SCB Pakistan Launches Breeze - A Mobile App

Standard Chartered Bank, one of the leading private bank in Pakistan launches Breeze Mobile - A mobile app & Wap for mobile users. By this service SCB existing customers with Internet Banking account can access the account, perform fund transfer, buy mobile top up etc.
If you own an iphone than you can download it from App Store, for all phone users, they can access it by visiting to http://m.sc.com/pk.

By all means this is not a mobile banking, which other banks like Faysal Bank, MCB are offering in Pakistan.  In which your mobile banking account is separate from internet banking & it requires customer to call help line to activate it. But this is different, you just need to download the app & login with your internet banking account credentials.

There is not much information on how secure this mobile app is. I think we should leave it for time to decide. For now if you are SCB Pakistan internet banking user, you should definitely give it a try.

For more info: Breeze Mobile

What is an xRM? and Why is it an xRM?

There used to be a time when the only information organizations ever used to keep was basic data such as names and phone numbers only to be able to contact their clients when required. Rolodex was the rage and then a spreadsheet that kept information in a single place accessed when needed. When someone said Personal Information Manager, it meant something and everybody used to be awestruck.

And then came along contact managers such as Outlook, where more information could be stored about contacts. Even then just the basics, and enough to be able to touch base with a client when necessary. The real power game started when these contact managers started to realign and become a CRM.

CRM is a technology. Most organizations fail to realize this aspect. CRM or Customer Relationship Management software are not simply software but a whole element of technology and process realignment, as well as business redesign. When a pizza place is called for delivery, the customer is greeted by name. Repeat orders are highlighted and the customer can reorder with the representative preempting this option. This is the beauty of a Customer Relationship Management software. Products and services are aligned with the customer, the customer is well known within the organization through the software, and several business processes are impacted.

Then what is xRM? When a CRM platform is so powerful it can integrate seamlessly any part of a business operation and interconnect across departments and processes to create an all knowledgeable software within an organization, it is an xRM. While the CRM is a technology, xRM is a technological phenomenon. It is a powerful way to bring a business on the same technological platform, align all business data together and be able to manage and serve all stakeholders together.

Next up, but why do organizations fail to realize the potential of this technological phenomenon called the xRM?

(Author: NoorJehan Arif is a functional consultant for MS Dynamics CRM and is the founder of the site Disco Dynamics - which is currently a work in progress)

Faysal Bank launches Mobit - Mobile Banking Platform

Faysal bank, one of the leading bank in Pakistan have launched mobile banking services for the customers. This provides another channel for the customers to interact & avail Faysal Bank services. By this service customers can check there balance, do fund transfers, pay utility bills, mobile top-ups etc.

This service is launched on Fundamo - A VISA company product. Which is one of the leading mobile & branch less banking platform in Pakistan with Easy Paisa, MCB Mobile etc also in part of its successful implementation.

This service for sure will be a great value add for Faysal Bank's customer, but how this service will differentiate to other leading mobile banking services in the market to attract new customers remains to be seen.  For now if you have an account in Faysal Bank, than do try this service. 

For more info visit: http://www.mobit.com.pk

Access Group wins Oracle Partner of the Year award for Siebel

E-Access Private Limited,part of Access Group, a leading IT services provider acrossPakistan was awarded the prestigious“SIEBEL PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARD”by Oracle at a ceremony held at Serena Hotel, Islamabad on June 30^th 2010.

Oracle the undisputed leader in CRM space with its Siebel CRM Products, awarded e-Access to recognize its contribution in selling and successfully implementing Siebel CRM to Enterprise Customers in Pakistan. E-Access has worked closely with Oracle SAGE-WEST team to offer Siebel to various industries, particularly in financial institutions, FMCGs and pharmaceuticals.

The Award was received by Mr. Owais Zaidi, Chief Operating Officer, Access Group. Mr. Owais Zaidi, on this occasion commented that,“It’s an honor to receive the Partner of the year Award for Siebel. We are really passionate about the Siebel offering and our relationship with Oracle. Our belief and commitment towards Siebel enabled us to provide our customers with world’s best CRM solution to enhance their Front line productivity across Sales, Service and Marketing domains. We firmly believe in our relationship with Oracle and would like to extend special thanks to the Applications and Channels team for our combined success.

My special thank to our customers, as without their trust on us we would not have achieved this milestone.”

Dubai Islamic Bank and flydubai launch online booking payment service

 Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) announced today the launch of a new booking payment method for flydubai and DIB customers via Al Islami Online Banking.

This new service makes travel bookings even easier for DIB customers, who can now book and pay for flydubai bookings without a card and from the comfort of their homes or offices. The bank is also in the process of enabling flydubai payments through Cash Deposit Machines (CDM) for both DIB and non-DIB customers. The signing ceremony took place at the bank's head office, and was attended by senior officials from the bank as well as the Dubai-based airline.

Philadelphia-area bank to accept check deposits from mobile phones

Customers of Conestoga Bank in suburban Philadelphia soon will be able to deposit checks from their mobile phones as part of an agreement the bank signed Monday with J&B Software Inc.
J&B Software, a payment processing, imaging and electronic content-management company, will provide a hosted mobile-deposit solution for Conestoga customers, enabling them to deposit checks into their accounts from their iPhone, Blackberry, Android and other cellular phones, says a J&B Software spokesperson.

Conestoga Bank decided to offer customers check deposits from their mobile phones because J&B Software’s hosted service reduced many of the upfront costs of installing a mobile-deposit system, Richard Elko, president and CEO of Conestoga Bank, tells ATMMarketplace.
Conestoga Bank, which is based in Chester Springs, Pa., will launch the mobile-phone deposit service later this year. "It will be available in September after summer ends," Elko says.

Apple iPad targeted by Avaya device

While Apple is set to rev up the hype machine at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today, Avaya seems about ready to introduce an iPad-like device for business users that might steal a little of Steve Jobs thunder. The Avaya device acts like a phone, has support for video and all manner of wireless technology.

The concept of such a chameleon appliance was revealed by Avaya during VoiceCon last fall when the company said it would blend the device with versions of Skype, Google and Yahoo applications hardened for business use.

How Sybase rescued itself and became worth $6 billion

 Few companies get a chance at a second life. When John Chen signed on as CEO of Sybase in 1998, the database software vendor was, in Chen's own words, "a very, very dead company." Once a strong competitor to Oracle, Sybase had lost its way, in part because it missed the opportunity to enter the enterprise application market Oracle now leads.

Over the next decade, through the efforts of Chen and his team, Sybase turned around and reinvented itself as an enabler of the "unwired enterprise." Then, in mid-May, enterprise software giant SAP offered to aquire Sybase, citing Sybase's leadership in both mobile and in real-time analytics.

Man accused of biggest credit-card breach in U.S. history

According to an article just filed by The Washington Times, the Justice Department has charged a Miami man with perpetrating what is being coined "the largest alleged credit and debit card data breach ever charged in the United States."

The Times reports that Albert Gonzales, 28, is accused of stealing data that affected more than 130 million credit and debit cards. Gonzales, whose nicknames include "soupnazi," targeted 7-Eleven; Heartland Payment Systems; and Hannaford Brothers Co. Inc., a Maine-based supermarket chain.

Along with two unnamed co-conspirators, Gonzales launched an attack on the networks and sent the stolen credit and debit card information to computer servers in California, Illinois, Latvia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. In one earlier case, Gonzales was charged with stealing credit card information after hacking into the computer networks of TJX Corp., a discount chain that operates Marshall's and TJ Maxx stores. He also reportedly infiltrated BJ's Wholesale Club, Barnes & Noble Inc., the Sports Authority, Boston Market restaurants, Office Max, Dave & Buster's restaurants, DSW shoe stores and Forever 21. In that case, he is accused of stealing 40 million credit card numbers.

Gonzalez is being held in New York and faces decades in prison if convicted in all three cases.

Source: ATMMarketPlace.com

SunGard adds corporate actions feed to MarketMap

SunGard has expanded the market data content of MarketMap, its multi-asset market data, analysis and information services solution, with the addition of a new global corporate actions data feed from Exchange Data International. According to EDI, the feed covers data for 78,000 equities, 4,100 depository receipts and 2,700 exchange-traded funds.

MarketMap provides access to data from around 160 exchanges and over-the-counter sources. The new consolidated corporate actions feed should help MarketMap customers receive a range of corporate information issued from over 100 countries on the same user interface as the price information, helping keep access simple. It will also add to MarketMap's securities instrument and time-series databases with price history adjustments, as well as merger and acquisition data, changes of ISIN, stock adjustments, capital changes and dividend payments.
Source: Banking Technology Magazine

Luup draws on T24 to support mobile payments

Mobile payments systems provider Luup will be integrating Temenos T24 banking components as part of Luup's growth strategy for their existing mobile payments offering aimed at financial institutions and their customers, from corporates to consumers. Additionally a strategic partnership agreement between Luup and Temenos is expected to open up joint business and growth opportunities.

In the retail banking sector Luup can allow banks to offer person-to-person money transfer and ATM cash-out, person-to-merchant bill payments, salary payments to name a few. Added to this, are the possibilities of global mobile remittance services. For corporate banks and their corporate clients, Luup's technology is designed to enable corporates' end users to make and receive payments, authorise invoices and initiate payments using a company mobile.

Temenos will provide Luup with a range of banking functions to complement its existing platform through a service oriented architecture. It is hoped that this will deliver the flexibility and scalability required to progress the business further globally.

Source:Banking Technology Magazine

People Using Iphones as Wallets

New iPhone case turns phone into mobile wallet

In the near future, customers may be able to use their iPhones as creditcards. DeviceFidelity has built an iPhone case that will enable an iPhone itself to be used as a form of payment. Customers would be able to leave purses and wallets at home, carrying only their iPhone, and make purchases. While similar devices are commonly used in Japan, DeviceFidelity’s website will run trials in the second quarter of 2010 for North American usage.

Source: ATM Market Place

Branchless Banking is just 19% cheaper than Traditional Banks

According to the recent CGAP’s global pricing study report on banking services targeting poor, unbanked and under-banked people in Africa, Asia and Brazil, mobile banking and other forms of branchless banking are found to be cheaper than traditional banking, but the gap between the two is not a very significant one. The study, conducted across 16 providers and 10 countries finds that on an average, branchless banking is just 19% cheaper than traditional banks. 

The study analyzed the services of branchless banks like Afghanistan’s M-Paisa, Brazil’s Bradesco and Caixa, Cambodia’s Wing Money, India’s Eko, Kenya’s M-Pesa and Zap, South Africa’s Mobile Money etc. It found that by comparing 26 branchless banking pioneers and traditional banks with products aimed at the same kind of customers, on average, branchless banking is 19% cheaper across eight services. These services included money transfer, short‐term safekeeping, medium‐term saving for asset, bill payments, high usage (as a proxy for financial inclusion) average monthly transactions per M‐PESA user in 2008 and average monthly transactions per Kenyan banking customer in 2008.

New Credit and Debit Card Security Technology by Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems has commercially launched its new state-of-the-art payment card security technology.

According to a press release, Heartland has spent more than two years developing, and 10 months beta testing, this end-to-end encryption technology called E3. E3 is designed to protect cardholder credit and debit card information, rendering scrambled data useless to cyber criminals.

Sun National Bank Goes Mobile With mFoundry

Multi-Mode Sun on Hand(TM) Solution Allows Customers to Bank from Any Mobile Device

Sun National Bank announced today that it has partnered with mFoundry to launch Sun on Hand(TM), a state-of-the-art, fully integrated and comprehensive mobile banking solution for its customers. Featuring text messaging, mobile web and application technology, the program makes financial management possible anytime, anywhere for people with mobile phone access.

Sun on Hand(TM) provides Sun National Bank customers with secure access by allowing them to check account balances, search transaction history, transfer money, and pay bills via their mobile device. Launched in late February 2010, the integrated program supports interactions via instant text messaging (SMS), mobile web browser, and mobile applications for use on the iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry and other major devices. Recognizing that today's banking consumers seek enhanced connections to their financial institutions, mobile banking helps redefine convenience.