Mobile phones have increasingly become tools that consumers use for banking, payments, budgeting, and shopping. Given the rapid pace of developments in the area of mobile finance, the Federal Reserve Board began conducting annual surveys of consumers’ use of mobile financial services in 2011. This 78-page report, “Consumers and Mobile Financial Services” (March, 2015) examines trends in the adoption and use of mobile banking, payments, and shopping behavior and how the emergence of mobile financial services affects consumers’ interaction with financial institutions.
First Data mBanking Solution Adopted by Texas Banks
American Bank of Texas, Marble Falls, Texas, and Waggoner National Bank, Vernon, Texas, have launched First Data’s Mobile Manager – mBanking solution. The offering is now available to their Internet banking customers following a successful internal pilot period. First Data Corporation is a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing.
With the First Data Mobile Manager – mBanking solution, financial institutions can rapidly implement mobile banking with robust functionality. This solution integrates seamlessly with First Data’s FundsXpress online banking platform, enabling a consistent experience with the same capabilities as online banking on a mobile device, and only one set of logon credentials to manage.
First Data offers the Mobile Manager – mBanking solution as a fully hosted and integrated service. This results in substantially lower costs for a financial institution than developing a solution in-house. Since launching Mobile Manager – mBanking at the beginning of 2011, First Data has signed 60 financial institutions for the service.
“After piloting this solution internally, we saw firsthand that it had the capabilities our customers are looking for,” said Mark Few, executive vice president, American Bank of Texas. “The implementation was painless – especially considering the complexity of the product – but integration is only the first step. We also feel confident that, because we have chosen First Data for our mobile solution, we will be able to keep pace as the mobile marketplace evolves.”
First Data‘s Mobile Manager – mBanking product enables financial institutions to offer all three modes of mobile banking: SMS, mobile web, and downloadable applications, including a uniquely branded iPhone app available through the App Store online store. First Data plans to roll out the same capabilities for Android phones, with availability in the Android Market during the first half of 2011.
The ability to offer all three modes is key for financial institutions that wish to position themselves for success as mobile banking providers. According to the 2010 Mobile Banking and Smartphone Forecast from Javelin Strategy & Research, consumers who bank with their mobile phones do so using all three methods, yet fewer than half of the financial institutions researched by Javelin offered all three modes in 2010.
“Partnering with First Data has expanded mFoundry’s reach and made our award-winning mobile banking product accessible to an even larger base of customers,” said Drew Sievers, CEO and co-founder, mFoundry. “This relationship results in a powerful solution that offers robust mobile capabilities without the technological hurdles of implementing them – enabling financial institutions that have more limited development resources to meet the challenge of the marketplace.”
First Data’s Mobile Manager service is part of a comprehensive mobile commerce suite that includes contactless cards solutions and a Trusted Service Manager (TSM) platform.
“Mobile banking is an important stepping stone on the path to full mobile commerce,” said Dom Morea, First Data division manager of Mobile Commerce Solutions. “This powerful combination of technology from mFoundry and First Data, along with our high level of client support, creates a scalable solution that enables our clients of all sizes and charters to join in this evolution.”
Source: First Data