first direct launches iPhone App
Online and 24-hour telephone bank, first direct, has become the first UK bank to launch a true transactional, Banking 'on the go' App for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch.
The App, launched today on the Apple App Store, allows first direct customers to check balances, view the last 20 account transactions, make payments and transfer money between accounts. It is this transactional capability that differentiates it from other applications launched in the UK, making it the first true UK Banking 'on the go' App.
Matt Colebrook, CEO of first direct commented, "To steal a phrase, this changes everything. Again.
"This is about our customers, we want them to be proud to say 'I bank with first direct'. 21 years ago, first direct changed the face of banking when it became the first UK financial institution to allow customers to do their banking whenever they wanted via phone. We were amongst the leaders in taking this experience online and today we continue to innovate. This time it's about making the banking experience simpler and quicker, allowing our iPhone enabled customers to access key features of our internet banking; whenever they want and wherever they want.
"The iPhone App is as a huge step forward, but it's just the beginning of our ambitions for mobile banking. Our plans for 2011 are to make our 'on the go' mobile service available on other smartphone devices."
"We chose to go with the iPhone first because that's where our customers are. Over the last 12 months, the iPhone has grown to become the 6th largest source of visitors to our website and whilst Android is growing rapidly, it's nowhere near the iPhone just yet."
Some US banks have already tapped into the country's more developed iPhone App market (the Bank of America was the first to launch an App in July 2008), but first direct aims to stay ahead of the curve here in the UK, with plans for the next generation of mobile banking applications already afoot. In a post on "talking point", first direct's customer forum, the bank, which has received critical acclaim for its engagement with customers through social media, plans to collect online feedback in order to understand which new features are most in demand.