Mobey Forum, the global industry association, which empowers banks to lead in the future of mobile financial services (MFS) worldwide, has announced that Jordi Guaus, Head of Mobile Payments at CaixaBank, has been elected to serve as Chair of the Board.
Jordi has served on the Mobey Forum Board of Directors since 2009 and is also Chair of the association's Business Workgroup, which works to create a common understanding of business opportunities, trends and challenges within the MFS landscape. The group is currently working on the impact of host card emulation (HCE) for banks.
Sirpa Nordlund, Executive Director of Mobey Forum, comments: "The Board is delighted to welcome Jordi as its new Chair. Within his role at CaixaBank, Jordi is responsible for developing mobile payment services. He also project managed Mobile Shopping Sitges, which was the first near field communication (NFC) trial in Spain. Jordi's experience in mobile financial services, combined with CaixaBank's reputation as a driving force in the mobile payments evolution, means he is perfectly positioned to steer the direction of Mobey Forum."
In addition to Jordi, three new members were also elected to the Mobey Forum Board:
• Kevin Faragher, Director, Mobile Banking Strategy and Planning, CIBC eChannels
• Oriol Pons, Innovation Strategist, BeeOne GmbH (the digital innovation enterprise of Erste Group Bank)
• Andreas Schauer, Senior Manager Secure Devices Division, Giesecke & Devrient
Kevin Faragher will also lead the association's North American activities in his newly appointed role as Chair of Mobey Forum's North American Roundtable.
"I believe 2014 will be a landmark year for banks taking a lead in money management", adds Jordi. "Already we have seen a number of developments in the mobile money industry, most notably the discussions around HCE as a route to market for bank-led mobile payment solutions. This is a key topic for Mobey Forum over the next 12 months and is an area we are already addressing within the Business Workgroup. I look forward to offering the experience I have gained through leading digital money activities at CaixaBank, to drive the future of Mobey Forum."
Sirpa adds that in addition to HCE, the association is also focusing efforts on providing strategic options for banks and financial institutions seeking to enhance their mobile banking strategies. "The launch of our Mobile Corporate Banking Workgroup earlier this year is our first step towards addressing the growing need for financial mobility services amongst large enterprises", adds Sirpa. "We are also exploring the role of mobile wallets in the prepaid market."