Sparebanken Vest says that one in every ten of its online customers are now using its mobile banking application since its launch in October, with more than 500 new registrations every day.

The app, available for both iOS and Android platforms, allows the bank's 250,000 retail customers to access balance enquiries, transfer money between accounts, make payments, and track bill due dates.

"Mobile will very soon overtake online as the primary channel for interactions with the bank for our customers," says Jan Erik Kjerpeseth, deputy managing director at Sparebanken Vest. "In just over two months after launch, registration of our mobile app has been extraordinary."

A more far-reaching prediction was made in November by Australia's St George Bank, which foresees a smartphone-only future for many of its tech-savvy clients. The bank already claims to have 60,000 mobile banking customers who use only their smartphone to do all their banking.