Mobile to become mainstream banking channel - Sabadell

29 July 2011 | 12594 views | 3 Business man using Smartphone

Spain's Banco Sabadell is forecasting that mobile access could become the mainstream channel to the bank for many customers, as it reveals that only one-in-five transactions are currently carried out via the branch network.

The Spanish bank is currently embarking on a major advertising campaign to push its mobile offerings, which encompass all leading platforms, including iPhone/iPad, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone.

In January, the bank became the first in Europe to offer remote cheque deposit functionality, enabling users to take a photo of their cheque with a smartphone camera to make deposits without having to visit a branch.

Sabadell says that 80% of customer operations are currently carried out via remote banking. Of this figure, 15% of customers access their accounts via the different mobile phone channels.

Miguel Montes, the bank's deputy general manager, says: "Over the next few years, we will see major growth in operations via mobile channels. It wouldn't be a surprise if, in the medium term, mobile terminals ended up becoming the main means of connection for many users."

User interaction via social networks is likely to be a significant contributor to growth, says Montes. Sabadell's mobile apps all provide direct links to its own YouTube, Twitter and Facebook spaces.

"Queries via social networks and particularly Twitter are increasing non-stop," he says. "Some customers have even started asking for commercial offers via this channel."

Comments: (3)

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Ketharaman Swaminathan - GTM360 Marketing Solutions - Pune | 01 August, 2011, 07:46

"...only one-in-five transactions are currently carried out via the branch network." Only? After reading articles and blogs by various digital banking pundits, I thought it was closer to "one in a million"!

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Pol Navarro - Banco Sabadell - Sabadell | 01 August, 2011, 13:01

Dear Ketharaman,

In nordic countries, the ratio of digital transacions is higher than southern countries in Europe (Spain, Italy, etc.). We are working to improve this, and the mobile channel is a great opportunity.

Regards,
Pol Navarro
@polnavarro

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Ketharaman Swaminathan - GTM360 Marketing Solutions - Pune | 01 August, 2011, 14:03

Dear Pol: Thank you for your comments. You'd no doubt agree that finding the appropriate usage scenarios for mobile would be a critical success factor in bolstering adoption of this channel. I've previously expressed the view that Mobile Remote Deposit Capture is the first "killer app" for mobile banking / payments. Amidst all the buzz around NFC, mWallet and mPayments, cheques seem so uncool and using them via mobile, almost sacrilegious. However, if we take away the hype, Mobile RDC offers what is probably the most compelling reason for customers and banks alike to adopt the mobile channel today. Kudos to Banco Sabadell for being the first bank to launch Mobile RDC in Europe. To me, this shows that Banco Sabadell has begun its mobile banking / payments journey on a solid footing and is posed for great success in the coming months and years. Best wishes!

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