HSBC customers hit by online banking outage
"Customers of HSBC were unable to access online banking for a period of time this morning due to an IT-related failure. Customers vented their frustrations on Twitter on Friday, complaining that they are unable to access their online and mobile banking accounts. Laura Harper ‏(@LauraJHarper24) tweeted: '@HSBC_UK_Help please can you sort out your online business banking. Going very slow this morning & I have people waiting to be paid!'"

Bank? What bank? Orange, Visa and the changing face of Africa's mobile money
"In a bid to expand its reach into Africa — in many ways the unexplored continent for financial services — US-based Visa has cut a deal with mobile giant Orange, bypassing the formal banking sector and taking advantage of a very African innovation. As of last month, subscribers to Orange's mobile money system, Orange Money, in Botswana have been able to link their mobile money accounts to the Visa network, opening up access to Visa's services even to those with no bank accounts at all."

Kiwibank Business wins top award with a 'stand-out' entry; planning SME mobile banking app for October launch
"Kiwibank has taken out the Supreme Award at the 2013 AUT Business School Excellence in Business Support Awards held last night in Auckland. It beat 41 finalists in the only national performance measure available to the business support sector. Winners were announced in 11 categories, with the Supreme winner chosen from amongst them."

Cosmos Bank launches mobile banking
"In yet another achievement, the fastest growing Urban Co-op Bank Cosmos launched mobile banking service for its customers on last Saturday at the hands of Shrinivas Patil, Governor of Sikkim. The Chairman, Krishnakumar Goyal, Vice-Chairman, Milind Kale, Managing Director, Vikrant Ponkshe, Jt. Managing Director, Suhas Gokhale, Directors of the Board, Members and Customers of the Bank were present for this function. In his inaugural speech, Governor Patil invited Cosmos Bank to open its branches in Sikkim. He also proposed that the bank should spread the web of its branches in North and North-East India too. Governor Patil alsohoped Cosmos Bank will reach the topmost position amongst the co-operative banks."

Kapital Bank launches a mobile banking application built on TranzWare Mobile Banking for Apple iOS smartphones
"WiKapital Bankth help from Compass Plus, Kapital Bank (Azerbaijan) has finished building their own mobile banking application for iOS, and successfully published it on the Apple App Store. The new application is built on TranzWare Mobile Banking and enhances the previously developed applications on the same platform for Android and Java. The application will increase the number of people using the mobile banking system, which can now be fully operated on all Apple mobile devices. This will result in improving the quality of provided services and expanding the remote banking capabilities for Kapital Bank’s customers."

Is Mobile Banking Safe And Cyber Secure In India?
"Mobile banking in India is moving towards an acceptance level. However, till now very few people and institutions are comfortable in using mobile banking in India. Mobile banking in India is still not popular according to RBI. There are certain shortcomings of mobile banking in India that are still left unaddressed. For instance, mobile governance in India is still not well established. M-governance in India is essential before mobile banking can be successfully implemented in India. We have no regulatory framework for m-governance in India."

Electronic, mobile fuels FNB growth
"FirstRand has reported its financial results for the year ended June 2013, noting 20% growth in normalised earnings to R15.3 billion, up from R12.7 billion in 2012. FirstRand’s main retail and commercial division, FNB, contributed the largest portion to the group’s earnings, reporting a 22% rise in normalised earnings to R8.16 billion, up from R6.67 billion in 2012. FirstRand’s other divisions – Rand Merchant Bank and WesBank – reported a 21% and 10% jump in earnings, respectively."

Top Image Systems Recognized as a "Sample Vendor" in Gartner Hype Cycle for Digital Banking 2013
"Top Image Systems Ltd. TISA, a leading ECM (Enterprise Content Management) and BPM (Business Process Management) and mobile image processing solutions provider,announces that the Company was included as a sample vendor in the Mobile Commercial Remote Deposit Capture and Mobile Consumer Remote deposit categories listed in the "Hype Cycle for Digital Banking, 2013" by Alistair Newton published on July 31, 2013 by Gartner, Inc.. Top Image Systems develops and markets a broad portfolio of mobile content processing solutions, including MobiCHECK for mobile remote deposit capture, MobiPAY for bill payment via mobile devices and the MobiFLOW platform for capture, recognition and processing of structured and unstructured data in files of virtually any size and format. Top Image Systems' mobile content processing solutions are fully integrated with its industry-leading eFLOW(R) multichannel intelligent content capture, workflow and delivery platform."

Retailers to accept 'mobile' payments next year
"Shoppers will next year be able to use their mobile phone to pay in just 12 seconds at stores such as WH Smith, Lidl, Superdrug and McDonald's, The Telegraph can disclose. A major deal has been struck to allow thousands of retailers across Britain to support Zapp, a new mobile phone payment app backed by Britain’s biggest banks."

Banking on the move
"Mobile banking is a bridge that can connect unbanked and underbanked segments to a plethora of financial services. Research indicates that half the world is underbanked and uses informal channels to access financial services, whether it be saving or borrowing money or sending money home. In addition, a lack of formal tools and services drives the underbanked to carry and use physical cash to conduct all financial transactions. Contrary to conventional wisdom, ‘unbanked’ does not necessarily mean that they lack financial access. This is especially true for the population at the bottom of the pyramid, who at times prefer to use informal channels despite having access to formal services."

Why mobile banking is more on paper and less on mobile
"'There is substantial potential for mobile based payments,' said Raghuram Rajan in his first speech after taking over as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. True, there’s surely potential for mobile-based payments in India. But the question is how long will it take for us to fully use that potential? 'There are a large number of registrations, but if you see the number of transactions are not corresponding to the number of registrations. It’s mostly the urban immigrant workers who use mobile payments/banking most,' a head of transaction banking with a PSU bank told Firstpost on the condition of anonymity."

Nigeria: CBN Explains Restriction of Telcos From Mobile Banking Services
"The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday gave reasons for the restriction of telecommunication companies from offering mobile banking services in the country. The Director, Banking and Payment System Department, CBN, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, stated that telcos were not given the opportunity to provide mobile payment services because the central bank did not have direct control over them."

CBN Blames Failure Of Telecoms Synergy On Mobile Payment Hassles
"The CBN says its inability to regulate operation of the telecoms is responsible for their exclusion in the mobile banking system, an approach which is being criticised by analysts. CBN’s Director, Banking and Payments system department, Mr Titus Fatokun, however, says that despite this development, mobile money transfer has recorded N9.2 billion in value and 275,558 in volume as at May 2013."

ING GROEP : European consumers empowered by mobile banking
"More than a third (37%) of almost 12,000 internet users surveyed in 12 European countries are already using mobile banking - and many credit the technology with providing more control over their money. While being able to bank on the go is very popular, cash is still favoured for ultimate control of budgeting and spending. Social media is booming and is mostly used to get better insight into money matters and is set to grow as many young people expect to be able to make payments via social media, according to the ING report entitled Financial Empowerment in the Digital Age."

Monitise and Telefonica Enter Mobile Money Partnership
"Monitise plc UK:MONI -1.38% announces it has become the preferred Mobile Money technology partner for Telefonica Digital to develop and manage new and existing mobile payment and commerce services for its customers."

HSBC Bank Oman launches secure key for internet banking and upgrades mobile banking app
"Having been the first bank to provide Internet Banking in the Sultanate, it is now one of the first banks in Oman to offer this service. Secure Key provides customers with an extra layer of security when they access their accounts online, bringing the best of HSBC's global capabilities and technical expertise to customers across the Sultanate in a simple, secure and efficient way. The bank has also upgraded its mobile banking app which is available for Android powered devices. With its new look and feel and simplified navigation, the new app allows customers' funds transfer facilities between their HSBC accounts, in addition to a better user experience."

Standard Bank closes WAP mobile banking
"Standard Bank is set to discontinue its Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) cellphone banking service from 8 July 2013. The bank notes that this service makes up only a fraction of its total mobile banking registered customer base, saying further that its app service has achieved 170,000 unique registered users since it launched a year ago. As at 31 December 2012, the bank claimed to have 11 million retail and business customers in South Africa."

Product review: Barclays’ CashSend, Hello Money
"The single biggest weapon in the mobile money transfer services (MMT) arsenal — EcoCash — is, however, effectively in the hands of a non-bank player and it has made significant inroads into traditional banking territory. While banks are expected to wage a sustained battle for a piece of the unbanked pie, it would be unwise for them to concentrate only — or mainly — on that without also coming up with strategies for protecting their existing customers from the onslaught of game-changing MMT products such as EcoCash. In their quest to craft appropriate strategic responses, banks have responded in basically two ways."

Visa likely to launch mobile financial services next year
"Visa Inc, a global payments technology provider, is expected to launch its own mobile financial services (MFS) platform in Pakistan next year, according to Kamil Khan, Visa’s Country Manager for Pakistan and Afghanistan. The players already operating in the mobile banking segment will be attached to Visa card, Khan told a group of journalists at a lunch at Sheraton Hotel on Wednesday."

RBI asks banks to expand internet, mobile banking reach
"The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked commercial banks to expand the reach of internet and mobile banking services. 'We are going through an era of technological revolution,' said RBI Deputy Governor H R Khan at a workshop on e-Banking organised by Bank of India here on Thursday. 'And mobile and internet penetration is on the rise in the country. Therefore, banks need to formulate strategies to popularize mobile and internet based banking services.' Khan asked banks to also focus on elderly and pensioners besides urban clientele."

Ethiopia to sign mobile network deals with ZTE, Huawei
"Ethiopia will sign agreements with China's ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd in a "few weeks" to expand its mobile phone infrastructure and double subscribers to 40 million, a senior Ethiopian official said on Thursday. ZTE Corp, China's second-largest telecoms equipment maker, has already been involved in developing phone and internet services in the Horn of Africa nation for several years."

Third world leads first in mobile banking
"Australia may be inching its way towards mobile money via phones and smart cards, but the world leader in this new technology is, of all places, Kenya. According to The Economist magazine, two thirds of the adult population - more than 17 million Kenyans - siphon 1.1 trillion shillings ($A13 billion) - more than a quarter of the East African country's gross domestic product - through what is the world's leading mobile money network."

Self-service banking can kill intimacy with customers: ANZ
"With in-branch banking on a decline, many financial institutions are focusing on their mobile and self-service strategies. But neglecting face-to-face banking reduces these companies' chances of building meaningful relationships with customers, according to ANZ CTO, Patrick Maes. In the US, banks have been on a drive to cut down the number of retail branches as a way to cut costs and respond to the growing mobile banking trend. Australian banks have also been on the same path in recent years, albeit at a slower pace."

VN set to embrace mobile banking
"Tam, who is also CEO of IDG Global Solutions Vietnam and MRD Joint-stock Company, told the Vietnam Financial Times that Internet banking services will rank second behind mobile banking, while transactions using Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) will reduce significantly in the coming years. Wikipedia describes mobile banking as a system that allows customers of financial institutions to conduct a number of transactions through devices like mobile phones or personal digital assistants."

Mashreq increases focus on mobile banking with the launch of Mashreq Max
"Mashreq has launched a new service, called Mashreq Max, which equips salary transfer account holders with a dedicated Samsung tablet filled with dedicated apps that give users access to banking features previously available only at the bank’s branches. It is available to any UAE residents with salaries of at least AED 15,000 per month."

Opinion: Why banking must change its game
"You have 15 minutes to kill. Time to bank. After logging in on your smartphone, you check that your pay has come in, you settle your credit card dues, pay your rent by bank cheque and move money into your savings account. Before you reach home on your way back from work, there is just enough time to locate the nearest cash point and check for discount offers at your favourite lunch spot. This is a far cry from banking of old, and this is only the beginning of what the internet and mobile technology can offer. As device sophistication and network speed increase, so will consumers’ expectations of usability and service. Next generation customers want banking that fits into their lives, not the other way around."

LajanCash: Haiti National Credit Bank incorporates mobile banking
"The National Credit Bank (BNC) launched on Friday, May 24, 2013, at the Royal Oasis, a new product in the banking market, the electronic wallet, "LajanCash." This product will allow any user of a mobile phone to easily and safely make online purchases, receive wages, transfer money, make deposits and withdrawals through ATM machines in the BNC."

Commonwealth Bank of Australia : Introducing new mobile banking innovations in Australia’s most popular digital wallet - CommBank Kaching
"Commonwealth Bank today unveiled two new mobile banking innovations to its two million mobile customers with the introduction of a BPAY QR code reader and card PIN and activation functionality - now available on CommBank Kaching for iPhone. The ability to set and change a card PIN through a mobile banking app marks the first of any of the major Australian banks."

Emirates NBD wins 'eBanking 2013 Excellence Award' for best mobile banking application
"Emirates NBD , a leading bank in the region, announced today that it has won the "eBanking 2013 Excellence Award" at the 18th Middle East e-Government and e-Services Excellence Awards for demonstrating the best mobile applications in the market that helped drive better efficiencies in technology, marketing and entertainment. The award was received by Ahmed Al Marzouqi, General Manager - Retail Distribution, Emirates NBD , at the award ceremony that took place recently at Ritz Carlton, DIFC."

Rapid growth in internet banking usage expected in UAE
"While use of internet banking is relatively low in the region, HSBC sees a rising trend in adoption of technology in the UAE which is expected to grow further, Francesca McDonagh, Regional Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Mena, HSBC, told Gulf News in an interview."

SCB unveils digital banking vision in Pakistan
"Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) announced its digital banking vision aimed at enhancing the customer banking experience in Pakistan. This is part of the Bank’s global focus on ‘Digitisation’-socialising personal banking and extending customers’ digital lifestyle into banking. Bank launched ‘Breeze’, its award-winning Mobile Banking application, making Pakistan the second market in the MEPA region where this application is available."

Brazil to foster mobile banking thanks to central bank's increased powers
"The Brazilian central bank's recent announcement that it will become the official regulator of the country's payment industry also sets the basis for the legal framework for mobile banking in the country, which will benefit banks and telephone operators as it facilitates and expands payment alternatives. The provisional measure introduces the concept of 'payment institution,' a new legal entity that will be recognized as a participant in the Brazilian payment system."

M-banking on USSD likely to get delayed as operators spar
"Full-scale mobile banking services over the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) platform, a text message-based interactive backbone could hit a roadblock with both GSM and CDMA operators at loggerheads with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on the revenue-sharing model."

Mobile Expert Series Mark Crofton
"Cognizant SMAC Analyst Kevin Benedict interviews SAP's Mark Crofton at SAPPHIRE NOW 2013 on the mobile solution and mobile banking market in Latin America."

RBC, Bell Mobility add to payments rivalry
"Canadian bank RBC and Bell Mobility, the country’s second largest mobile operator, are to launch a service that further heats up competition in the country’s payments market. RBC’s mobile banking customers will be able to buy goods in shops using their debit or credit cards, so long as they have a compatible NFC-based smartphone from Bell Mobility. The service will launch later this year, following a roadtest with selected merchants and consumers in the summer."

UPDATE 2-Safaricom warns on mobile banking tax as profit surges
"Kenya's top telecoms firm Safaricom expects to maintain its almost 40 percent earnings margin this year but "premature taxes" could stifle growth of lucrative mobile phone-based money transfers, its chief executive said on Tuesday. Safaricom, 40-percent owned by Britain's Vodafone, said pretax profit climbed to 25.5 billion shillings (304ドル.30 million) in its year to end-march, off the back of 16 percent growth in total revenue."

Noor Islamic Bank launches reality mobile banking app
"Noor Islamic Bank (Noor)’s augmented reality ‘Bank in Your Hand’ smartphone and tablet application is now available for download from Apple’s App Store, the banks announced in a press reealse. Work is also in progress on adapting the app to other smart phone platforms, it said."

HSBC Bank Brazil expands DIGIPASS for Mobile deployment
"VASCO Data Security International, Inc. (Nasdaq: VDSI; www.vasco.com), a leading software security company specializing in authentication products, announces that HSBC Bank Brazil, a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings, one of the largest financial conglomerates in the world, deployed the DIGIPASS for Mobile technology for an enhanced group of retail and corporate customers, while expanding the offered online and mobile services. Currently, more than 90,000 account holders use their mobile device to access all self-service channels to execute financial transactions. With this enhancement, HSBC Brazil is the first and only financial institution worldwide to fully integrate access to internet banking, mobile services, contact center, ATMs and e-commerce."

SAP Technology powers mobile banking for Standard Bank communities
"STANDARD Bank has introduced the SAP business solutions in bringing banking services closer to the people of Tembisa in South Africa. It introduced AccessBanking as a service to help people in communities apply for a bank account and then use the account. It has used technology from SAP to enable agents to enable customers to set up bank accounts without customers having to travel to a major city. SAP technology is used to enable new accounts to be configured in the field using a mobile handheld device."

Mobile banking up 11.5% in South Korea
"The daily use of mobile banking in South Korea rose 11.5 percent in the first quarter from three months earlier, an increase aided by the growing use of smartphones, reports Yonhap News Agency citing the Bank of Korea. Transactions by mobile banking or banking services accessed via mobile handsets were valued at KRW 1.26 trillion per day in the January-March period, up from KRW 1.13 trillion three months earlier."

ING DIRECT Mobile Banking App Wins BlackBerry Achievement Award for 'Putting Customers First'
"ING DIRECT has been recognized for its unique mobile banking experience on BlackBerry® 10 smartphones. The bank, which was the first Canadian financial institution to introduce a BlackBerry 10 app, has won the BlackBerry Achievement Award in the 'Putting Customers First' category, which acknowledges customer-centric experiences that make a business stand out. The ING DIRECT mobile app provides customers with a convenient and secure way to conduct their banking transactions. The app puts an increased focus on savings through features like "Orange Alerts", pushing notifications to the BlackBerry® Hub for triggers such as account balances reaching pre-determined thresholds. This is just one of the intuitive features the bank has built into its mobile app with the aim to simplify and modernize banking for all Canadians."

PMC Bank Deploys Array's Application Delivery Controller
"Punjab Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC Bank), provider of banking services to customers with utmost ease and convenience, has chosen Array Networks' ADC and server load balancing solutions to serve their customers with secure high speed connectivity for internet and mobile banking. PMC Bank required high availability, speedy performance and reliable security for their internet and mobile services portals. They wanted to enhance their online transaction processing in order to provide customers with good user experience and around the clock service. PMC Bank conducted a detailed requirements analysis with their compliance and networking teams which was subsequently shared with various vendors. All the leading ADC products were tested; Array Networks' Proof of Concept (POC) solution was selected after a month of live internet usage at PMC's production site."

Banking now goes high-tech with unmanned services
"Standard Chartered Bank customers no longer need to endure long queues to access financial services after the lender opened a digital branch last week that offers unmanned banking services. Dubbed ‘Breeze@ The Junction’, the electronic banking unit provides all the banking solutions available at traditional branches, but through online and mobile banking as wells as intelligent ATMs. The units are fitted with iPads, personal computers, touch screens mounted on walls, and free wireless Internet; allowing customers to carry out transactions on their own."

Mobile banking apps to be tried on Everest
"Mountaineers Horacio Galanti and Horacio Cunietti have commenced a unique Himalayan expedition to summit Everest to mark the 60th anniversary of its first ascent. The expedition will also push the boundaries of mobile technology in extreme environments and help in the recovery of debris left behind on the world’s highest peak. While on their expedition, the duo are expected to subject Standard Chartered’s Breeze mobile banking apps to the rigors of some of the most challenging environments known by attempting to trade stocks and transfer funds during their journey."

Mobile money accelerates financial inclusion
"The volatile economic environment which has prevailed in Zimbabwe over the past decade largely contributed to the failure of telecoms and banking institutions to adopt mobile banking. But over the past year there has been a foray by telecommunication and banking institutions to establish mobile banking platforms. Examples of mobile banking products that have been launched include: Kingdom Bank’s Cellcard, Tetrad’s eMali, Econet Wireless’ Ecocash; Cabs Bank’s Textacash, Interfin Bank’s Cybercash and CBZ Bank’s mobile banking, among others."

Corporation Bank launches app for iPad, Android
"City-based Corporation Bank had launched an app for iPad and Android. The Bank recently had come out with a special mobile banking app through Android and iOS. This app can be downloaded free from app store for iOS and Google Play for Android phones and tablets. The bank is one of the first public sector banks to introduce transaction-based banking in tablet PCs and iPads."

Central Bank calls for tight security in mobile banking
"Bank of Uganda has urged banks to ensure that they operate a secure and robust mobile banking platform to protect customers’ mobile bank accounts. 'A number of banks are now offering mobile banking products. It is in light of this that I re-iterate that every new product comes with its attendant risks. It is imperative that potential risks are identified and appropriate mitigation measures developed,' Ben Sekabira, the acting executive director supervision, Bank of Uganda, said."

Valimo Offers over One Million Tele2 Norway’s Mobile Users Easy to Use Strong Authentication, Mobile ID and Legally Binding Electronic Signature
"Valimo, a leading solution provider for mobile user authentication and digital signature software, announces that Tele2 Norway, a major European mobile operator, has selected its Mobile ID authentication service platform. The Valimo solution will offer over one million Tele2 subscribers in Norway the opportunity to securely access services that require strong, two-factor authentication, such as internet banking or e-government applications, using their mobile phone to generate a legally-binding electronic signature. As a first step, this new service will enable highly secure and legally binding log-in for online and mobile banking with four major banks in Norway."

Kenyan mobile innovation hard to export
"Kenya's mobile banking innovation may prove difficult to export. The African country has led the way with an SMS-based payment service called M-Pesa, which launched in eastern India last month.The government's push to give all Indians the right to banking access bodes well. But financial regulations and fierce competition may mean M-Pesa in India will face higher hurdles than its Kenyan role model."

Capitec banking app on its way
"Capitec says its dedicated banking app will be coming near the end of its current financial year (February 2014), and will be designed to run on both smart and feature phones. This follows the recent launch of Absa‘s banking app on 10 April 2013 – the last of South Africa’s so-called “big banks” out the door with a dedicated mobile application. However, Capitec told BusinessTech that it does not feel pressured by the competition to released a specialised banking app for smartphones, indicating further that its digital plans differ from those of its competitors."

E-banking survey reveals surge in mobile banking
"Online research specialist Columinate has released the results of the second annual Internet Banking SITEisfaction survey, one of the most comprehensive reports on customers' usage and perceptions of e-banking in South Africa. The survey quizzed over 1,400 South African e-bankers on their online banking habits and attitudes, and revealed several interesting trends. Henk Pretorius, Columinate CEO, explains that the survey is important as it provides insights into one of the fastest changing areas of customer banking."

Mobile and Alternative Payments in Mexico
"The Mexican consumer financial services landscape is in the midst of great change, driven by the confluence of technological innovation, innovative forms of branch expansion, regulatory changes in consumer deposit accounts and bank cards, and a strong push to facilitate mobile banking and payments. Indeed, major banks and telecommunications companies, most notably Telcel, have launched mobile banking and payments platforms that we expect to gain significant traction in 2013. At stake is the transformation of the Mexican banking system--from remittances to redefining branch banking--which can address longstanding financial inclusion disparities by reaching tens of millions of consumers heretofore unable to participate in formal banking services."

Bell and RBC strike deal to launch a mobile payment service, will be available “by the end of the year”
"Mobile payments in Canada are slowly increasing in popularity and will gain even more traction this summer. Rogers recently teamed up with CIBC to launch ‘suretap’, and Bell announced a partnership with RBC this morning. The new mobile payment solution will only be available for RBC customers who download the RBC mobile banking app, plus have a compatible Bell smartphone. The mobile payment option will be included into the current RBC Mobile banking app, not a standalone app, and will appear on the homescreen menu. The app will allow users to purchase small ticket items (debit or credit) from their smartphone."

HSBC seeks balance between mobile payments, Hong Kong branch network
"The increased popularity of mobile payments in Hong Kong has pushed HSBC to invest in related technology, but the bank said it would not stop expanding its branch network. Diana Cesar, head of retail banking and wealth management at HSBC in Hong Kong, said the lender would strike a balance between different banking services, even as mobile banking emerged as a growth area. In the first quarter, average monthly HSBC mobile banking logins increased more than 60 per cent from last year, Cesar said at the launch of a wealth management app."

Mobile banking helps to empower Tanzanian women
"The ability to exchange money and make payments with smartphones is placing power in the hands of women. The GSMA mWomen Programme is working in combination with Bankable Frontier Associates (BFA) and Visa Inc. in five different countries in order to help to better use mobile banking to reach women who are underserved and whose needs can be directly met by this technology and its associated products."

Aircel, ICICI Bank launch mobile banking service
"Aircel and ICICI Bank have jointly launched a mobile banking service. Called Mobile Money, the service will be run on Visa’s mobile managed service. Mobile Money has been launched with a range of financial services on a mobile phone such as cash deposits, cash withdrawals and money transfer to third parties."

Leverage on developments in mobile banking — Gono
"THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono has urged the banking sector to leverage on the current developments in mobile banking as an effective distribution network for financial products to various segments of society. Mobile banking is a system that allows customers of a financial institution to conduct a number of transactions through a mobile device such as a mobile phone or personal digital assistant."

Rakbank launches new services on Mobile Banking platform
"Rakbank, the leading retail and small business bank in the UAE, announced the launch of new services on its Mobile Banking platform that allow customers to conduct a wider range of banking transactions on the go via their handset. By introducing added services on its Mobile Banking Application and Service, customers can now use their mobile phones to order new cheque books, transfer balances, apply for supplementary cards, and even report a lost or stolen credit card. Rakbank Mobile Banking saves time when seeking investment details and when applying for an advance against salary."

HSBC enhances its mobile banking offering in its continued commitment
"HSBC has enhanced its mobile banking offering in its continued commitment to helping businesses streamline their banking needs. The new offering will allow customers to initiate payments to existing beneficiaries across the world. The facility adds to the extended suite of mobile solutions the Bank already offers its customers."

Standard Chartered kicks off 2013 Mobile Ventures Fellowship programme
"Standard Chartered Bank today signaled its ongoing commitment to talent development in financial services technology by announcing the 2013 Mobile Ventures Fellowship (MoVe) programme. Now in its second year, the MoVe programme was initiated as a part of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore's (IDA) Company-Led Training Programme (CLT). It aims to train new infocomm graduates and professionals in emerging and critical technologies. In calling for new applicants today, Standard Chartered announced another 10 traineeships for young Singaporean technopreneurs (MoVeRs) in mobile banking technology."

Aussie smartphone owners gravitating toward mobile banking
"An Australian study has found that the proportion of that nation's smartphone users who conduct banking transactions on their phones is now greater than 20 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of smartphone users who bank online has dropped: Fewer than half of smartphone owners now use a computer for banking transactions, said the study from Roy Morgan Research."

Consumers in developed economies are behind in mobile banking adoption.
"Developed, Western markets are playing catchup with the rest of the world when it comes to adoption of mobile banking, with countries such as Germany and Italy recording rates well below the global average. Mobile banking brings advantages in terms of engagement and service differentiation, and banks in these countries are missing out on this opportunity."

Airtel expands Mobile Banking to capture 50% of customers
"Airtel Ghana says it is further expanding its Mobile Money platform, particularly the Mobile Banking portfolio to give existing and prospective customers a wider range of usage opportunities aimed at capturing at least 50% of customers onto Airtel Money."

Nigeria: Sanusi - Value of Mobile Banking Transactions Rises to N4 Billion
"The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has disclosed that the value of transactions through mobile banking has increased significantly to N4 billion monthly, compared to the N20 million it was beginning of the year. Sanusi said this in an interview with journalists at the sideline of a forum organised by the Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA) in Lagos Thursday."

HSBCnet Mobile users authorise USD6 billion of payments
"A little over a year since its launch, HSBC’s corporate mobile banking service has been used to authorise USD6 billion worth of payments worldwide, including a single payment of USD50m. HSBCnet Mobile enables corporate treasurers to check account balances and statements, authorise payment instructions (including priority payments, payments in the Eurozone, inter-account transfers, bill payments and ACH credits/debits) and receive payment alerts using smartphones. In addition, users can authorise cross-border payments with ‘Get Rate’, which allows customers to view and instantly book foreign exchange rates when making foreign currency payments."

As mobile banking grows, Zong, Askari Bank join the race
"The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), according to sources in Zong, issued branchless banking licence to Zong and Askari Bank last Friday after auditing their pilot project, launched in May this year. This is the second branchless banking license issued by the SBP this month – the central bank had awarded a mobile financial services licence to Mobilink’s sister concern Waseela Bank."

Connected world: mobile commerce reaches tipping point
"Around half of the world’s mobile owners are ready to use their phone to make purchases and manage money – but mobile finance players must tailor their strategies to the conditions of each market to take full advantage. Use of mobile banking and mobile wallet services is set to surge worldwide as consumers respond to the promise of convenience, and look past security concerns. The Mobile Life 2012 study reveals that 50% of the world’s phone owners are either interested in mobile banking services or using them already, whilst 45 percent show the same level of enthusiasm for making payments using their phone."

Service charge on mobile banking halved
"The telecom regulator has halved the charges on mobile banking aiming at quick expansion of the service across the country. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in a circular issued on Tuesday slashed the charge to 1.0 per cent from the existing 2.0 per cent, which will come into effect from December 1."

MTN, Pick n Pay in banking tie-up
"MTN and Pick n Pay are poised to launch a mobile bank. Called Tyme, which stands for “take your money everywhere”, the venture will piggyback on the banking licence held by Bank of Athens. Tyme hopes to make mobile money transfers and mobile banking commonplace in South Africa, where consumers have to date failed to embrace similar offerings en masse."

The history of online and mobile banking in Ireland … so far (infographic)
"Online and mobile banking will be used by 83pc of Irish adults by 2015, according to an infographic produced by Danske Bank to coincide with the launch of Ireland’s first iPad banking app. Did you know there are 3.2m users of online banking in Ireland and that six out of 10 smartphone owners use mobile banking? According to the infographic, remote banking has come a long way since the first mobile network was launched in Ireland in 1987."

Sanusi: Value of Mobile Banking Transactions Rises to N4bn
"The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has disclosed that the value of transactions through mobile banking has increased significantly to N4 billion monthly, compared to the N20 million it was beginning of the year. Sanusi said this in an interview with journalists at the sideline of a forum organised by the Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA) in Lagos Thursday."

Corporation Bank allows mobile banking facilities via Tablet PCs, iPads
"The public sector bank, Corporation Bank, has started providing its customers the facility to carry out banking transactions through tablet PCs and iPads. This latest development of the bank in the digital banking space was announced by the Chairman and Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Ajai Kumar."

Mobile banking set for sharp rise
"A study in 2011 has revealed that mobile banking constitutes 0.1 per cent of total banking transactions. It is the second largest transaction medium after ATM, said Ajai Kumar, chairman and managing director of Corporation Bank here on Thursday. He was addressing the students at the TA Pai endowment lecture programme with the theme " Digital Banking." The programme was organised by Mangalore University."

Making Up for Lost Ground in Mobile Banking
"Nearly every day, the financial technology press publishes new, eye-popping statistics on the trends in mobile banking and finance. Here are some of the more telling stats that I have seen recently: * By 2015, Forrester predicts that one in five US adults will be using mobile banking. * Mobile customers are the new "sweet spot" segment for the banks. They are younger, they are more affluent, and buy more financial products."

Why is USAA Building Financial Centers?
"USAA has always been known as a forward-thinking institution, especially when it comes to mobile banking - the San Antonio bank's military customer base necessitates a quick move by the institution into all things remote. USAA's efforts to serve a customer base that's always on the move has making it an incubator of sorts for remote access technology."

Area financial institutions roll out latest tech
"North Bay financial institutions are increasingly employing the latest generation of Web and mobile technologies, addressing a wave of consumer demand for conveniences that were once only within reach of large, national banks. Early adopters of these technologies, including Santa Rosa’s Summit State Bank and Community First Credit Union, have seen users readily embrace the new, free services, which allow functions like advanced money management and mobile check capture."

Quarter of mobile internet users 'use mobile banking services'
"Research from YouGov indicates that there is still room for growth in mobile banking. The research, commissioned by mobile web and app vendor Antenna, found that a quarter of UK mobile internet users use mobile banking services. Perhaps unsurprisingly, mobile banking is most popular with the young. 30% of 18-24 year olds and 33% of 24-34 year olds regularly use their mobiles to access their bank account."

Beefing up for mobile banking
"Banks are stepping up initiatives and making key investments in mobile banking in line with the industry's participation in this digital banking channel by the middle of next year. HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd head of retail banking and wealth management Lim Eng Seong said competition in mobile banking would intensify as customers were getting more demanding."

Mobile Banking & Payments by the Numbers
"Statement rewards provider and BillShrink parent, Truaxis, published a nice summary of mobile banking and payments on its blog (reprinted with permission below). A few Industry Players metrics at the bottom of the infographic have recently been updated:

* Starbucks said this week it has processed 42 million mobile payment, up from the 26 million (Venture Beat, 9 April 2012)
* Square has now shipped 1 million readers, up from 500,000; and is now processing 11ドル million per day, up from 4ドル mil (Splatf, 5 March 2012) "

Accenture Introduces New Software to Help Banks Integrate Customer Channels, Streamline Product Development and Pricing
"Accenture ACN -2.46% has introduced two new software products -- Accenture Multichannel Platform and Accenture Product and Fee Factory -- to help banks quickly and efficiently integrate customer channels, such as mobile, branch and online banking, and streamline product development and pricing.

Developed by Accenture Software, the new products are designed to help banks increase revenues, improve commercial offerings and reduce distribution costs by strengthening customer channels and product management."

Monitise launches HSBC banking app
"The iOS app allows customers to access up to 10 accounts on their smartphone, check balances, review recent transactions, and top-up airtime on up to five mobile phones. As part of the deal, Monitise will develop further mobile banking services for HSBC UK. Monitise COO Mike Keyworth said: 'Monitise is a proven partner to the world’s largest financial institutions which know they can trust it to deliver world-class, bank-grade products and services."

Orange adopts 'Quick Tap' mobile banking for Android
"Mobile network provider Orange has announced that 'Quick Tap' contactless payments will be opened to Android phones and all UK credit and debit card accounts, The Telegraph reports.

Although the company has yet to announce which Android handsets will be compatible with the contactless payments technology, it's the latest step in the evolution of mobile banking - following in the wake of similar applications such as Barclays' Pingit. "

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ドル.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."

MasterCard debuts ATM mobile offering on Android platform
"MasterCard is letting customers search for and find the nearest ATM via an application for Android-enabled devices. Consumers can customize their search based on their banking needs, including the ability to search for a specific financial institution if they need to make a deposit. The application is available as a free download in Android Market and is also available on iPhone and BlackBerry devices."

Preparing for the Big Mobile Revolution - Eric Schmidt, Google
"Second, we must attend to the development of mobile money. Phones, as we know, are used as banks in many poorer parts of the world—and modern technology means that their use as financial tools can go much further than that."

Mobile challenges to the financial sector
"What's big in payments right now? I don't think we have to guess. Our good friends at PaymentsNews have already pointed out that 'Two payment-related themes are emerging from NRF conference being held this week in New York: POS encryption/tokenization and mobile payments acceptance.'"

Fifth Third Bank taps mobile payments service to accommodate consumers
"Fifth Third Bank is accommodating tech-savvy customers via a new email and mobile payments service. The bank is using CashEdge’s Popmoney email and mobile payments service which will be offered to consumers in mid-2011. Customers can send money from their online or mobile banking by using a recipient’s email, phone number or bank account information."

iPhones Ring at HSBC, CBOE
"While most iPhone banking apps to date have been more informational than transactional, First Direct has launched a transactional app, making it an early adopter among global banks. The UK-based online banking unit of HSBC, First Direct’s free app will allow consumers to use their iPhones and iPod Touches to view balances, the previous 20 transactions, make payments and transfer money between accounts. Apps for other smartphones are in the pipeline."

HSBC (First Direct) does do mobile
"Back in May last year, I complained about HSBC and its apparent lack of a mobile strategy. My complaints were purely selfish, because I wanted to be able to bank on my iPhone, and couldn’t find a way to do it. As an HSBC customer, I was jealous that other banks were offering something I couldn’t use. Well, last week, HSBC released their iPhone app to customers of its direct banking unit First Direct. It is an excellent first step."

Mobile Payments on the Small Screen: NACHA Payments 2010 Followup
"A curious thing happened at the recent NACHA’s Payments 2010 conference in Seattle – it was how quickly the person to person (P2P) payment conversation turned to mobile commerce, consumer to business (C2B) and business to business (B2B). Voila! Granted the remittance payment market is ultimately P2P, banks are becoming more comfortable with the use/risk cases and will finally move beyond A2A (account to account transfers) Mom paying Billy at State U to ecommerce, Mom paying the homeowners association and spa (you need a break), and may one day allow two Gen Y’ers to pay each other back for drinks with smart phones. If the bank doesn’t serve them, Twitter might. The consumer is younger and more ready to pay businesses and each other from the small screen. Slightly over 80% of the 18-29 age group use only wireless/mobile communications. Bankers, these are your new consumer and business customers."

Fiserv Unveils ZashPay - P2P Payments via Online Banking
"Fiserv has announced ZashPay, a new person-to-person payments service that 'will allow consumers to tap into a community where they can quickly send or receive money using their existing online banking accounts. With ZashPay, consumers will be able to send money to anyone they know using only an e-mail address or mobile phone number. The payment will be deducted directly from the sender’s banking account and deposited directly into the recipient’s account in as little as one business day, utilizing the same secure processes as a typical online banking transaction.'"

NPD report: Android outselling iPhone; BlackBerry number one
"The iPhone gets the bulk of the mind share, but in actual U.S. smartphone sales, the iPhone trails not only Research In Motion's BlackBerrys but also now handsets built around Google's Android mobile operating system. That's what NPD Group is reporting, based on the market researcher's first quarter 2010 mobile operating system numbers that were released today. NPD says its wireless research reveals that the RIM OS has 36% of the mobile OS market, compared to 28% for Android devices and just 21% for the iPhone. Data is based on unit sales."

Obopay Announces Mobile Money for Banks
"Obopay has announced Mobile Money for Banks - a new service that 'will allow banks to deploy their own branded mobile money service. Designed to make bank accounts the anchor for all current and future mobile money transactions, the service combines complete brand control and a full range of mobile transactions and applications with simple low-cost integration and deployment. Mobile Money for Banks includes the ability to send and transfer money, makes payment card acceptance available to everyone and can be implemented in 30 days or less.'"

EX-Lloyds innovation boss chides HSBC over m-banking
"Mobile banking has long been touted as a delivery channel with huge potential. Last year Berg Insight predicted take up is set to soar, with the number of people using the technology growing from 20 million in 2008 to 913 million in 2014. Only last month research outfit Forrester urged banks to update their strategies in preparation of a surge in popularity as Europe sees increased smartphone adoption. Yet, alone among the UK's major banks, HSBC offers no retail mobile service at all, prompting James Gardner, now CTO at the Department for Work and Pensions, to ask on his blog: 'What is going on HSBC?'"

Mobile, Online Banking Draw Mixed Reactions
"Banking is becoming more handheld and convenient every day, it seems. You can text your bank to check your balance, pay bills via mobile device, or manage all of your finances on your bank’s website. But how do people feel about banking on the go? It turns out that some people don’t need it, while others can’t do without it. Check out this video and learn some of the advantages and disadvantages of mobile banking from every day people with a variety of opinions on Online banking.

Nokia invests in mobile money firm Obopay
"The world's top cellphone maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE) has bought a minority stake in Obopay, enabling the U.S. mobile money firm to extend its product offering and geographical presence.'This investment reflects our belief in the global potential for mobile payments,' Teppo Paavola, head of Corporate Business Development at Nokia, said in a statement. The size of the investment was not disclosed."

MasterCard outlines mobile strategy
"The last piece of the mobile contactless payments puzzle in the U.S. is the commercial roll-out of NFC-enabled handsets from major OEMs and carriers, according to MasterCard. MasterCard Worldwide announced the issuance of the 50 millionth MasterCard PayPass card or mobile device, as of the fourth quarter 2008, which in the last year more than doubles the number of cards and devices in circulation worldwide."

HSBC adds mobile banking to outsourced payments platform
"Under the deal, HSBC's MPS (Managed Payments Service) - which brings together transactional banking, multi-bank connectivity and full data integration in an outsourced proposition - will now incorporate Petra Financial's Touchstone Mobile Banking software as an additional feature."

EPL and TRG Mobilearth team on m-banking offering
"Their approach to mobile banking is easy-to-use, cost effective and flexible. In addition, their culture and commitment to service strongly aligns with our own. We are excited to team up with Mobilearth to offer this emerging important member service."

Major banking group considers replacing BlackBerry with iPhone
"Global banking conglomerate HSBC is taking a hard look at using the iPhone 3G over its current fleet of corporate BlackBerry devices."

Absa introduces mobile money transfer via ATM network
"South Africa's Absa Bank has launched CashSend, a service that enables customers to send funds via ATMs to recipients that do not have a bank account or card."

Sybase CEO John Chen charts a mobile course
"The Hong Kong-born engineer, who became chief executive a year after his arrival, set about the slow task of rebuilding the Dublin-based company. Part of his strategy has been mining the then-nascent mobile software market. Sybase now has annual revenue that tops 1ドル billion."

Mpayy Promises Payments from Anywhere
"Although Conrad Sheehan thinks he has come up with a way to provide the mobility factor in the formula for ecommerce success, he's an unlikely dot-com entrepreneur at age 41."

If you are visiting from Mobile Money & Banking let me say - Welcome.

On the other hand, if you have no idea what I'm talking about - I apologize - once you’re done here please check out the post I wrote today for Mobile Money & Banking titled "Mobile and Top 10 U.S. Banks."

Anyway, this weekend as I was doing some research I stumbled upon some very interesting tid-bits about the HSBC mobile service. As I dug into their disclosure I learned that they are not offering their service for free - at least not in the UK. As you can see they offer a "free weekly mini-statement" service via SMS. However, if you would like to utilize the "personalized" text message service it's going to run you 2.50 pounds/month (5ドル US).

Additionally, if you would prefer to sign up for the Rich UX solution (via Monilink) you'll incur the following charges:

* Balance inquiry - 20p (0ドル.41 US)
* Mini statement - 25p (0ドル.51 US)

That's right...a bank that has decided not to give away the premium product. Actually, let me rephrase, there is a promotion in place through 12/31/07 in which the service is free, but then the standard charges apply beginning in 2008. So, for all you mobile bankers out there - hold on to hope. There might be a way yet that we can generate some fee income with this solution.

Also interesting, as I'm sure you've noticed, is that all of the pricing is quoted in pounds. It seems that the service isn't promoted and possibly not even offered in the U.S. In fact, the only way I found the information was by performing a Google search. There's no link or mention on the U.S. version of HSBC.com.