Mobile Banking Updates - Jan 30

Now's The Time To Ask Your Banker Some Awkward Questions
"It's a good time to look for banks that provide services you need while helping you avoid fees and reach financial goals. This could be challenging because of changes in the banking industry. As banks continue to adjust bank account terms to respond to new banking regulations, now is a perfect time to investigate your options and ensure you don't wind up paying more for the same services."

Commercial Mobile Banking: Changing the Way Money Works
"Commercial banking transactions represent the largest bank transactions and they can be the most cumbersome to process. With mobile technology advancements financial institutions have new opportunities for streamlining the process, being competitive and adding new revenue. Being able to provide executives with secure, mobile access to the largest accounts they manage is a vitally important service that commercial banks can offer for their largest customers and transactions."

EMPLOYERS(R) National Poll Reveals Small Business Mobile Technology and Social Media Trends
"With the continued proliferation of mobile devices and business applications, America's small businesses continue to leverage emerging technologies to help run their day-to-day operations more effectively and efficiently. According to a recent EMPLOYERS(R) Small Business Opinion Poll, more than one-third (38 percent) of small business decision-makers use smartphones or tablets to help manage their businesses each day."

Research and Markets: Internet Banking & Mobile Banking - global mobile payment market was $10 billion by the end of 2010 and expected to grow to $63 billion in 2014
"Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Internet Banking & Mobile Banking" report to their offering. While bank branches are still very much part of our urban landscape, the move towards internet banking as a complement to visiting a branch, if not a replacement, seems unstoppable. The online channel is also growing as a means of retaining as well as acquiring customers."

Appcelerator Nominated for Two GSMA Global Mobile Awards
"Appcelerator®, the leading mobile platform company, today announced GSMA has selected Appcelerator Titanium as a finalist for its Global Mobile Awards in both the Best Consumer Mobile Service and Best Cloud-based Technology categories. The awards recognize excellence, achievement and innovation in mobile communications, and winners will be announced at GSMA's Mobile World Congress February 28th in Barcelona, Spain."

Mobile Banking Updates - Jan 29

Wanted: Banking App to Monitor Balances
"You haven’t been able to turn around in recent months without hearing about one or another bank adding fees to its checking accounts or making new rules for people who want to keep their free checking. Just 45 percent of checking accounts that don’t earn interest are free, according to the latest Bankrate.com survey of the largest institutions in each big city. That’s down from 65 percent in 2010 and 76 percent the year before."

Mobile Payments: FAQs for Retailers
"In July 2011, Gartner released a study on worldwide mobile payment trends. In it, Gartner reported a striking 38 percent jump in mobile payment users from 2010 to 2011, to 141 million. Even so, the report notes that the market has been slow to develop, and mass market adoption may be more than four years away."

FIS' Large Bank Customer Base Gives It an Edge in the Mobile Payments Market
"FIS' move to offer mobile wallet technology to banks shakes up a mobile payments industry that's already a pretty volatile mix of heavy hitters in the telecom, bank and web spaces, bringing more complexity to a market that's has yet to coalesce around a dominant delivery model."

Attitudes and perceptions in mobile security
"NQ Mobile and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) have jointly produced and published a new ‘Report on Consumer Behaviors and Perceptions of Mobile Security.’ The report, conducted independently, surveys 1,158 American smartphone users and provides a thorough and sometimes surprising insight into consumers’ attitudes toward and understanding of mobile security. It highlights, for example, that business really should be concerned about the security implications of evolving consumerization (or ‘bring your own device’) in the workplace."

SOCIAL FEEDBACK FROM CUSTOMERS DRIVES SHOPPERS’ CHOICES
"Banking clients who use an iPhone or Android--the two most popular operating systems on the market--can download their bank’s app from the iTunes App Store or the Android Market, respectively. And both stores also make it easy for users to leave a public review. If they aren’t already doing so, banks should be actively monitoring this valuable source of feedback."

Mobile Banking Updates - Jan 26

CIBC the first bank in Canada to deliver a mobile version of its website featuring advice and information for clients
"CIBC has introduced a new, mobile version of CIBC.com, allowing Canadians with a smartphone to view advice and information on the site through a new client interface that perfectly fits the site onto the screen of their mobile device. The new site is another innovation as part of CIBC's leadership position in mobile financial services for Canadians, having launched the first mobile banking App in Canada in 2010, and becoming the first bank in Canada to launch a mobile stock trading App in 2011."

First Fidelity Bank launches mobile deposit app
"First Fidelity Bank, a locally owned full-service community bank, has launched a mobile application that allows business and personal banking clients to make deposits using their smartphones. The bank is the only Oklahoma-owned bank and one of a handful of banks nationwide to launch a mobile deposit app."

Tips for 2012: Top EMV Ignition Strategies and Mobile Security Solutions
"Mobile Security - Although discussions of mobile payment security have long focused on security at the physical POS, the real story for mobile security in 2012 will be how to better secure the hundreds of billions of dollars of financial transactions that are already taking place via mobile handsets."

UK Consumers Willing to Pay £4.20 per Month for Digital Banking, says PwC
"Consumers in the UK would be willing to pay around £4.20 a month for digital banking services, according to a survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers. 66 per cent, meanwhile, would be willing to pay for a Twitter or Facebook notification of a transaction.
The New Digital Tipping Point predicts that digital banking will overtake branch networks as the main way that customers deal with their banks by 2015. Emerging markets are "leapfrogging" online banking, the report claims, and going straight to mobile."

The Hard Cell-Time to Invest in Mobile Sales
"Mobile banking is no longer coming. It is already happening. Every major UK bank now offers a reasonable service for multiple platforms. Core online banking functionality has been replicated. Consumer adoption of the channel is high. Great job everyone, right? Unfortunately not...One of the consequences of all this growth is that mobile banking users are moving away from using traditional channels; channels that currently offer greater opportunity to cross-sell products and services. Because most banks offer little to no sales capability on their mobile banking service, a big sales gap is beginning to emerge. It’s time for banks to sort out their mobile sales strategy."

Mobile Banking Updates - Jan 25

Obopay Partners With Warid Telecom to Launch Warid Pesa in Uganda
"Obopay, a leading mobile banking and payment solution provider globally, today announced its collaboration with Warid Telecom, an Abu Dhabi Group company. Together the companies are set to launch a mobile banking and payment service, Warid Pesa, in Uganda. Launched in the wake of growing demand for mobile payments in Uganda, Warid Pesa provides a prepaid account that enables customers to perform e-money transactions, pay for goods and services as well as settle accounts."

The Value Of Mobile Payments Is Beyond Transactions
"All of this comes at a time when there is no single standard for new mobile payments technology. Isis and Google are backing conflicting versions of the same technology (Near Field Communications, or NFC), and equally significant players like PayPal are going entirely different directions with cloud-based (rather than hardware-based) mobile payment initiatives. Square and Intuit have circumvented the traditional payments network with their own respective additions to the transactional process (Square’s reader and Intuit’s GoPayment device)."

Help Desks Face Increasing Pressure to Support Mobile Banking
"Support desk staff are likely to find themselves under increased pressure from customers and co-workers needing assistants with mobile banking, with a study from Juniper finding that the number of people using the channel will almost double by 2013. The finance sector has been one of the pioneers of internet and more recently mobile service provision, meaning that trends it follows are likely to be mirrored by other industries at a later date."

FTSI Announces New Professional Services Division For Credit Unions and Community Banks
"FTSI, the leader in independent, self-service technology solutions in the Western region, is debuting six new professional services for credit unions and community banks. These new services complement FTSI's core competencies: ATM product sales, maintenance services and cash management. The new services, which offer financial institutions cost effective technology solutions that drive savings to the bottom line, have been developed based on FTSI's industry expertise and fostering relationships with key partners."

Mobile Banking Updates - Jan 24

City Bank Offers Mobile App That Disables Debit Card
"City Bank is upgrading its mobile banking capabilities to compete with larger banks, always a concern for smaller institutions. At the same time, the $1.9 billion-asset bank, which serves a region surrounding Lubbock, Texas, is also experimenting with security applications for mobile devices that can be used to shield non-mobile channels."

Mobile banking explodes
"First National Bank (FNB) announced on Wednesday that its Cellphone Banking channel processed in excess of 25 million transactions in December 2011 with a transaction value of over R2.7-billion, compared to R1.7-billion seen in December 2010. The bank has more than 3.5 million Cellphone Banking users. Ravesh Ramlakan, CEO FNB Cellphone Banking Solutions, said the growth of the service was due to its simplicity and the convenience that it offered customers. "

The Rich Role of Mobile Phones in Financial Inclusion
"The mobile phone has become a useful tool in tackling the financial access deficit in many countries. M-PESA in Kenya has shown that adoption curves typical of new information-based technologies (radio,TV, mobiles, internet) can be applied to financial services. Yet M-PESA-like mobile payment schemes have only scratched the surface of what is possible. The typical mobile money user still uses it only a couple of times a month."

Over 250,000 Logins of National Bank's Mobile Banking Solutions in Less Than 2 Months
"National Bank is proud to announce that over 250,000 logins have been registered to its Mobile Banking Solutions since the application was launched on November 19. Just as they already do with their computer, clients with smartphones (iPhone(R), Blackberry(R)1 and Android(TM)) can now, through the m.nbc.ca mobile site, view their account balances, pay their bills, manage the limits of their Client Card and transfer funds from one account to another, not only at National Bank, but using Interac e-Transfer(R)2, to any personal account in a participating Canadian financial institution. "

HSBC Canada mobile banking app for iPhone now available
"Majority of our Canadian banks have a mobile banking app – CIBC, TD, RBC, ING – and now HSBC. If you bank with HSBC and have an iPhone you can download the app for free. The app has similar features as the other banks, offers the ability to view your account information and transaction history, pay bills, transfer funds, check exchange rates, locate ATMs and “Send and receive secure messages”. No word on a BlackBerry, Windows Phone or an Android app."

Mobile Banking Updates - Jan 23

Mobile Banking Service Adoption to Reach Over Half a Billion Users by 2013 Despite Economic Downturn
"Despite the challenging economic climate and threat of further global recession, a new report from Juniper Research finds that mobile banking users worldwide will reach 530 million by 2013, up from just over 300 million in 2011. Indeed, Juniper finds that mobile services are becoming a fundamental component of banks' business strategies as they respond to the current financial crisis."

Large Banks Slowly Building Corporate Mobile Apps: Survey
"The growth of mobile banking for corporate users has lagged that of consumer users, mostly because the specialized use case for corporate clients is harder to sell. But this is gradually changing, according to new research from Celent."

The Intersection of Mobile Banking and Payments: It’s About the User
"At the start of last year, Forrester Research predicted that mobile banking adoption would stall if financial institutions didn't begin implementing differentiated capabilities unique to the mobile channel. Mobile payments are one such capability and are steadily becoming a focal point in the race for mainstream adoption of mobile banking."

Protect your smartphone and tablet from identity theft
"Every week more people are buying smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. And every week thieves are lurking to steal those gadgets — along with your banking and other personal information. According to Internet marketing researcher comScore, more than 32 million Americans used a mobile device to manage bank accounts during the second quarter of 2011 — about 14 percent of all mobile users in the United States. That’s up 21 percent from the last quarter of 2010, and experts predict continued growth as companies improve their mobile apps."

Mobile phone money transfers 'two years away'
"It's rumoured that bank customers should be able to transfer money to someone else's account using just their mobile phone within two years, as reported by The Financial Times. The Payments Council has been asked to help speed up bank money transfers. Its mobile money transfer plans could, in theory, make bank transfers easier and faster for mobile phone users."

UPLEX Global Launches Powerful Secondary Loan Market

Indianapolis, IN – Paul J. Giefing, CEO and Founder of UPLEX Global, today announced the release of a powerful, global, online secondary loan market to allow banks, credit unions, private investors and numerous other financial institutions to efficiently and affordably trade whole loans, loan portfolios and loan participations.

“I’ve found that the old way of buying and selling loans and portfolios has simply become too expensive and time consuming, especially during these challenging economic times,” said Giefing. “With UPLEX Global, we’ve truly changed the way the way secondary markets work by offering an online ‘broker-less’, paperless platform to efficiently and securely manage loan portfolios. Our technology allows financial firms to maximize time and make more money by putting them in total control of their own portfolios.”

UPLEX Global’s platform leverages the latest in technology to make buying and selling assets easy, efficient and at a fraction of the cost of traditional transactions. The platform uses an active, sealed-bid auction system, so that sellers can entertain countless offers on a single asset to maximize their time and ability to get the most for the loan.

Buyers using UPLEX Global’s platform have access to a marketplace that includes a wide variety of quality assets from across the globe as well as the analytical tools to provide the information necessary to make the best decision for their portfolios.

“We’ve successfully removed the middle man, allowing sellers to provide access to loan information directly to qualified buyers, and buyers to search for exactly the type of assets they desire,” said Giefing. “Through a growing network of financial institutions and investors from all over the world, buyers and sellers now have easy access to a liquid market fueled by global demand.”

During the initial release, UPLEX Global is offering a one-time, 18-month free trial period for new subscribers. To find out more about UPLEX Global or to register to join the network, visit www.uplexglobal.com or call 888.768.6564, ext 10.

Members of the media are invited to participate in an online tutorial for a first-hand look at UPLEX Global’s platform. To arrange an online, interactive demonstration of the platform, please contact Andrew Flach at aflach@uplexglobal.com.