As we bid farewell to 2013, it seems as though the rollercoaster ride of economic turbulence and regulatory reform of the last five years is finally coming to an end. The economy is rebounding, the deficit is falling and unemployment is at its lowest level since 2009. But the pace of change is not set to slow any time soon and 2014 is shaping up to be another exciting year for digital banking.

The rise of mobile payments

The Payment Council’s new payment system will eliminate the need to remember sort codes and account numbers by enabling customers to make payments securely via their mobile phones. All they will need to do is enter the recipient’s mobile number and the amount they want to transfer. There is no question that such a fast and effective payment method will spur on the ever evolving mobile payments market.

Biometric authentication

With the recent launch of the iPhone 5S and its integrated fingerprint scanner, biometric authentication is a trend that will only accelerate in 2014. As a wave of new mobile devices with biometric security features enter the market in 2014, banking providers will look at ways to replace lengthy passwords with innovative ways to secure customers’ digital bank accounts. Not only will this help make life harder for fraudsters, but it also has the potential to improve the customer experience.

Personalisation

With the European Union cutting transaction fees, rendering reward schemes unviable, it is likely we will see an increase in partnerships between financial services organisations and retailers. The influx of spend data that will result from such collaborations will mean customers can be targeted far more effectively with tailored offers, such as double cashback in partner stores when they use their card. It will also make it a lot easier for banking providers to look at spending patterns to predict what products and services customers want before they’ve even thought about it. Banks could even go as far as offering a money management service to their customers by looking at regular financial commitments and giving a prediction of how much money they have left to spend until payday.

It is up to banking providers and their partners to capitalise on these exciting developments in 2014. However, with biometric authentication, greater personalisation and the rise of mobile payments offering a prime opportunity to innovate, one thing is clear: 2014 is set to be an exciting year for digital banking.