payment of up to £100 to anyone with a Visa card, by entering their mobile phone number. The announcement comes just days after the banking group apologised to customers for its second computer hitch in a year. A hardware fault left RBS Group customers blocked from using cashpoints for several hours last week, while online and telephone banking services were also disrupted. As well as currently having more than two million active users, the RBS/NatWest mobile banking app has 13 million logins per week."

Bank Alfalah, Warid launch mobile banking solution
"Monet – an independent mobile financial services company – partnered with Fundamo – Visa’s subsidiary and one of the world’s largest specialist mobile financial service providers – to launch a mobile money network in Pakistan, the press release said. Monet – which was set up by the Abu Dhabi Group last year – had secured approval from the State Bank of Pakistan to build its network, which is being offered to local firms planning to launch mobile money services."

The Benefits of Mobile Health, on Hold
"The world now has 5 billion mobile phones – one for every person over 15. Africa has a billion people and 750 million phones, and mobile is growing so fast there that in a few years there will be more phones than people. In some countries this is already true — South Africa has 47 million people, but 52 million SIM cards. The mobile phone is doing more than revolutionizing communication. It has the potential to improve many aspects of life in poor countries: commerce, health, agriculture, education."

Polish FI rolls out mobile banking, payment solution
"Polish financial institution PKO Bank Polski has launched its first mobile payment solution, called IKO. Based on the mobile payment platform of Swedish company Accumulate, the product supports mobile banking and payment services at the point of sale, real-time peer-to-peer payments and cardless withdrawals from ATMs."

Mobile banking a game changer, says SBP governor
"State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Yaseen Anwar has said that developments in branchless banking across the country have been so far marvelous, leaving nobody in doubt about the potential of mobile phone banking to be a game-changer in banking, m-commerce and financial inclusion. Speaking at the 6th International Conference on ‘Mobile Banking in Pakistan’ at a local hotel on Thursday, he said that developments in m-banking and m-commerce will lead us to connect the unbanked segment of our population to financial services, thus contributing to their empowerment."

Mobile phone-banking is failing to meet its potential
"India's 840 million mobile phone connections are emerging as knights in armour in the financial inclusion challenge—they hold the promise of providing banking access to the large swathe of India's unbanked population. Yet, today, less than 20 million people in India are using mobile banking services offered by some 50-odd banks, even though the National Payments Consortium of India (NPCI) has rolled out a gateway for inter-bank mobile payment services (IMPS)."

Shell-Backed Solar Company Bets on Phone Banking for Africa
"M-KOPA Kenya Ltd., backed by a Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)-funded charity, sees sales of its solar-lighting system that allows users to pay by phone surging 13-fold as mobile operators roll out banking services in Africa. The system, a panel powering lights and a phone charger, links to mobile banking services to allow customers to pay 40 Kenyan shillings (46 cents) a day to use it, M-KOPA says. The company plans to boost clients in Kenya to 100,000 from about 7,500 now, and expand abroad in future, Managing Director Jesse Moore said."

Kiwis double up on mobile banking
"The proportion of New Zealand's smartphoners who use their phone to conduct online banking transactions has almost doubled in the past year, according to Roy Morgan's latest Mobile Phone Monitor. While a majority of smartphone users (58%) still bank online using a computer, 16% now conduct banking on their mobiles—up from 8.3% in January last year."

Mobile banking service expanding in Bangladesh
"Mobile banking is gaining ground among the people in Bangladesh within a short span of time for facilitating its easy transaction services. Some 3.0 million people make now the use of different services under mobile banking. There are about 70,000 outlets of mobile banking service-providers, making the services available to the users. The extent of such services and the volume of transactions involve a sizeable amount of money, between Tk 300 million and Tk 350 million, per day, according to the data of the Bangladesh Bank (BB)."

Mobile banking technologies catch on in Russia
Portable terminals and personal finance management services are sweeping the global banking market. In Russia, the mobile- and online-banking segments are growing, introducing similar innovations to the market. Some banks are ready to invest in these innovations, while others wait for these new technologies to become actual drivers for the industry."

ANZ launches enhanced mobile banking app
"The ANZ Bank has launched more enhancements to its mobile banking application, goMoney, which the company says makes it the “first bank in Australia” to integrate personal and business accounts into a single mobile banking application for customers using an iPhone. Nick Reade, ANZ General Manager Small Business Banking, said small business customers wanted to do their banking “when and where it suits them,” and increasingly customers were using mobile devices."

Santander UK Launches Mobile Banking App for Android
"Santander has launched a brand new mobile banking app for customers who use Android smartphones and tablets, including the Kindle Fire, as well as updating the iPhone/iPad app the bank originally launched in January 2012. The new apps provide a secure service for banking on the go, including a helpful single platform where customers can see information for all their Santander current accounts, savings and credit cards. The apps are available from the Apple App Store and the Android store (Google Play) and free to all of Santander's personal banking customers."

Visa Europe signs new three-year deal with Monitise to expand its mobile banking services across Europe
"Visa Europe has signed a new three-year deal with Monitise to develop and expand its various Mobile Money solutions, which support mobile banking, payments and commerce networks, to more leading financial institutions across Europe. The extended partnership means that Monitise is guaranteed minimum revenues of €45 million over the next three years, with the chance to go beyond that provided 'certain user generated thresholds are achieved.'”