International Mobile Banking Updates - Jun 25

HTC to unveil mobile banking phone in Taiwan
"Taiwan's HTC Corp. will announce a partnership in mobile payments with a local bank and card companies this week as it seeks to play a larger role in the promising mobile banking industry. The world's No. 5 smartphone vendor is scheduled to hold a joint news conference on June 19 with Cathay United Bank, EasyCard Corp. and MasterCard International to launch a co-branded card, according to a statement."

Mobile money transfers: Zim drifts towards cashless economy
"ZIMBABWE’s financial transacting public has been presented with a plethora of money transfer options, as the country moves towards a cashless economy. Mobile money products on the market include; Kingdom CellCard, ZB Bank’s e-Wallet and e-Mali, Econet’s EcoCash product, as well as CABS’ TextaCash. FBC has joined the bandwagon with Mobile Moola, a new Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card from which one can send money to anyone with a mobile phone on any network."

Absa attracts 120,000 mobile customers each month
"Absa says it attracts an average of 120,000 new mobile customers each month and boasts in excess of 3.6 million mobile banking clients and 1.35 million online customers. According to Christo Vrey, head of Absa Digital Banking, the group attracted 180,000 new mobile users in March. Absa will not provide a date for the launch of its banking application; however, the group’s new multi-million online platform has been optimised for tablet use."

ASB customers embrace mobile apps
"ASB Bank chief executive Barbara Chapman says consumers are switching on to mobile banking at four times the rate of internet banking when it first took off. However, banks were getting faster at being able to copy each other's technological innovations so any competitive advantages they gained would be more short-lived. 'When we introduced internet banking, I think we had a two- or three-year advantage on every other competitor. There is no way you would expect a two- or three-year advantage on any technology now' she said."

Sybase 365 Enables Allied Bank Limited to Accelerate Adoption of Mobile Banking in Pakistan
"Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc., the global leader in mobile messaging and mobile commerce services, together with AbacusConsulting, one of Pakistan's largest professional services firms, today announced that Allied Bank Limited, one of Pakistan's largest banks, has chosen the Sybase 365 Mobile Commerce solution to offer mobile financial services to its customers."

St. George releases pay-to-mobile app
"St. George has launched a pay-to-mobile app which will allow users to send payments on their smartphones. To make a payment, users need to put in the recipient’s mobile number and hit ‘transfer’. The app then notifies the recipient money has been transferred and they are directed to a secure website where they put in their BSB and account details."

Ethiopia to Regulate Mobile Banking
"The National Bank of Ethiopia is to issue a new directive for mobile banking directives. The central bank regulation officials and presidents of banks had final discussions on the draft regulation last week. The bank circulated the draft regulation to all banks for comments and expects it to come into effect in three weeks time according to sources. The regulation will control the way in which mobile banking is implemented, identifying and protecting users and how much money can be transacted.

UN Calls For Mobile Banking Rules
"The United Nations on Thursday called for rules to coordinate the use of mobile money services in East Africa."

With mobile banking growing rapidly, banks too need to step up their security features
"Mobile banking may still be in its infancy but it is growing at a phenomenal pace, according to Mr Trevor Haeger, Chief Information Officer for Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore. For Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore, the growth rate of active users utilising its Internet banking services was 33 per cent between 2010 and 2012. The growth rate of active users for its mobile banking services was a whopping 92 per cent from 2010 to 2012."

Brazilian Bank Federation sees boom in mobile banking market
"Making financial transactions with mobile devices is not considered new in Brazil. However, the service is far from being heavily used. During this week’s Ciab (check all stories) —a conference and exposition focused on IT for financial institutions held in São Paulo—banks and vendors are trying to show how the connected society (also a central theme of the event) is changing the way banks do business."

Banks to offer mobile banking service by mid-2013
"All banks are expected to participate in mobile banking service by the middle of next year, says e-payment service provider, Malaysian Electronic Clearing Corp Sdn Bhd (MyClear). 'Our objective is to get the entire industry to participate to encourage usage of e-payment gradually,' said MyClear managing director, Mohd Suhail Amar Suresh."

RBS adds ATM cash dispensing to mobile banking app
"Customers are presented with a 'GetCash' option within the RBS and Natwest iOS, Android and BlackBerry apps that lets them request up to £100. A six digit PIN is then generated which can be entered at the banks' ATMs at any point within the next three hours to collect the money. Customers can make as many requests as they want in a day as long as they do not exceed their withdrawal limit."

International Mobile Banking Updates - Oct 5

Popularity of mobile banking surges in Taiwan
"With mobile computing gaining popularity and smart device penetration rate on the rise, an increasing number of banks have unveiled mobile banking services in Taiwan to allow users to handle their finances anywhere, anytime.

According to the newest data of the Institute for Information Industry (III), by the end of second quarter about 4.9 million people in Taiwan accessed the Internet through their mobile handsets, or a penetration rate of 21.3 per cent."

India awaits boom in mobile banking
"A bank need not always be a brick-and-mortar complex with a handful of tellers sitting in tiny cubicles and doling out cash, with armed security guards pacing up and down, and a place where someone always wants to borrow your pen to fill a form. For a bank in Japan, called Jibun Bank, a bank only means a mobile phone in the hands of all the customers. The bank, started in mid-2008, has absolutely no branches, operates only through mobile phones where its customers can perform all possible transactions. The bank clocked more than 1 million customers by May 2010 and posted a deposit growth of Japanese yen 150 billion (approximately $1.95 billion)."

HTC mobile banking phone goes on sale in Chongqing
"HTC Corp (宏達電), the world’s fifth-largest smartphone maker, has begun selling a smartphone in Chongqing, China, that enables mobile payments using near field communication (NFC) technology, aiming to gain a foothold in the fast-growing mobile banking market. The “Jiang Yu banking” phone, priced at 4,680 yuan (US$732), allows remote bill payments and contactless payments."

Mobile Banking advancements
"Mobile banking through Mobile phones has greatly improved communication and the world has become a global banking village. Apart from improvement in communication, mobile service providers have gone a step further to ensure that their subscribers are able to transfer funds using mobile banking."

USAID grants help create a mobile banking system in Afghanistan
"Back in 2002, there were less than 200,000 people in Afghanistan with the access to a telephone line. Today the picture is completely different, with some 15 million Afghans using mobile phones and 85% of the population living within the combined network coverage of the four major carriers. This mass installed base opens up possibilities for mobile banking services."

Kuwait Finance House Bahrain launches mobile banking services
"Among the services available, customers will benefit from the convenience of being able to check their account and/or card statements, make phone bill payments, transfer money between accounts or view their last five transactions.

The Mobile Banking Service provides an interactive experience similar to internet browsing via your mobile handset. Customers who have international roaming enabled on their mobile phones will be able to complete all their transactions from wherever they are, anywhere in the world."

Mobile Money Sparks Banking Boom
"Mobile banking is revolutionising the face of personal and business banking in Africa. There is no need to carry a bank card or cheque book on you. You do not even have to visit the local bank branch to transfer or withdraw money. All you need now is a mobile phone and a SIM card."

Scotiabank launches first mobile banking app for Blackberry, iPhone
"Starting September 30, Scotiabank customers in Barbados will be able to conveniently bank-on-the-go with the new Scotia Mobile App for Blackberry and iPhone. This means that customers in Barbados will have even more freedom to carry their bank in their back pocket when they download the App onto their BlackBerrys and iPhones."